Category: Reviews

To Preserve a Love – Review of “Eyes on Ennetbürgen” by Stephen Smith
There is, in the creative writing world, a bit of advice given to students, so often it’s become a cliche.

Why to How – Review of “Visually Speaking: Mastering the Art of Photography” by Ted Forbes
Let me be enthusiastic from the very beginning. You need to go out and get this book. Right now. As

From There and There and There—to Here – Review of “Nomadic Odyssey” by Bharat Patel
I am sure we have all had this experience. We see an image, and something about it calls to our

Tell Me A Story – Review of “A Falling-Off Place: The Transformation of Lower Manhattan” by Barbara G. Mensch
Although this may be a matter of taste, I love collections of photography that tell a story. I don’t mean

Evidence and Hope – Review of “Memento Morrie” by Heather Pillar
Here is an interesting and troubling question: what can photography say about dying? We can, without question, give photographic testimony

Just Like the Other – Review of “Relative Strangers” by Teri Vershel
It would be difficult to say anything good came out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The disruption, the loss of life,

An Informed Introduction – Review of “Central Park People” by Harvey Kopel
Photobooks can have a variety of intentions. They can be inquisitions, investigations, interrogations of difficult circumstances. They can be matter-of-fact

Too Young – Review of “A Poor Imitation of Death” by Ara Oshagan
One of the defining powers of photography is revelation. Hold a mirror, a camera, up to ourselves, and we see

Love, Admiration, Affection, Attentiveness, Care – Review of “Indian Rites: Signs of Devotion” by Paul Wakefield
I have been to India, but only once, more than a decade ago, and only for a few days. And

The Complication of Good Questions – Review of “Oceano (for seven generations)” by Lana Z Caplan
There are a great many photo books that celebrate community. It really doesn’t matter how you define it. It could

Astonishing and True – Review of “Work in Progress” by Peter Essick
Although it seems like a great many years ago, because it was, one of the things that astonished me when

There and Here and Now – Review of “The End of Democracy in Five Acts”, an exhibition at The Gallatin Galleries in NYC
There is a particular power to photography displayed in a gallery. A gallery space is both communal and private. We

Breadth, Depth, and Joy – Review of “The Many Pleasures: Found Art in New York City” by Barton Lewis
One of the great benefits of a photographic series is the ability to achieve both breadth and depth. With many

On Gratitude and Vision – Review of “Nature’s Writers” by Donald S. Clark
Every now and then, a book comes along, which is a type of unfolding. It gives us a glimpse of

Smart and Necessary – “LaToya Ruby Frazier: Monuments of Solidarity”, edited by Roxana Marcoci – review by W. Scott Olsen
In the world of photo books, exhibition catalogs hold a curious place. They are, by definition, ancillary. They are not