Reviews (1)

A Great Lighthouse Travel Guide
Bruce Roberts is one of the best lighthouse photographers working in the U.S. today. In this book, he and his partner Ray Jones give you an excellent photograph of each lighthouse featured, a short historical story from Jones and directions of how to get to the lighthouse. Lighthouse lovers could scarcely ask for more. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a must-have guide both for aspiring students and for established professionals who need to keep up to speed with the current impact of recent digital developments.



In this highly visual, full colour text Michael Harris shares his professional secrets and demonstrates how to achieve top quality architectural images. Brief histories of both architecture and architectural photography lay the foundations for the technical applications that follow. This third edition provides increased coverage of the revolution in digital photography, which is forcing all photographers to review their practices. The pros and cons of these developments are assessed through a comparison of the film and digital mediums and the highly debated variances in their quality and cost.

Michael Harris is a freelance photographer specializing in architectural and interior photography. His work covers a wide spectrum from industrial and commercial, to residential photography. He is author of 'Professional Interior Photography', also published by Focal Press.

*Learn how to achieve top quality architectural images from a leading expert
*Up-to-date advice on the pros and cons of digital photography in this field
*Step by step guide to typical, profitable shooting sequences on assignment ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Good Technical Primer
If you're interested in architectural photography as a profession, you will probably gain some valuable insights from this book. While few of the photographic examples used are what I would call "stunning", the author provides a very methodical and thorough approach to learning the craft. And while certainly not a how-to book for inexperienced photographers, Harris has done a good job of defining the issues and explaining the technical solutions that are inherent to architectural photography.

Everything of importance is explained, from film selection and filtering, to complex exposure formulas and specialized equipment.

A warning though: if you don't have a basic understanding of Geometry, you might have trouble applying some of the concepts in this book (and thus trouble producing attractive architectural photographs). More than any other genre of photography, architectural photography is a thinking man (and woman's) game. You don't "seek out" or "sense" a beautiful photograph so much as carefully manufacture them.

A "must-read" book for aspiring architectural photographers!
Professional Architectural Photography by Michael Harris is a wonderfully informative and beautifully illustrated "must-read" book for any photographer who desires to shoot the interiors and exteriors of buildings. The book is easy to read, concise and to the point, and offers a wealth of information detailing with the art and science of architectural photography. As a professional photographer and photography instructor, I had always desired to try my hand, so to speak, at capturing on film the architectural beauty of historically significant buildings. After reading this book, I can't wait to go out and shoot my own architectural photographs. In fact, I was so motivated by the way the author presented the information contained in the book that I went out a couple weeks later and bought a 4" x 5" large-format view Camera. Trust me! If you think you'd like to dabble in architectural photography, invest in this book. You'll be glad you did! Even if you're not a photographer, but you like viewing photographic images in home remodeling or architectural magazines, this book will teach you much about (and give you a better appreciation for) architectural photography. Who knows? It may even launch you into a new career. ... Read more

Book Description

They lie underfoot, embellished and gleaming. They seal off and provide entry to an underground world of conduits, water mains, power lines, and sewers. They appear by the thousands in our cities, but very few people ever look at them or think about them as art. At once completely ordinary and totally unexpected, manhole covers present an infinite variety of design in the commonplace as well as a record of defunct utility companies, forgotten business firms, and obsolete foundries. Manhole Covers documents this singular form of urban industrial art and its place in American culture.

Mimi and Robert Melnick first revealed their obsession with street hardware twenty years ago in a remarkable little book called Manhole Covers of Los Angeles (1974). Printed in a small format and a limited edition, it quickly went out of print and is now a scarce collector's item. But that was just an introduction to their larger project, which has come to fruition in this book of 200 photographs and an extended narrative documenting manhole covers throughout the United States and discussing the history of their use, manufacture, and function.

