Reviews (2)

Good Introduction to this Remarkable Artist
This short book can serve as a wonderful non-technical introduction to the work of Cindy Sherman. The book is filled with reproductions of her work from various periods in her stylistic evolution. Wisely, the author does not seek to didactically interpret Sherman's work for the reader-- instead she presents the material while raising a number of issues for the reader to contemplate.

For those unfamiliar with Sherman's work, one of the most striking aspects is her use of her own self as model in most of her works (especially those from earlier in her career). Her later works are a little more dangerous-- using dolls and other non-human subjects in often graphically subversive sexual contortions.

Cindy Sherman is a true contemporary genius in that her works speak to a very large audience on various levels of meaning. My only reservation about the book is that it seems a little too brief in its discussion of Sherman's biography (although the inclusion of her early work is certainly revealing). One wonders about the "real" Cindy Sherman-- and how she differs from the "Cindy Sherman" that appears in the Untitled Film Stills that solidified her position as a great American artist.

A great photographic work.
I was just surfing around and stumbled in here. I've read this title, Anyone unfamiliar with the model in question should get this and anyone familiar should read this as it is one of the greatest books on her. The only reason this does not get 5 stars is pieces of it I thought were wordy and a bit belaboring. Overall a great read however. ... Read more

Book Description

Remarkable revelations of nature’s diversity, revealed in hundreds of snowflake images taken by American photographer W .A. Bentley during a 50-year period. Over 850 illustrations of snow crystals, with no two designs exactly alike, will inspire artists, designers, and craftspeople in search of extraordinary patterns for textiles, wallpaper, and other creative projects.
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Reviews (1)

Interesting browsing on a snowy day.
This book is mostly a collection of photographs of snowflakes done over many years by the author, "Snowflake" Bentley. His story is a fascinating one and knowing it adds value to this book. Some of the photos are somewhat clumsily prepared and look less than professional but the infinite designs are fascinating. My children enjoy it and other adults enjoy looking at it when visiting. Overall, an interesting though somewhat amateurish cololection. ... Read more

Book Description

Musician Lenny Kravitz and photographer Mark Seliger, chief photographer for Rolling Stone, have been good friends for many years. With access only close friendship allows, Seliger here captures Kravitz on the road, with his family, performing, in posed settings, with friends, and in the outrageous fashions that have become his signature style. Because of his emotional proximity to his subject, Seliger is able to create a truly intimate portrait of the rock performer from multiple angles. By teasing out Kravitz's considerable charisma, prodigious energy, and undeniable sex appeal, Seliger produces dazzling pictures of this musician who enjoys immense popularity among fans of all ages. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Clash of the Egos
One of the worlds most mediocre photographers tackles one of the world most mediocre pop stars to arrive at one of the most mediocre photo books in the tradition of Anne Geddes and Celine Dion. Looking at this Soulless, vapid rubbish is a little like listening to Kravitz soulless, vapid music.

For 49 bucks go and buy a real photography book - Tony Ray Jones or Bruce davidsons 'subway' or if you simply have to look at celebrities then Richard Avedon, or Irving Penn.Don't settle for this publicist appeasing hack-work.

Must View!
Lenny is a... man and an absolute rock star.Mark Seligar captures Lenny in a way that makes him compelling and makes you feel like you know him just a little bit.The picture of him and his father and what he says is something that I'll always remember.However, if you are not a die hard Lenny fan you will still enjoy the pictures but you will probably not want to own the book.I loved it and then gave it to a good friend who loved it even more.

Nice Coffee Table Book
I bought this book for my wife for XMas partly because we're both big Lenny fans, but mostly because she has a crush on the guy.

Lenny Kravitz could be one of the few celebrities/artists with an ego big enough to publish a book of photographs of himself, but who cares?There are some touching photos of him with daughter and a really great series of Lenny making silly faces.I knew my wife would love it, but I didn't expect to hear her shriek as she thumbed through it and came across the almost full frontal nudity in one photograph.I should have looked at the book myself before buying it, but I doubt it would have changed my mind about getting it for her. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Innocents is a book of portraits of former inmates accompanying a traveling exhibit by the same name mounted by the Innocence Project, a 10-year-old civil rights program founded by rock-star attorneys Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck to free the wrongly convicted via DNA testing. Neufeld and Scheck provide the book's foreward and brief commentary on each case. The subjects are all ex-cons who were exonerated through DNA testing and then released after serving time. Some had been sentenced to life, some to death. Taryn Simon's photographs put prisoners in the spotlight--only this time they regain their dignity and become art in the process.Of the 80-plus portraits in the book, most were taken at the scenes of the crimes. Some pose with the victims. Ronald Cotton, for example, served more than 10 years of a life sentence for rape. He is photographed with a victim, both of them staring at the camera with fortitude and bitterness. Nearly every picture is similar, the subject staring directly into the lens, always surrounded by the same eerie, diffused light like the kind when tornadoes loom. The subjects are interviewed by Simon as well; their commentary is also distressing and poignant. Neil Miller says he had a better life in prison. Richard Danziger was freed but rendered brain damaged by a jailhouse attacker. Walter Snyder went to prison instead of the Olympics. Most of these subjects were convicted on the basis of witness misidentification. Simon's photos are also like mug shots, depicting their subjects with emotionless expressions and using lighting that flattens out the surroundings. But here they set the record straight as Simon’s art helps re-humanize them. --Eric Reyes ... Read more

