Do you like photobooks?
I'm developing a new feature — a periodic photography book roundup. Let me know what you think.
Hey, book geeks!
Many of you know that I’m ridiculously hooked on print matter and that, despite my digital addictions, I’m a bookman to the end. Exhibitions are meaningful, and online is amazing, but books are the optimal format for photography: they’re portable, tactile, relatively affordable, and easy to revisit again and again. Most importantly, they keep us rooted in physical experience, something we need now more than ever.
Of course, I’m biased. I love books!
I promote book culture on Instagram and host a FlakPhoto Books group on Facebook. I used to write an annual FlakPhoto Books of the Year list. But I’ve been craving a new format, something more fluid and flexible, less rigid and free from the grip of social media algorithms. This newsletter seems just the place for it. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.
I subscribe to many publisher newsletters and social media feeds and do my best to keep tabs on what’s happening in the photo/book scene. My reading habit has become akin to my music-collecting college years when I used to go nuts tracking indie artists and their record labels. It’s fun to see which photographers are working with this publisher or that imprint, and I get a genuine kick out of promoting the people whose bookwork moves me.
So, another experiment is in order — I’ll share the books that catch my eye, the reads that inspire me, some community news, and the occasional publishing opportunity. I’m not sure how frequently I’ll do this. Probably as the urge strikes, but monthly might be nice. We’ll see.
Naturally, I want to hear what you think. Is this a good idea?
I’m always looking, so if you’re developing a publishing project and want to share it with my readers (more than 26,000 at this writing), please drop me a line. Email is the best way to reach me — you can write me here. That said, I’ve rounded up a few titles that have been on my mind lately. I hope you enjoy them!
How's this for amazing?
I opened the mail last weekend to find this book of Todd Webb’s photography. The thing is, I didn't order it! Mysterious, right? I posted something on my Facebook page, and one of my readers, Lloyd Spencer, chimed in. It turns out he sent it as a thank-you gift for my work with FlakPhoto. Naturally, this made my day. And it made me realize something: Our readers appreciate our writing in more ways than likes, comments, or even paid subscriptions. It's good to remember that. Thank you, Lloyd!
Evelyn Hofer is one of those photographers I only vaguely know about, and I have much to learn. Dublin: A Portrait seemed as good a place as any to start. You might know one of her more famous pictures, a superb portrait of a young girl riding an adult woman’s bicycle. It’s a stunner. I love it.
According to Hugo Hamilton’s essay at the end of the book, Hofer’s philosophy is encapsulated in this quote: “In reality, all we photographers photograph is ourselves in the other … all the time.” I think that’s right — We are what we think, and the pictures we make reflect how we see the world. If that’s true, Hofer was a serious person. There are occasional smiles in her portraits, but, for the most part, a melancholy vibe permeates the collection. Still, they are gorgeous images.
The book comprises a series she made in Dublin in 1965-66, so these pages have a delightfully retro spirit. Hofer preferred black and white, and the book has many monochromes, but her color imagery is sublime. And since Steidl Verlag published the book, it’s beautiful. For an overview and more pictures, read Erica Ackerberg’s review for The New York Times.
I imagine some of you are familiar with the Charcoal Book Club. It’s a neat concept, like a wine-of-the-month club, but with photography books. Cool right? Jesse Lenz is the mastermind behind CBC and a gifted imagemaker in his own right. I loved his first book, The Locusts, so I was thrilled when he sent a preview copy of his newest, The Seraphim, an intimate look at his children and their rustic adventures in rural Ohio. The book ships this month; I know many of you will love it. Jesse’s on the Right Eye Dominant podcast this week — Listen here.
Gordon Stettinius is one of my favorite photography people. He’s clever and funny, and he knows pictures. Gordon runs an outstanding exhibition and publishing program at Candela Gallery in Richmond, Virginia. When he announces a new book, my ears perk up, so I was excited when he emailed about his latest project, an enormous collection focused on photographers picturing their families.
Memory Orchards: Photographers’ Images of Their Own Families showcases 60 imagemakers riffing on domestic themes and an essay by Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator at the Center for Creative Photography. I haven’t seen this one yet, but I look forward to reading it. You can pre-order here.
Do you know Pamplemousse Magazine? It’s not a book per se, but I think that zines and indie pubs should get some play here, so I wanted to mention it. Pampelmousse is focused on publishing film photography and has released three issues since 2021. Publisher Nora Lalle sends word about The Adventure Issue, which is available today. If this is your style, consider subscribing to Nora’s newsletter. You might like it!
Portrait people, you’ll dig this: Michelle Sank emailed today about a book she’s developing with Dewi Lewis Publishing. Michelle has been documenting Burnt House Lane, a community near where she lives in Devon, UK. Michelle is one of our great environmental portrait photographers. I could write more, but Michelle does an excellent job telling her story and explaining the project in her Kickstarter video. I know these images will resonate with some of you. Her deadline is February 29.
One more thing…
“At the end of the day, what was important to Robert Adams and I, when we finished editing a book, is that the end result is something that is not just memorable, but that’s provocative, that it makes you sit up straight, that it's somewhat surprising.”
It’s fun to hear bookmakers talk about their work. Robert Adams is one of the greats. I appreciated hearing curator and editor Joshua Chuang describe the process of working with Adams to re-interpret Adams’ bookwork for new audiences.
If you made it this far, I would love to hear your thoughts about this post. Should I keep it going? What did I miss? Please let me know what you think. And moving forward, keep me in mind if you have a book update you'd like to share with my readers. Okay, I’m logging off for a long weekend and some R&R. Cheers!
Yes, keep it going. Please.
Keep it up! I feel inspired!
My brother is a photographer. We have coffees and go through a photo book discussing why the photos are interesting.