A subject that at first seems straightforward and commonplace becomes redolent and poetic in the Melnicks' hands, for their hieroglyphic reading of manhole covers reveals a chapter of urban history that can only be recovered from the logos and markings of these early disks. There are square lids, convex lids, perforated lids. And the older ones wear an astonishingly diverse range of anything-but-blank faces expressed in raised crosses, waffle grids, cut-out diamonds, radial stars, floral patterns, and honeycomb treads. The diversity of design corresponds to an equally diverse typology of form and function, as indicated by their evocative labels: handholes, vents, coalholes, grates, lampholes, storm drains, steam covers, meter lids, traffic buttons. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

My Aunt and Uncle's Book
Mimi and Robert Melnick are my aunt and uncle. Uncle Bob is my father's brother. A lifelong non-smoker, Uncle Bob died of lung cancer in his late fifties. Uncle Bob and Aunt Mimi became objects of mild derision in my family when they first announced their project of documenting the manhole covers of Los Angeles and beyond. We found it a somewhat frivolous and Quixotic project; in a word, flakey. My wall-to-wall shag carpeted and formica topped parents thought Bob and Mimi were a little eccentric. Memory is fragile. My memory of them is fading and full of holes. I know that their house was full of antique farm implements. A large tangled mass of found wire hung above their mantle. Their fireplace screen was made of chains of old soda can pull tops. I know that I am wrong about this but I remember books in their library covered in yellow paper and shelved backwards. My parents were amused and puzzled that Bob and Mimi liked to vacation in Bakersfield but my aunt and uncle must have found something very rare there that my parents did not have the patience to see. I didn't really know what sort of incredible treasure Bob and Mimi were until Uncle Bob was dead and Mimi no longer attended our family gatherings and holiday dinners. I am very sorry that I didn't know them better but I loved them very much and their example inspired me to try to find a place for the whimsical or extraordinary in my life. You will find their book beautiful and strange. It is beautiful not least because Mimi and Bob found art and design, found humanity and dignity, in a gritty and ignored urban artifact. And this is pioneering work. Very few before them sought life in the abused quotidian. Now such books documenting the gorgeousness and variety of everyday or even debased objects are rather common. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

meticulous revelations, gorgeous results
Bob Thall has been making marvelous photographic books from marvelous big-camera photographs for more than a decade. He's also been systematically investigating the city of Chicago as a test case for the 21st century city. PERFECT CITY began by looking at the creative destruction of an architecturally significant and economically vibrant American urban downtown; THE NEW AMERICAN VILLAGE then looked at the new "urbanism" of what Joel Garreau has called the Edge Cities that have sprung up along the interstates and tollroads at a safe distance from the old metropolis. Now with CITY SPACES, he's tackling the newest phenomenon of American urbanism: the nostalgic return of downtowns as places to work, live, and be entertained. It's Thall's quirky intelligence at work that a collection of photographs of alleys could become a book about the resurgence of the old city, but that's what he shows us-- the way the city's encrustations of history, its graffiti, old signs, strange corners, odd spaces, and once-vibrant functional loading docks have become objects of nostalgic reverie, and Thall offers to be our guide in this visual treasure-hunt. This is a photographer of decidedly modernist sentiments. The play of subtle light on worn brick, the way mirror glass recedes deceptively into a non-existent, yet absurdly convincing surreal skyscape, the delight you feel as things line up into sensuous arrays when you stand precisely THERE and tilt your head like THIS and bend your knees oh-so-slightly: these are the matters of this book. Such visual sleight-of-sight requires superb printing to work in a book; luckily the Icelandic printers have labored with Nordic determination and the results are astonishing: blacks as smooth as velvet but still retaining a sense of detailed dark space; silvery sheens to steel, walls that crumble as you look at them.

a tease!
I met Bob in the spring of 1986 when I took his Architectural Photography course at Columbia College Chicago. It would be wrong to define Bob as an Architectural Photographer. He goes beyond the definition. The only thing "architectural" in his work are the buildings themselves. This guy is a documentarist and a good one! I thank him for the hard time he gave me when I took his course because he wanted us to do more than "just" taking pictures of buildings. It is quite difficult as you can imagine! The subject matter isn't flexible ...I guess I sometimes achieved that. An image such as "Near North Side neighborhood, Chicago, 1973" on page 2 isn't an architectural image. It is a document and a good one. I know for a fact that Bob spent many days studying the Art Sinsabaugh collection at the print study room of the Art Institute of Chicago. He actually took us there once. At the same time I sense some sadness and also shyness in these images. But they are beautiful and I can respond to them. Bob is a sensitive man and his course was more like a seminar where he opened himself to us as an image-maker and thinker.