Reviews (3)

mandatory reading for anyone in the judicial system
This book is phenomenal. Not only in its ironic ability to tell these tales, but for also revealing the clear errors that the judicial system cranks out. Anyone interested in those who are falsely convicted should check out www.wm3.org.

A Human Face on the flaws of our system
"The Innocents" is a jarring photo documentation of the issues raised by the scores of false convictions which have been overturned, primarily as a result of DNA evidence. As with Barry Scheck's book, "Actual Innocence", one of the most disturbing conclusions is that there are many more falsely-convicted individuals who never will be cleared because their alleged crimes did not leave DNA evidence behind.

The pictures in this book put a human face to the exonerated. The simple, direct accompanying text and quotes from the former prisoners tell the story over and over. I highly recommend this book in conjunction with Actual Innocence which discusses the causes of false convictions and attempts to articulate solutions to this ongoing problem with our legal system (even though it is one of the best legal systems in the world).

Subject of national debate
The failings of the criminal justice system and the use of the death penalty in this country are currently under close scrutiny and an important topic of public debate. The images and voices of The Innocents give faces and stories to the statistics and serve as a compelling documentation of a nationwide problem. Royalties for this book benefit the Innocence Project, New York, which has led the way in post-DNA exonerations in America. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Not bad for BP fans
This book is a compilation of original Betty Page photos taken by Bunny Yeager. It's mostly pictures (all b&w), with some biographical sketches included. I have no idea if the text is accurate, but the pictures are pretty decent and certainly does justice to Betty Page's classicically sensual looks. Since these are just pictures of one photographer, you pretty much get only one particular style, and many of the pictures are beach shots. Given Betty Page's status in the American entertainment history, this is a good book to have.

Inaccurate in Details of Bettie's Life -- But Great Photos
This book has inaccuracies in its limited text. Bettie Page was not born in Kingsport Tennessee, but some 300 miles away in Nashville, Tennessee. Bettie's eyes were blue, not brown. Do not believe much of the text in this book as it is not endorsed by Bettie and contains much misinformation about her life.

However, if you want some great Bettie photos, this is the book to purchase! I much prefer her lighter fun photos to her Irving Klaw bondage photos.

SOME OF THE BEST BETTIE!
I fell in love or lust with Bettie when my hormones arrived about 1955. This book is well worth the price as Bunny's photos of Bettie are among the best. Bettie belonged outdoors! The Klaw photos are fine; it was hard to take a bad picture of Bettie, but she was,to me, the ultimate "beach brunette"! I recognize the problem with the book title, it leads you believe it's some kind of "Bettie expose'", but beyond that it's a great photo-record of some of Bettie's and Bunny's best work. If your a Bettie Page fan old or new, this one is a must!

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words...
The time-worn cliche "a picture is worth a thousand words" fittingly describes this book, because that is about all you get -- pictures. If you really want to know more about Bettie Page, you may be disappointed. It does offer many photos of this captivating pin-up vixen, but I was rather disappointed to find that all of them were black and white. It is a quick and easy read/look through. If you are looking for more detailed information about Bettie Page, or a picture book with nice glossy photos to set on your coffee table, this may not be the book for you. However, if you are a Bettie Page fan looking for a fun, entertaining no-brainer sort of book with lots of great photos, it is a worthwhile starting point.

Keep Turning the Page.
I was slightly disappointed to find that this book was 95% pictures, all be it very nice paperback prints of the pictures. It is a worth while buy if you don't have an extensive collection of Betty Page pictures. There are a few pages collecting the publication dates of magazines that featured Betty in someway and a few pages noting the filmshorts she did with Irvin Klaw etc.

