Category: Reviews

In Transit – Review of “Station to Station: Exploring the New York Subway” by Ed Hotchkiss
I do not live in New York City, although I visit often. And when I visit, it appears inevitable that

Every Page a Gem – Review of “Water Views: Rivers, Lakes, Oceans” by David Ondaatje
Here is something obvious, but always worth repeating. Perspective creates insight. I don’t mean insight in any all-encompassing way. What

Doubled Vision – Review of “The People’s Pictures” by Lee Friedlander
I remember a soft spring evening several years ago, before the pandemic. A man named Andrew Steinberg, a tremendously gifted

Expanded Seing – Review of “Crossed Looks” by Namsa Leuba
Perhaps the very best thing about art, in any genre, is its ability to expand our imagination. We read a

Disturbing and True – Review of “Course of the Empire” by Ken Light
A single documentary image can contain a powerful moral argument. Two images together create a story. An entire book can

Changed Expectations – Review of “Seeing Silence: The Beauty of the World’s Most Quiet Places” by Pete McBride
What do you do when you expect one thing and get another? What if that new thing is really wonderful

The Soft Veil of a Dream – Review of “Paysages & Transfiguration” (“Landscapes & Transfiguration”) by Philippe Ciaparra
Every now and then a book comes along which causes me to pause. I think I know what I’m looking

Learning from Others – Review of “How I Make Photographs” by David Yarrow (a part of the Masters of Photography series)
There is a lot of jazz in rock and roll. There’s a lot of the hymn in jazz. There’s a

Inspiration and Challenge – Review of “Photographers on Photography” by Henry Carroll
For many years, my father’s favorite book was Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. A blue-covered hardback, heavy and thick, it migrated around

In Praise of Volume – Review of “Colorist” by Robert A. Flischel
The use of color is a tricky subject for photographers. I’m not talking about color versus black and white or

Elegant, Sad and Profound – Review of “Vanishing Cuba: A curated photo storytelling collection” by Michael Chinnici
Every now and then, a photo book is completely astounding. The images are technically brilliant and insightfully composed. The subject

On the Politics of Portraits – An essay review of “Northern Plains Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective, Volume Two” by Shane Balkowitsch
Photography is no stranger to politics. With the possible exceptions of landscape and still life photography, nearly every other form

When the Moment Occurs – Review of “Abandoned Moments: A Love Letter to Photography” by Ed Kashi
There is something both common and brilliant about the idea of revisiting images. With just a little bit of time

Complexities – Review of “Westlands: A Water Story” by Randi Lynn Beach
There is a particular challenge to every photographer who brings a group of images together. Beyond the aesthetic power of

The Ideas that Guide Us – Review of “Through The Lens: The Pandemic and Black Lives Matter” by Lauren Walsh
When we talk about photography, we often get trapped into talking about the images. The composition, the use of light,