There are a number of images in this book, which would make the day of a gestalt analyst: plates 13, 22, 31 (gorgeous isn't it?), 68, 69, and 70. The strange thing about these images is that images of alleys presuppose that there is more to them than what we are shown - "What is beyond that?". After all an alley is only the side, or back, of a building or of two or three buildings. Plates 18, 21, 24, 28, 34, 36, 48, 51, 52, 54, 65 have tremendous tension in them. I mean to say that the tension is created by the subject matter itself, and by the composition used. It is somehow difficult to close them. They go on and on. Great photography!

For those of us who think in terms of photographic images in the "great American tradition" of the view camera, this book is a breadth of fresh air. In his other books Bob achieves the greatness of an Ansel Adams when he produces images of urban landscapes. In this book he teases you! Thanks for the books and the 1986 course! I continue on learning a great deal from you and I sincerely hope that your current students do to! ... Read more

Book Description

Berlin’s club scene, an international benchmark for improvised coolness, is defined by its software: people, fashion, music, performance, drama. Spanning a period of 10 years, Martin Eberle’s stunning photographs are the first to document these locations as they really are. By radically reducing them to their hardware, the empty space, juxtaposing run-down facades and lovingly crafted interiors (from improvised to hysterically glamorous) with architectural brutality, he perfectly captures their legendary, ramshackle hipness.

Filling and contrasting this vaguely unreal, static void are personal anecdotes by well-known promoters and club patrons who have "already collapsed in pretty much every corner".

Encased in tactile white reptile print Temporary Spaces simultaneously serves as he nostalgic documentation of a spectacular era, a personal photo album and an uneasy declaration of love for the transience and enthusiasm reverberating in the clean accuracy of these pictures. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Good Effort, but not perfect
A fine book on the American Gas Station. But pales in comparison to "Pump & Circumstance" by Margolies. Witzel's book contains no less than 61 photos of present-day abandoned gas stations, or rusting forlorn gas pumps. A few of these photos would be appropriate in this type of book. But 61! It really makes the book depressing to read. Gas station fans want to see colorful period photos of the stations in their prime.

Go decades back and simply enjoy!
This incredible book takes you back to the very start of the gas station's birth. There are a lot of great pictures which make you feel that you are just inches away from the pump and the service attendants. The book contents beautiful descriptions of what a gas station was like now and then, mostly then of course. Allow yourself to be sentimental, but make sure you have a handkerchief available, you might need it! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A pleasure to behold!
What a beautiful book this is! Everyone that looks at it has trouble putting it down. Sure, some of the politically correct will say that Curtis exploited the Native American and that scenes at times appear posed-I hate to tell you this but that was the ways things were at the time-period. Just the fact that Curtis traveled to these places at that point in history is a marvel. His images are magical at times and I thank him for his artistry. I am sure that the people in his portraits were willing participants and have gained an immortality of sorts with the beauty of his work. Enjoy this book for what it is-not what you think it should have been.

Native Nations - outstanding technical quality
Regardless of your personal feelings about Edward Curtis as a photographer of native Americans, the quality of his photography is superb and the reproductions in this compilation are outstanding. Instead of using the conventional halftone printing technique, the publisher used the digital Agfa CristalRaster(TM) technology which produces reproductions of exceptional clarity and sharpness. This volume is far superior, technically, to the recently released compilation entitled "Sacred Legacy" by the same authors and if you only want one book for your library "Native Nations" is the one.