I didn't spot any out of the ordinary pictures in the book, mostly the kind that turn up in the card collector sets with a couple of candid shots showing the filming crew. Not a bad book over all but not so much a read as a flick though picture book. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Devil's Playground
The Devil's Playground presents a major collection of photographs by Nan Goldin. Since the 1970s Nan Goldin has consistently created photographs which are intimate and compelling - they tell personal stories of relationships, friendships and identity, but simultaneously chronicle different eras and the passage of time." "This book features a significant body of new work by Goldin, most of which is previously unpublished, including photographs from series such as Still on Earth (1997-2001), 57 Days (2000) and Elements (1995-2003). Laid out in sequences by Goldin herself, like a diary, the material is both courageously candid and affirmative. The photographs are grouped into themed chapters and between these are interspersed poems, lyrics and texts - some of which have been specially written for this book - by prominent writers such as Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, E. E. Cummings, Cookie Mueller and Richard Price. The Devil's Playground is the most important book to be published on Goldin's work to-date. It brings to light the source of Goldin's inspiration and her life as a prominent contemporary artist

Devil's Playground
No other word for it except MAGNIFICENT!!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A must for wildlife fans & Galapagos visitors, past & future
A visually stunning, intellectually stimulating, and spiritually inspiring work.

galapagos in an amazing way
I usually don't write my opinion about photo books but this one left me in shock, i've never seen anything like it before,I buy alot of photo books and i already own more than a hundred photo books from the best and most famous photographers and there are plenty that i like and some that i love,but this one Oh this one is so very special to me because the first time i looked at the pictures of this book i had tears in my eyes of enthusiasm and this is something that never happened to me before and as i said i looked at many photographs in my life,the subjects and the way they were shot ,the way she played with the colors ,it seems so natural and yet very unique and special every one of the pictures of this book could be hung on my home walls as a poster . many of the photo books are big and expensive but this one is the real thing without being a monster with no place on the shelf. if i had to go with one book to a desert island there's no question this is the one.

The Best of the Galapagos and a Plea for Conservation
This book clearly deserves more than five stars. It contains much better photographs of the geology, and plant and animal life in the Galapagos than I have seen any where else. The images here evoked memories of my trip to the Galapagos, and exceeded those memories in revealing the underlying nature of the islands. Further, the essays are extremely good in explaining what is portrayed. Only 60,000 people visit the Galapagos each year, but the islands are suffering from their visits and the growth in permanent population. Hopefully, this book is not preserving something that you will never see.

Ms. De Roy brings a special sense to these photographs, having moved to the Galapagos at the age of 2 and lived most of her life there. She learned to be a photographer working on scenes such as these. This gives her a knowledge of where to go, what to look for, and when to be there. Many of the images capture rare moments and scenes that you could miss during 100 trips to the Galapagos.

Her images are always colorful, stunning in their contrasts, dynamic, and inspiring. I felt overwhelmed by many of the images. It was like looking into the face of God, to me.

The Galapagos Islands are part of Equador, and are located several hundred miles west of the South American coast. You get there by flying first to Equador. I recommend Quito as your way point. There's much to see there.

The islands are volcanic, being the tops of shield volcanos (much like those in Hawaii). They are desert islands which receive little water except during the rainy season. Each island is separated by enough water that species have developed differently on their unique habitats.

Darwin first chronicled this with his visit in the 1850s over 5 weeks in which he noticed that the finches had developed beaks to reflect the food supply on their respective islands. For more on this, be sure to read the outstanding book, The Beak of the Finch, that describes experimental measurements taken on the evolution in the finches. Many call the islands, "a natural laboratory of evolution" as a result.

The photographs are organized around themes related to the type of natural environment. In these images you will see the desert islands, volcanic eruptions, giant tortoises, sea turtles, marine and land iguanas, Darwin's finches, flamingos, pelicans, all kinds of boobies, penguins, cacti, owls, rails, flycatchers, albatrosses, gulls, frigate birds, storm petrels, sea lions, crabs, herons, hawks, flightless cormorants, fish, sharks, dolphins, orcas, sperm whales, and coral.

Many of the animals are extremely colorful, having no natural enemies in the Galapagos. Color helps in mating, and you will see mating rituals well catalogued here. Some of the evolutonary adaptations are fascinating too. For example, the marine iguanas live from drinking sea water and are able to exude the excess salt through their skin.

After you see these images, I suspect you'll agree with these quotes from the essays.

"Galapagos is perhaps the only great natural paradise remaining in the world in a near pristine condition."

"Our responsibility lies in finding a balanced development concept . . . ." "No one in Galapagos, in Equador or in the world wants to see the Galapagos perish."

"What must be . . . realized . . . is that a far greater commitment than exhibited in the past will be required . . . ."

Ask yourself what you can do to help the Galapagos. Reading this book, and realizing the treasure the world has there is a good starting point. Sponsoring environmental activities there is another. Encouraging others to do the same is a third. I'm sure you will come up with your own ideas that will be better than mine.

