As we come to the end of 2015 it’s time to share with you my favourite books I bought during the year. It has been a year in which ‘retrospective’ books caught my eye and heart. First up is Josef Hoflehner Retrospective 1975-2015.


Really the book contains only a couple of photos taken prior to 2002 so the work is taken from the many book he published between then and now. But having published over a dozen books in that time, there is a lot to choose from. And indeed there is a lot here in this teNeues publication.






With excellent printing quality, this large format (12inx13in ) book has over 200 black and white images, presented in a straight forward style, one square formatted photo per page. They are not presented in chronologically or grouped by publication but are mixed up, grouped in pairs perhaps of similar theme or others for contrast of content. This makes for a lively read through the book.







As can be seen from my illustrations, all photos float on the page which creates a quiet viewing environment which benefits the work.



I must admit that I have not got one of his books before but became aware of his work through magazines and on line. If you find his work interesting and inspiring and you have not got any of his books then this retrospective will give you a lot and is highly recommended.





Next up is Harry Gruyaert’s retrospective book published by Themes & Hudson which I wrote about earlier in the year here.


Likewise another great book which is reviewed below is On This Earth, A Shadow Falls by Nick Brandt. It’s a beautiful soulful publication.



The City is a Novel by Alexey Titarento and Small Things in Silence by Yamamoto Masao were also great buys in 2015 and I will write more on them in the new year.

Tags:Books of the Year

Nick Brandt started photographing the animals of East Africa around the year 2000 and in 2005 produced the first book, On This Earth. Since then two more books have been published, A Shadow Falls and Across the Ravaged Land. This particular volume, which I got this year, is the Artist's Edition book, entitled, On this Earth, a Shadow Falls, (Big Life Editions) was published in 2010, combining the best 90 photos from the first two books, in a larger volume with much superior printing to the first two books.


Brandt’s work is nothing like the colour documentary style that is prevalent in wildlife photography today. He photographs on medium format using black and white film and does not use telephoto or zoom lenses. The resulting work is a combination of wide panoramas and close up portraits. He photographs the animals as he would a person.


Brandt has said "You wouldn't take a portrait of a human being from a hundred feet away and expect to capture their spirit; you'd move in close."



In his afterword in On This Earth, Brandt explains the reasons for the methods he uses:
“I’m not interested in creating work that is simply documentary or filled with action and drama, which has been the norm in the photography of animals in the wild. What I am interested in is showing the animals simply in the state of Being. In the state of Being before they are no longer are. Before, in the wild at least, they cease to exist. This world is under terrible threat, all of it caused by us. To me, every creature, human or nonhuman, has an equal right to live, and this feeling, this belief that every animal and I are equal, affects me every time I frame an animal in my camera. The photos are my elegy to these beautiful creatures, to this wrenchingly beautiful world that is steadily, tragically vanishing before our eyes.”



His work is at once monumental and reflective. There is an intimacy to the images and an unhurried gaze which reveals and rejoices in the personality of these magnificent creatures. There is real engagement with the animals by Brandt and it leaps off the pages. They are shown at rest and reflective, or on the move, alert, in communal gatherings, supportive and protective.





The book itself is a very fine example of quality printing. Large, 14in by 15in it’s hardcover is bound in linen with an inset cover plate. The pages inside is like fine photographic baryta paper. Most photos are printed in a light sepia and the quality binding allows the book to open pretty flat to view the panoramas that can stretch to 26 inches or so.







A quality package all round and worth seeking out by the animal and photographer lover alike.

Nick Brandt gives some background to the photos on his website here

Tags:Nick Brandt,Big Life Editions

The 5th LUMIX Festival for Young Photojournalism takes place from Wednesday, June 15th until Sunday, June 19th, 2016 in Hanover Germany. Staged every two years the festival attracts young photojournalists from all over the world. All students and professional photojournalists under the age of 35 are welcome to submit their work for the 5th LUMIX festival and based on those submissions 60 photojournalists will be invited to exhibit their work during the festival. The exhibitions accompany an attractive program which includes portfolio-reviews, lectures, panel-discussions, guided tours and a technique showroom.

The highlights of each festival day are the evening lectures delivered by internationally renowned photographers. The end of the festival is marked by the closing party on Saturday evening, which hosts the granting ceremonies of the FREELENS Award, the LUMIX Multimedia Award, the Lammerhuber Photography Award and the HAZ Audience Award.

The festival aims to be a platform for discussions, a picture show and a talent forum that appeals to professional picture editors and an interested expert audience as well as those who simply love photography. More information can be found here

LUMIX festival for young photojournalism from Lumix Festival on Vimeo.

Tags:Lumix Festival

Yet another retrospective book is about to hit the shelves, Walker Evans: Depth of Field. Evans was one of the key American photographers who changed the course of art photography in that country from the domination of modernist abstraction to a more socially committed documentary photography. This book, published to coincide with an exhibition of the same name, promises to be quite comprehensive in it’s coverage. The photos in the book range from his earliest images taken in the early 1930’s with a vest pocket camera, to his final photos from the 1970’s, using the then new SX-70 because his regular equipment became too heavy to carry around. The book has the benefit of commentary from two of Evan’s longtime friends, photographers John T. Hill and Jerry Thomson. It is a large book 10 inches square approx. 408 pages, 350 b/w and 50 colour photos. It is published by Prestel. Price around €75.
Link to short video on Evans here

Tags:Walker Evans