Absolutely beautiful book!
Edward S. Curtis' work is absolutely beautiful, his work shows his in dept knowledge, respect and affection to his subjects. This edition featured Mr. Curtis' significant works, the reproductions of the photos were outstanding in every detail. I highly recommend this book and is a must for evry photographer's and anthropologist's library

Native Nations: First Americans As Seen by Edward Curtis
I had an opportunity to learn of this book through a documentary film which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Director Anne Makepeace tells the incredible story of how Edward Curtis devoted his life's work to writing and producing photographs for 20 volumes on 88 American Indian tribes. I expect that few anthropological studies of this scope and depth exist. His respect and deep knowledge of the Indian culture comes through clearly. He went largely unrecognized during his life time-a Van Gogh-like figure. His work is a must for any serious student of anthropology or history.

Curtis as a constructor of ABorignal Identity
Although some of Curtis's photgraphs may be pleasing to the eye, he was defintely not an "ethnographer" in the strictest or loosest terms! Based on Curtis's onw "preception" of Aborignal peoples and Nations, he not only erased evidence of "modernity" from his pictures but traveled with a box of "props" he used to construct the "authentic" and "real" "Indian."

Perhaps if one is interested in Foucualtian discourse/power analysis, this book could provide a fascinating glimpse in the process of colonization and racism that worked and still does, to build the Canadian and American Nation! ... Read more

Book Description

WINNER OF THE 2001 KRASZNA-KRAUSZ PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK AWARD (Technical Photography category)

The only definitive book to fully encompass the use of photography and imaging as tools in science, technology and medicine. It describes in one single volume the basic theory, techniques, materials, special equipment and applications for a wide variety of uses of photography, including: close up photography and photomacrography to spectral recording, surveillance systems, radiography and micro-imaging.

This extensively illustrated photography 'bible' contains all the information you need, whether you are a scientist wishing to use photography for a specialist application, a professional needing to extend technical expertise, or a student wanting to broaden your knowledge of the applications of photography.

The contents are arranged in three sections:
· General Section, detailing the elements of the image capture process
· Major Applications, describing the major applications of imaging
· Specialist Applications, presenting an eclectic selection of more specialised but increasingly important applications

Each subject is introduced with an outline of its development and contemporary importance, followed by explanations of essential theory and an overview of techniques and equipment. Mathematics is only used where necessary. Numerous applications and case studies are described. Comprehensive bibliographies and references are provided for further study.

Ensure you are aware of all the very latest scientific applications
Comprehensive wealth of scientific information in one single volume so it is all to hand when needed
Learn from Sidney Ray's complete coverage and interpretation of scientific and applied photography ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Scientific Photography and Applied Imaging
Knowing Sidney Ray's writings for Applied Photographic Opitcs (second edition) and from his/her (?) introductory overview textbooks, I was certainly positively inclined towards the author. The book is well structured with historical introduction and a chapter on human perception at the beginning. The technical chapters on lighting, optics, processing, and specialty applications are up to date and fully referenced (which is a rarety among the usual crop of photographic how-to books). Those interested in more recent technological devlopments (lasers, UV, far IR, spectrophotometry, ...) will find a treasure chest in this volume.

The only significant let-down was the chapter 11 on image processing and analysis (including Photoshop). The chapters concentrates on simplistic examples of gadget filters (gaussian blur etc.) that are not employed in science (at least as far as I have ever experienced it). Explaing the use of alpha channels to improve color contrast in B&W print images would have been much more helpful. The omission of NIH image is yet another inexplicable phenomenon, as it is THE premier platform for quantitative image analysis.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for those interested in scientific applications of photography. This includes those like myself who deal on a day-to-day basis with various photographic challenges as working scientists (repro, extreme macro, micro, SEM/TEM, field photography, underwater). For a fuller mathematical treatment of the optical principles, you may want also to get his/her (?) '94 volume on optics. In the end you will find yourself referring back and forth between these two complementary tomes. ... Read more

Book Description

Stairways, fountains, and streetlights are among the many over-looked small things that grace our cityscapes. Seeing and appreciating them is the idea behind the Urban Details series. Many have significant histories and are associated with important civic leaders, and many are merely the result of some functional requirement, but nearly all are the product of the loving hand labor of talented artisans.