May our children in generations to come continue to benefit from a pristine Galapagos!

a spiritual connection with evolution
These photographs are "nature photography" at its best -- technically flawless, brilliantly composed and put together . And then, there is much more here. The grandeur of the planet, the dignity of its inhabitants, the imperative that all lineages be allowed -- by us, damnit -- to continue: all of this is eloquently, hauntingly, unavoidably inherent in Tui De Roi"s art. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great collection of Mondino's work
Although the images of this book were all taken in the 1990's and seem to be part of the "past", Mondino definitely had transcendent artistic visions. I'd describe his work as a cross between Mark Seliger and David LaChapelle with a heavy dose of contemporary European flair and humor. Aside from your usual models and pop musicians, Mondino has pointed his camera at many art-world icons, and lesser-knowns...and I also commend his abilities to include a wider range of ethnic faces/subjects, and even body-types. And as was prevalent in the 90's (and common among many fashion photographers), there is that dose of homoeroticism, for whatever it stands for.

I own the first-edition of this book published by Te Neues NY, the USA/Canada branch publisher of Schirmer-Mosel in Europe. For this edition, the majority of the images were very well-reproduced on semi-glossy paper and are sharp, bright, vivid, with nice contrast. It is especially the case in works which emphasize Mondino's lighting usage, with lots of color-casted shadows, highlights and backdrops which make the images striking eye-candy. There are also a couple of video-stills included.

All the images in the book are full-page, and I felt some images could've been scaled down on the pages to make them look sharper and eliminate the "graininess" (such as the photo of Bjork sticking her tongue out at a silver bubble). And many images are double-page spreads, which don't work as well visually, due to the binding. But it also would've been great if this were an oversized edition like many fashion books. The sequencing of the images could've been better (they seem scattered, rather than grouped with related images). There are no references to where the images were used in publications. Also, certain works of Mondino's that I have recalled seeing in the past were excluded from this book. And there is no extensive bio of Mondino's life etc.

I know I may sound too serious, but I'm a print-quality freak when it comes to art monographs. Another complaint I have is that a couple of the pages have tiny ink "spottage" and one of my copy's pages had slight discolored "streaking" (it's an eye-sore, esp. since they were bluish streaks on a B&W photo of a male model's face painted black). But this was obviously a flaw in the printing process. This came to a surprise to me, as Schirmer-Mosel releases some of the highest quality fashion monographs on the market with high regard to state-of-the-art printing techniques (I highly recommend getting their Nick Knight release "Nicknight").

But looking aside from my trivial complaints, this is one of the most visually stunning and "entertaining" monographs I own. I'm looking forward to getting the follow-up book "Mondino: Two Much, 2003" which has already been released in Europe. ....Enough said, just buy it, you know you want it.

Mondino - A look at a master of creative style and image.
Mondino could quite possibly be one of the greatest photographers our time. If you enjoy David LaChapelle and Stephane Sednaoui, whose works are similar, than you will enjoy Mondino. However Mondino seems to have an edge over his peers. I don't think that I would have bought the book if it didn't have any relation to Jean Paul Gaultier, a long time client of Mondino's. But in viewing the book I found that he worked with other designers and treated them all as individual as they are, without loosing his own edge. It seems to me that this book is a compilation of his favorite work, and it serves to communicate the artist's sensibilities on a personal level. His signature lies in that he can keep the photographs very simple yet thoroughly enjoyable, full of life, most of all he's capable of almost animating them, making them jump out to you - from paper to life!! There is an aspect of pleasure and "joie de vivre" in his work, despite the fact the fact that some of the photographs are dark and are made with a devilish sense of humor (at best)!! All in all I am very pleased with the book and Mondino's ideas on image and style.

great artist and creative photos
needless to mention, one of the best. color saturation and creativity is impressive. It worths the money. If you like fashion and studio photography, u should not miss out this one.

Truly unique,visionary,stunning fashion/celeb photography
I was only vaguely acquainted with Mondino's work,but I LOVE fashion photography so I took a chance on this book.The low expectations I had made this book all the more STAGGERING-it is a MAGNIFICENT book,filled with the most unique,visionary approach to fashion and celebrity photography I have ever seen!And unlike some other big-name photographers,Mondino can leap from one style to another,he doesn't limit himself to any one technique or style.ALWAYS,however,he is original and endlessly clever and witty.This book conveys a sense of humor and whimsy that is delightful.Yet many of the pictures are tremendously moving in their beauty and power.And he photographs such a WIDE range of subjects,yet they all have one thing in common:an offbeat,striking,unusual type of beauty or appearance.He makes EVERYONE he photographs look extraordinary,by adding his singular eccentric touch.This is an awesome book,I LOVE it,I can't get enough of it.Five stars doesn't suffice!