Discover where Laurel and Hardy pushed a grand piano up a long stairway. Imagine corseted ladies negotiating hundreds of narrow steps heading to the streetcar in high heels carrying shopping bags.How about a fountain dedicated to Rudolph Valentino commissioned after his death by a group of loving fans? Learn about the "5-Globe Lewellyn" and other historic streetlights still decorating once-elegant boulevards.

These three compact books are designed as small photo albums with handwritten captions conveying the sense of personal discovery the author felt while pursuing her research. Urban Details will inspire readers to rediscover their cities. ... Read more

Book Description

This highly visual, full colour text is a must have purchase for all student and professional interior photographers, from residential to industrial. Michael Harris provides a complete guide through the vast choice of equipment and materials available, sharing his professional knowledge to help you improve your images.

New coverage of digital photography is included in this third edition helping you decide on film versus digital for your capture medium. The pros and cons of both are evaluated through a close look at the practice of Ashley Morrison, an interior photographer working digitally. The theory of lighting and composition is combined with practical tips and suggestions for overcoming day-to-day problems, and advice is given on how best to present and store images so you can concentrate on taking the images.



If you are just beginning a career in interior photography this book offers a good, comprehensive resource for ideas and techniques whilst encouraging individual interpretation. Illustrated with stunning colour pictures throughout, the text is written in an easy digestible style, making theory clear and simple to understand.

The interviews with the masters of interior photography have been expanded and updated to include their views on digital, and now include senior English Heritage photographer Derek Kendall alongside Brian Harrison, Andreas von Einsiedel and Peter Aprahamian.

*New information on the pros and cons of digital photography to keep you up to date
*Practical advice on which equipment to use to achieve professional results
*Inspirational colour photographs throughout, including images from top master photographers ... Read more

Reviews (2)

It's Just What the Title Says!
This book is a very useful and informative. It does a very good job of covering what makes professional interior photography work. Definitely a book for advanced amateurs or professionals. Would be great for a professional who is expanding their scope of work to include interior photography or who is looking for techniques or useful ideas. Harris does a very good job of describing appropriate camera and lighting equipment, lighting techniques, color correction processes, etc. The book is pretty much up-to-date and covers digital photography reasonably well. It is a very "hands-on" book from someone who obviously knows what they are doing. I probably would not recommend this to "snapshot" photographers, you might not get too much out of it.

A great book!
Michael Harries does a great job on this book. In this book he recommends the view camera (instead of the typical 35mm). This book isn't really going to teach all aspects of how to use this camera or the equipment. However, there is pretty good coverage concerning lights and how to correct color with filters. He also gives a really good run down on what equipment to buy, composition, and different types of film.

If you want to learn a lot about architectural photography and its equipment, this is a really good book. If you want lots of specifics on view cameras, you'll need a different book. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The Majesty of the French Quarter; A Future Focus
Kerri McCaffety's lovely book provides locals and visitors alike the opportunity to glimpse the mystery and beauty behind the walls of the French Quarter. These beautiful homes reflect not only the talent of a wonderful photographer, but also the artistry, imagination and love of the homes' inhabitants. "The Majesty of the French Quarter" thoroughly captures the diverse styles and influences that make the homes in the French Quarter so exciting and unique. In fact, this diversity mirrors the many cultural influences that make the city of New Orleans a place like no other.

Ms. McCaffety's photographs display a very keen eye for detail; however, the same cannot be said of the accompanying text. In future editions, it would be wonderful if all owners' names were spelled correctly. Additionally, these beautiful homes deserve to be identified by their correct names. Although the numerous errors do not detract from the visual beauty of the book, "The Majesty of the French Quarter" would certainly be enhanced by the correction of these inaccuracies. The wonderful people who opened their homes to Kerri and to all readers deserve nothing less.