good, but not dope
the long awaited mondino book, deja vu, is a disappointment for mondino enthusiats like myself. jean-baptiste mondino is the best photographer in the world, hands down. so much so that his injection of an untramodern (read ultrasexy) fashion sensibility into music and popular culture images can be considered definitive by all accounts. in that respect, he is the direct descendent of the legendary jean-paul goude. but deja vu is unfortunately just that. a career retrospective which fails to offer any new images to the many fans (like myself) who have followed every step of mondino's career. i expected amazing new fashion imagery, and a delirious portfolio of the millennium's up-and-coming artists and musicians. instead i got a mickey rourke cover and endless variations on the vanessa paradis theme. very eighties. for newcomers, this book will be a revelation, for no one masters image manipulation - and its effects on our pop saturated psyches - better than mondino. yet the initiated will feel that, grand though this first book effort is, the key to the future-forward lies in mondino's french vogue pages. mondino has seen the future, maybe he should start leading us to its doors again. could it be that he is saving that trip for his next book? i certainly hope so. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A cursory glance at Tina Barney's first monograph, Theater of Manners, finds a simpleset of family snapshots. A closer look, though, reveals that these color photographs, deeply saturated inlight and expertly reproduced, are in fact a carefully organized survey into the realm of familial and socialrelationships. The offhanded quality of the images is not accidental. Barney has a strong eye for the familytableau: children sprawled over the furniture in a formal parlor, shirtless and tan adult brothers tending thebarbecue, young cousins in matching double-breasted jackets, Aunt Shirley in a floral dress in the center ofa flower-wallpapered room. The reader is never quite sure just how posed the models are--everythingseems just a bit too perfect, but then that may be one of the points these photos aim to make. Barney grewup cosseted by a family of upper-middle-class Easterners, and it seems she turns her camera back on thatroseate world to discover the strains and strengths that form its foundation. This set of images is organizedloosely like a family album; as the pages turn, the reader is carried through the years. Babies becometeenagers, girls at the beach become young women in bridesmaids dresses. It becomes readily apparent thatBarney is a highly skilled artist and an excellent observer of the complex relationships we all share withthose we love. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Have you wondered how the upper class relaxes?
Barney photographs the upper class at play. Her pictures are set-ups. She is the director. Every person is an actor (even if a Barney friend). The location is a stage. Her choice of details is impeccable. In fact, it is the DETAILS that make the images. You forget the images aren't candids. Barney bravely puts herself in many of the images. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

BEAUTIFUL
My uncle bought me this book when I was seven, almost sixteen years ago. I adored it as a child and I still completely enjoy looking through it now. It is singularly the best book I have ever seen about unicorns, and I have spent an extensive amount of time looking. The pictures are completely realistic and lavish. They carry you away into a world that you can only dream about. Not one page of this book is wasted--from the pictures to the details and data about unicorns in the back of the book. If you are intrigued by unicorns, this book is a must have; you will not regret buying this, or if you know someone who loves unicorns, you could not get them a better gift. It is a work of art from cover to cover.

Unicorns I Have Known
This is a book to be kept as a ''treasure'' amongst all books in anyone library. It's a fascinating book non only for ''horse lover'' (Robert Vavra is very well known by horse enthusiast worldwide) this is a book that can fascinate anyone in love with BEAUTY, ART, and POETRY. All photos are surrounded by a magical athmosphere and they are enriched and completed by beautiful literary quotations. You start dreaming from the first page of the book till the very last one and when you are at the end of your reading, believe me! You will start to BELIEVE that UNICORN DOES REALLY EXIST!

Reality of the Unicorn
This gorgeous book is one of the finest unicorn books I own. It has great pictures and lots of unicorn details and a unicorn searching guide. It is worth buying if you like unicorns or photography. It is worth getting Unicorn of Kilimanjaro or the Calendar if you can find them as well. It is on my list of favorite all time books, and i see a lot of them as i work at a bookstore. By this if you or someone you love likes unicorns and give the gift of magic.

Beautiful, enchanting, full of dreams
I first encountered this book when I was very young. I asked my local library to buy it and they did; and I kept checking it out again and again. Owning this book now is like looking back into my own childhood, at the dreams and the wonder I had for the world. It's beautiful pictures and startling art has never faded for me over time.

Unicorns....As they should be.......................
This book by Robert Vavra portrays the unicorns as how they are. Peaceful, intimate, distant, yet very close. The only difference between the images in this book and the rat race that life is somehow pushed into, is the lucid dream state of mind that is turned on when reading this book. It will bring you there. A very thorough, and colorful view into the unicorns themselves. The question might be raised whether they are real or not,...........but after viewing the pictures, your mind will wander to a place of mossy lichens, willow trees, and cushion plants, and georgous animals that mystify.,.. A very good book that everyone from children to the elderly will adore. It has one particular image that caught my eye more than the others; It was the picture at sunset with the whole group of unicorns on the beach,...........simply breathtaking.......This book will enlighten all who view it. Peace,.........Onepath ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Hamilton and his failed attempt to be a movie director.
Based on The songs of Bilitis, a beautiful poetry book by Pierre Löuys (about a greek girl who falls in love with another girl) and French Impressionism (Renoir, Degas, etc) David Hamilton tried to translate his photo work to a movie. But a bad screen-play that left no trace of the original, a very pretentious musical score plus Hamiltons' total ignorance on movie direction led the project to terrible results. Maybe nowadays he's achieved a great level as an artist (on photography not on movie direction), he's in fact a master of Light and Shade as he showed on later books; but at the time of the movie he was a very famous mid-level photographer and mainly because of his excesive use of the fog effect. Even that, there were several beautiful photographic moments on the movie that the book lacks of. The book resembles more a big magazine article or a press release for the movie than a real photo book (the same applies to the Tender Cousins' book). I like Bilitis' story very much, but the one by Löuys, and I like Hamilton's later work too, but when it's presented on a real photo book and without his obsessive fog filter. ... Read more