"Everything Old is New Again!"
Having been raised in New Orleans over 40 years ago, it's thrilling to see a new perpsective of the beautiful "old haunts". Visitors to the French Quarter rarely ever glimpse the magnificent beauty to behold. This book guides the reader through a fabulous tour of private and public places, with a fresh vision of their intrigue. Kerri has really captured the visual magic and splendor which is so hard to describe; but, seeing is believeing! Exquisite gift to all, Kerri!

The Majesty of the French Quarter Notecards
Very misleading...Interior is depicted on the box cover, yet there is not one interior photo in the set of cards. Would not have ordered these if I had known this.

I love New Orleans!
I really love New Orleans and really love this book! The pictures in it are beautiful and really capture the French Quarter well. I love having this book so that when I miss NOLA, I can just open it up and feel like I'm there! I also like using this book for decorating ideas. I would suggest this book to anyone who loves New Orleans, or someone looking for decorating ideas. It is a great addition to my New Orleans books collection!

Lezzez Faire De Les Bons Temps Roulez
Oui, let the good times roll. Top ten reviewer's, Mr. Mitchell's, suberb glimpse through his words sold me on this fascinating book. Anticipating arrival from Amazon was like licking my lips for a taste of cafe au lait and sugary beignets from Cafe De Monde.

New Orleans or N'Awlnsss as some say, is one grande damme of a city, one of my favorites. History, vibrant colors, music, food, the naughty and the mannerly--I can never get enough. We spent New Years Eve there cruising our favorite haunts and finding new ones. This book by Kerri McCaffety shows mostly the hidden New Orleans. Unique furnishings, paintings, gardens and secretive views from galleries or balconies. One can almost feel Jean Lafitte, the pirate, stare through you as you dare to cross Pirates Row behind the most photograhed church in the country, St. Louis Cathederal in Jackson Square.

One of my very favorite photos is one of the first, a frosty icicle adorned tropical courtyard--a true testament to contrasting Crescent City. Another is the dreamscaped dome in a three story townhouse. Harrah's in NO, has almost captured that feeling in their Jazz Bar.

The only thing I wish, is that there were more photos of , well, the rollicking side to this humming city on the Mississippi. There are a few great shots of Mardi Gras, Bourbon street, Cafe De Monde and the French Market. But I want more!

Again, thank you to Don Mitchell for reviewing so well. I found a true treasure in "The Majesty of the French Quarter".

Merci for your interest & comment votes--CDS ... Read more

Book Description

A visual tribute to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, this book offers a snapshot in time of a university 235 years young. Images span the geographic scope of the University's three campuses in Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick, providing an armchair tour of one of America's leading educational institutions.

This remarkable portrait of Rutgers-evocative, amusing, informative, and exuberant-is drawn from the narrative of three overlapping journeys. The longest spans nearly two and a half centuries and traces the University's evolution from a colonial college established to train young men for the ministry, to its land-grant designation in the mid-nineteenth century, to its current status as New Jersey's state university and a distinguished center for learning and research. The second journey is the quest for knowledge and achievement that faculty and students have shared since classes were first held in the mid-eighteenth century. Then, a single instructor and his handful of charges gathered to study in a former New Brunswick tavern. Today, a third journey travels the diverse paths of more than fifty thousand students and faculty each year, and starts on one of three major campuses throughout the state. A visit to each of them as the seasons change in the course of an academic year completes this Rutgers album. ... Read more

Book Description

"Extra-ordinary" is edited by Peripheriques/IN-EX project, the group of young architects based in Paris who also edited the successful publication 36 Propositions for a Home. The theme which runs through all of the chapters is that of the unusual, the extraordinary found in ordinary architecture. The first chapter consists of a photo documentary by the Parisian art photographer Cecile on so-called "normal" interiors in everyday use. This is followed by a sensational documentation on anonymous architecture in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. Anonymous in this context refers to building without an architect, and the topics examined include Do-it-Yourself, the many aspects of the banal and building outside the city. The third chapter presents a selection of mostly unpublished buildings and projects from younger architects who all received an ordinary commission but who all produced extraordinary results.The editors regard the present publication as a conscious attempt to combine book and review, providing an unconventional and youthful approach to today's architectural scene. Further publications will follow. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I liked it!
Really a large document concerning In-Ex's attempts to understand elder architects current mind set. The typography and overall layout of the book is exciting and keeps you engaged throughout. At first I thought the Australian series would be boring. Once firmly into it I realized it was an exploration into a uncommon realm of architecture. Homes built by non-architects. Commentary from the resident/builders is provided. Most of the photography was video based and somewhat blurred but added to the overall contemporary, rapid fire feel of the book. I look forward to the next edition! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Nice 20th C. Photography Overview, But Title Is Problematic
This paperback accompanies an exhibition that was held at the Museum of New Mexico between October 2002 and January 2003.It's too bad that this museum is not as well known as (say) the Whitney or the Guggenheim in New York, and that the editors (Steve Yates and Siegfried Halus) are not as famous as (say) John Szarkowski, because the book is a must for people who are interested in artistic photography.

The core of the book consists of almost 100 pages of 1905-1999 color and black & white photographs, collages, and montages categorized under the headings "Early to Late Modernism" and "After Modernism." Under "Early to Late Modernism" (pp.16-91) we find the thematic groups "Proto-Modern Photography," "Limitations of the Medium," "Modern Form in Architecture, Landscape & Portraiture," "Photogram Aesthetic," "Constructed to Be Photographed," "Self as Subject and Simulacra," "Beyond Realism," "Cultural Landscape," and "Postmodern Appropriation." Under "After Modernism" (pp.92-115) we find the thematic groups "From the Avant-Garde," "Beyond the Medium," and "Feminism as Ethos." The works are from Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, the Princeton University Art Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.There is a note that "not all images in the exhibition appear in this catalog."

The photographers (or artists using photography) include Berenice Abbott, Ansel Adams, Robert Adams, Max Alpert, Eleanor Antin, Dieter Appelt, Karl Baden, Lewis Baltz, Rudolph Baranik, Thomas Barrow, Irene Bayer-Hecht, Bernd Becher, Hilla Becher, Michael Berman, Mieczyclaw Berman, Jayne Hinds Bidaut, Ilse Bing, Christian Boltanski, Margaret Bourke-White, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Marilyn Bridges, Francis Bruguière, Vladimir Brylyakov, Harry Callahan, John Candelario, Paul Caponigro, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walter Chappell, Sarah Charlesworth, Natasha Cherkashin, Valery Cherkashin, Larry Clark, William Clift, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Van Deren Coke, John Collier Jr., Linda Connor, Robert H. Cumming, Roy DeCarava, Jack Delano, Pierre Dubreuil, Mary Beth Edelson, Lee Friedlander, Jaromír Funke, Miguel Gandert, Mario Giacomelli, Ralph Gibson, Gilbert & George, Laura Gilpin, Eunice Golden, Judith Golden, Emmet Gowin, Mark Markov Grinberg, Vadim Guschin, Betty Hahn, Robert Heinecken, Florence Henri, Paula Hocks, Bernard Shea Horne, Douglas Huebler, Boris Ignatovich, Gertrude Käsebier, Valentina Kalugina, Barbara Kasten, Yakov Khalip, Gustav Klutsis, Nikolai Kulebiaken, Ted Kuykendall, Dorothea Lange, Alexander Lavrentiev, Nicholai Lavrentiev, Michael Lebron, Jungjin Lee, Russell Lee, Danny Lyon, Joan Lyons, Dora Maar, Aleksandras Macijauskas, Gerard Malanga, Raul Martinez, Victor Masayesva Jr., Margarethe Mather, Ana Mendieta, Laurent Millet, Yevgenni Mokhorev, Wright Morris, Galina Moskaleva, Igor Mukhin, Celia Alvarez Muñoz, Joan Myers, Patrick Nagatani, Floris Michael Neusüss, Nicholas Nixon, Sergei Osmachkin, Eliot Porter, Arnulf Rainer, Susan Rankaitis, Edward Ranney, Robert Rauschenberg, Man Ray, Gerhard Richter, Holly Roberts, Alexander Rodchenko, Varvara Rodchenko, Werner Rode, Franz Roh, James Rosenquist, Michal Rovner, Meridel Rubenstein, Adrienne Salinger, August Sander, Lorna Simpson, Aaron Siskind, W. Eugene Smith, Frederick Sommer, Ralph Steiner, Varvara Stepanova, May Stevens, Alfred Stieglitz, Jim Stone, Paul Strand, Josef Sudek, Maurice Tabard, Val Telberg, Edmund Teske, Andrée Tracey, UMBO, Willard Van Dyke, Andy Warhol, Edward Weston, Jo Whaley, Clarence H. White, Minor White, Joel-Peter Witkin, and Georgii Zelma.