Book Description

Sixty Years of Photographs, back in print after many years, is one of the most comprehensive surveys of the power and force of a major photographic figure of our time. Before his death in 1976, Strand spent his last days going over his photographic prints and his many books with an eye to the completion of this volume. Because of his insistence on growth and movement toward perfection throughout his career, and to be true to his vision, the editors examined over three thousand photographs, constituting the main body of the work of Strand's lifetime. This volume, includes an insightful biographical profile by Calvin Tomkins and excerpts from Strand's correspondence, interviews, and other documents.
... Read more

Book Description

Raw, real and sexually-charged photographs of beautiful women, all photographed in their own homes. Each woman has her singular story to share, and Stripped Naked expands our understanding with a fresh, untouched sense of composition. With no imposed boundaries, Gorman captures an incredible array of women in free expression of their most intimate selves. ... Read more

Book Description

Los Angeles, the 1960s. Caught in the gaze of a most unique eye were a cast of the soon-to-be-reckoned-with second-generation Hollywood, future legends, friends and family. Everyone hanging out, working together, crossing lines between fantasy and reality, fashion, film, art, music, and life. Brooke Hayward gave Dennis Hopper a camera in 1962, shortly after the birth of their daughter Marin, and it was with this gift that he documented all that went on in and around his eclectic, bohemian home. He photographed family and friends like Jane Fonda and Roger Vadim, artists like Jasper Johns, musicians like Ronnie Specter and Ike and Tina Turner, the early fashions of Rudi Gernreich, and on and on and on. "1712 North Crescent Heights", edited by Marin Hopper, designed by Dimitri Levas and including a conversation between Marin, Brooke Hayward and Dennis Hopper, is an intimate collection of never-before-seen photographs from this vibrant and uniquely personal time. A subtle glimpse into a brief but tantamount time in their lives. A time that would forever be lost with the arrival of "Easy Rider".

"We lived at 1712 Crescent Heights, Brooke, my two step sons, and our daughter Marin. It was a time of extremes; happiness and sadness. A time of the drug culture, rock and roll, beach parties and endless games of tennis that ultimately ended in divorce. Brooke bought me a camera during a very difficult time when I couldn't get any acting jobs. It was my only creative outlet. This book is a different look at my photograohs by moving away from the formal composition that I often demand and into one with more intimacy." Dennis Hopper

Edited by Marin Hopper. Introduction by Brooke Hayward. With a conversation with Dennis Hopper.

150 duotones.
9.5 x 13.5 in. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Intriguing Images
These intriguing images, which range from sun-drenched to claustrophobic, have a dreamy quality, like a silent film. The photographs capture a graciously Bohemian culture that foreshadowed 1960's counterculture, and they faintly hint at the stylish decadence of 1920's Hollywood. They depict a time when the western regions of Los Angeles were both urbane and pastoral--a time when a starlet such as Tuesday Weld could feel comfortable driving on city streets in an open convertible--a time before personal style had degraded to the level of shaved heads, jauntily oriented baseball caps, and lapses in grooming. In photo number 120, the "Sunset Strip Riot" at Pandora's Box kicks off the 1960's upheavals that would be precisely defined by Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider just three years later. This photo is shot at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights, just down the road from the Hopper residence. In the background of the photo, behind the street action, is the site of The Garden of Alla, demolished 7 years previously, and perhaps the most prominent meeting place for the graciously Bohemian Hollywood crowd of the 1920's. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A respectful and decent view of Africa
This book by Achebe and Lyons is infact a decent and respectful view of Africa.It does not contain pictures of Starving children or wars.Thephotographs taken by Lyon shows ordinary Africans going about theirbusiness with dignity.There is also a very good essay by Achebe discussingthe Images of Africa over time.It uses as it's main theme a discussion ofJoseph Conrad's book the heart of darkness.He does not shy away from issuessuch as slave trade and wars,but he treats the subject of Africa's imagewith dignity.There are also a number of poems after a few pictures.Thepictures are about 100. My only grouse with the book is that no pictureswere taken of Nigeria and South Africa which are indeed countries that showall the contradictions and hopes of Africa.I say this mainly forsentimental reasons being a Nigerian i would have loved a picture of thehustle and bustle of Ojuelegba in Lagos or the Onitsha market.It is howevera welcome addition to my library. ... Read more