The book has 14 pages of front matter, including 4- and 2-page essays by the editors.Some 36 pages in the back contain the media and dimensions of each work, and a one-paragraph biography and bibliography for each artist written by students.The book is valuable as an overview of 20th century photography, and provides higher resolution for the photos than the exhibition's Web site.I would have liked to see more text giving a context for each work; for example, in the back matter someone could have mentioned that Witkin's "Las Meninas" relates to the Velasquez painting of the same name.

In my mind, the book's biggest problem is its title.I'm failing to see what "idea" has to do with the book or its contents.Is there any photography that does not deal with ideas in some way?And if "After Modernism" is part of the title, why does the vast majority of the book deal with "Early to Late Modernism"?Finally, what is modernism to the editors, anyway?They fail to define the term as they see it.

Despite the puzzle of the title, buy this book from Amazon.com! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fantastic!
A fantastic collection of images of the city of Rochester. Whether you were just a visitor to the city or are a lifelong resident of the community, Riggott's book captures the beauty of the city in page after page. The images are beautiful, timeless and are perfect memories of the incredible city.

I want to live here!
Having lived in Rochester for a time, I know that Dean has effectively captured the essence of the city with this book of photographs. Everything here could be framed and put on my living room wall. Looking through this book makes it seem as though I still live there. Great work! ... Read more

Book Description

Images of Brooklyn's sacred spaces, from grand Gothic cathedrals to makeshift churches located in converted storefronts and movie theaters.

"Sanctuary refers to a place of worship and a state of mind—but it also refers to the most sacred part of a Christian church, the site where the altar is housed. Thomas Roma's photographs locate these most sacred parts of the community within the larger context of Brooklyn's landscape, charting the triumphant efforts of generations to leave their mark, to make their way through the world of mammon and man, seeking solace within the city but far beyond it. They also reveal a persistent, irresistible determination to express spirituality within the often harsh landscape of the city, giving glory to God's resplendent being even through the often makeshift architecture of the storefront and the movie theater."—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

In Sanctuary, acclaimed photographer Thomas Roma offers a compelling sequence of 52 black-and-white images that document the varieties of religious experience in Brooklyn as seen in the borough's sacred architecture.Juxtaposing pictures of grand Gothic and Romanesque churches photographed at a distance from backyards and alleys with more intimate views of smaller places of worship housed in converted storefronts and dilapidated brownstones, Roma subtly calls attention to issues of history and class, revealing how successive waves of immigrants have shaped Brooklyn's urbanscape and how the African-American and Hispanic communities living there now have worked to make these neighborhoods, culturally and spiritually, their own. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Contrasting images of different religious faiths
The title of Sanctuary refers to a place of worship and also a state of mind: Thomas Roma places these in visual perspective, locating sacred parts of the community within the Brooklyn area and charting the efforts of generations to leave their mark. His excellent black and white photos pack in contrasting images of different religious faiths and sanctuaries. ... Read more