Book Description

Definitive selection of 3,919 photographs, plus author’s observations on animals’ movements. Incredible true-action shots cover 34 different animals and birds in 132 characteristic motions. Horses, goats, cats, gnus, eagles, gazelles, sloths, camels, many others shown walking, running, flying, leaping, more.
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Reviews (2)

Its Not Just For Animators
The images of the dray horses pulling heavy loads is worth the price of admission for me. This is a great reference for artists who want to create realistic images of animals in motion. It's a fabulous settler of bar room bets. It's a source of animated gifs for web designers (I have the running cat image that's been going around.)

For people who want to understand animals in general, this is a good reference. I never thought that all the ways an animal can go from point A to point B each had a name to it and that a quadruped can have so many ways to move.

Its an interesting historical piece, too. People do not see horses doing useful work any more and it's a reminder that we all had a life before internal combustion. Its an interesting chapter in the history of photography and the history of art, too. (Painting was never the same after people figured out how animals really moved.)

Indispensible Reference for Artists
Muybridges momumental work photographing animals in all different gates and poses and tests of ability. Using sometimes up to 100 cameras for a single set up to gain what is now the definitive guide for animators in understanding the motion of animals. It all started with a $25,000 bet: Eadweard Muybridge and a friend argued whether all four of the horses hooves leave the ground completely at any point during a gallop. Being funded for the project, Muybridge proved to be the winner in saying that horses do in fact leave the ground for a momentary second in their strides. The book begins with an anlaysis of locomotion, going over the walk, the amble, the trot, the rack (or pace), the canter, the transverse-gallop, the rotary-gallop, and the richochet, along with the leap and buck and kick. There are roughly 4,000 photos in this collection which claims to be the largest collection of animals in motion. It features not only horses but lions, deers, oxen, elephants, birds and kangaroos. From this development, Muybridge not only discovered that horses gallop with no feet touching the ground, but his discovery led to motion pictures, in which his photos is a very crude version of cinema today. Later he designed a viewer called a Zoogyroscope (or Zoopraxiscope) which, similar to a Zoetrope, was a carousel with slits which you look through while it is spinning to give the illusion of motion (or persistence of vision). Today these pictures are looked at for a couple of reasons, mostly as nastolgia for one to have wonder and excitement of this simple cinema, but it also is a great reference for modern animators. In fact, for those looking at animation, I can tell you that if you ask for an application to Walt Disney Animation Studios, they will give you their requirements and texts, this will be on the list. Highly reccomended for the artist, graphic, fine arts or animation or anything else you can dream of. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Photography is nothing, it's life that interests me." With his ever-present Leica camera, Henri Cartier-Bresson captured the raw and the sweet, the comic and the profound moments of lives that were lost in the grind or relegated to someone else's memory--the coincidental moment at which a reflection in a puddle of water mimics a poster on a nearby wall or when lovers kiss, oblivious to the not-so-pristine world around them. It is the familiar beauty and cruelty of the day-to-day that is so engaging in his photographs: two cosmopolitan woman chat nonchalantly while surrounded by empty lettuce crates; mourners at a funeral stare directly into the camera; postwar Paris awakens in the fog. Cartier-Bresson was the master of the "decisive moment," that fleeting instant for which a picture really is worth a thousand words, which is the essence of photojournalism. In no place is this more exemplified than in his images of Paris.

Cartier-Bresson personally selected the more than 130 black-and-white photographs of Paris for this publication. With photographs taken over a period of 50 years, the work is beautifully and generously printed in duotone. The accompanying essays, both short and unobtrusive, are also familiar and personal. One essayist captures the essence of Cartier-Bresson's camera work: "When life calls, he is always there, to assist, or to admire; to rebel, or to say no to exploiters and imposters, and to all those who demean its value." --Manine Golden ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Must See, Must Have
Anyone who is a serious student of photography should have this book. Anyone who is curious as to what "great" photographs should look like, look inside and be enlightened. The public at large tends to regard black and white photographs as inferior to color work. The truth is, a black and white photograph will stand the test of time, while a color photograph starts fading the moment it comes out of the dryer. The truth is, any good black and white photograph will make you overlook the fact that it's not in color. The mind's eye makes you see the "color." Cartier-Bresson is a true master. His work that's shown in this book is every superlative that's ever been coined, including the vulgarities. Viewing the photographs within is worth a dozen books on compositional theory. Each is a benchmark of what a quality photograph should look like. A Propos de Paris truly is a must see, must have.

Great!
this book should get five stars for the photo of two dogs behind the church alone. Perhaps it says a bit more about this reviewer than it should, but that photo is one of my favorites - I just could not stop laughing! The photo essay ranges over about three decades and the pictures are not your typical pictures of the Eiffel Tower or of the Arc de Triomphe but rather people and places and neighborhoods of Paris. One gets the feeling of sneaking a peek into these people's lives. Cartier-Bresson is a master behind the lens and this is his city, so you can't expect less than the best - and he doesn't disappoint. (check out the two dogs...)

Composition Genius
Henri is a genius in composition. This book records over and over how Henri is able to not just break the rules on composing a photgraph, but re-write them. That unique ability is amazing. Especially when viewed in conjunction with his ability to capture people in the precise moment he needs to -- in order to communicate the image he must anticipate with a great sense of intuition. The photographs in this book are just a delight to visit over and over again.

How does he do it?
The epitome of the snapshot. HCB has such an eye for composition; counterpoint, balance, symmetry, symbolism and just plain humour. I find myself shaking my head, often in disbelief at how he manages time and again to catch that 'decisive moment'. This book has his Paris prints beautifully reproduced and the one-line descriptions mirror the mood of the entire collection - glimpses of life, love, conflict, smells, textures in that colourful city. Colour rendered in black and white!

Half a century of monochrome one-liners - HCB en Paris!
Henri Cartier-Bresson, master of (creator indeed of the phrase) 'the decisive moment,' here celebrates over 50 years of observation and humour from his home base of Paris, France. Everything from gunfights (against the Nazis) to dogfights (well, they're actually making love not war) is here, captured by the fastest shutter finger in the business.

Cartier-Bresson is 90 this year, and has gathered together a beautifully rendered set of 131 plates, any one of which is good enough for over the mantelpiece. As a coffee-table book, A Propos de Paris will entertain you and flatter your tastes as far as your guests are concerned. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Francesca Woodman, tragic loss.
This book is an excellent collection of the limited work of a young woman who would have dominated American Photography had it not been for her unfortunate demise. It is essential for all serious art photographers
I first saw a retrospective show of her work in Boulder Colorado after her death and it has never left my mind. I find it hard to believe that it has taken this long for a published collection like this to come along.
It is truly remarkable in every way.

Photos that pierce one's heart with a sweet, impossible ache
However remarkable and achingly tender, Woodman images are as rare as a rhinoserous horn at an Asian bazaar. Some years ago a portfolio of Woodman photographs was reprinted. This small handfull of images was reproduced again and again. The group of "known" images grew somewhat as various small books or catalogs were published. The real strength of Woodman as an artist is evidenced by the fact that as every heretofore unseen image gets published, such as in this sizable book, the delicacy, richness, and complexity of Woodman's moltenly beautiful yet hauntingly tragic body of work grows exponentially. The original group of oft-reproduced images is revealed as random sampling of many images of the same captivating quality. There is so much that is not known about this work that each expanded treatment becomes a startling revelation. Gracious thanks to any book that begins to give this most underappreciated genuis suicide her due.

A GRAND JEU PHOTOGRAPHER
The surrealism was an unholy movement in french construction of culture. Tonns too much human (passed definition), tonns too much animal (current def) Francesca Woodman as any one of the (Rimbaud, Jean Pierre Duprey, Roger Gilbert-Leconte) brothers in arms involved in the GRAND JEU did not find the time to experience the quest further than its incarnation. Another group at the same time involved itself in the same quest as FW for the body and soul reconciliation through sensations and emotions. Roger Gilbert-Leconte, Rene Daumal, Joseph Sima more than the surrealists were FW's brothers in arms...

fun france I live with an as assumed as a modern woman can be clone of Francesca Woodman

At last, a well-printed, definitive book of the work of FW.
As a long time admirer of Francesca Woodman's photography, I was thrilled that this long-overdue retrospective monograph was printed. There have been a few other books on her work, but the work shown in them seemed limited and edited to support the critical essays that were also part of those books. This new book is printed very well, and gives the viewer a more well-rounded view of what the late photographer was up to when she made photographs. Though her life was short, Woodman's creations are full of depth and challenge the viewer. This book is a must for anyone who appreciates the work of Woodman, and I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy photographs that are thought-provoking, introspective, surrealist, personal, and so much more. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

A beautiful book...
Margaret Morton has a way of allowing her photos to speak to us. We are at once drawn and repelled by her photos. I believe her subject matter taps into something 'primal' (not in the sense of 'primitive' but in the sense of 'real') in all of us.

While the photos, in black and white, are quite stark, there is an element of beauty that seeps from the reality of the subjects photographed. There is not much sensationalism and there is a sense of pride in the dwellings constructed. Morton's photos and allowing the people to speak for themselves makes for an insightful and moving photo essay.

... ... Read more