Review of books on photography
Book review — World Press Photo 2021 by Allan LEONARD 26 June 2021 World Press Photo 2021 is a book compilation of finalists of its annual competition. Entries are submitted by professional visual journalists. There were nine juries across the photo and digital storytelling contests. For the 2021 contest, general jury chair, Nayantara Gurury Kakshapati, … Continue reading Book review — World Press Photo 2021
Book review: Irish Summers (Harry GRUYAERT) by Allan LEONARD 21 March 2021 Harry Gruyaert’s work is recognisable by its saturated colours of thoughtfully chosen hues. The interplay with light is also crucial. There are images in Irish Summers that exemplify such decisive moments, when colour and light come together to satisfy Gruyaert’s quest for sensual … Continue reading Book review — Irish Summers (Harry Gruyaert)
Book review — Old Ireland in Colour (John Breslin & Sarah-Anne Buckley) by Allan LEONARD 14 March 2021 Old Ireland in Colour is an ongoing project of colourising black and white images by photographers in Ireland in the late 19th to early 20th century. The catalyst was John Breslin working on colourising some photos of … Continue reading Book review — Old Ireland in Colour (John Breslin & Sarah-Anne Buckley)
Book review — New Ways of Seeing (Grant Scott) by Allan LEONARD 21 February 2021 We read books of fiction and non-fiction, and may acquire a respect for how difficult it is to create such works ourselves. We are taught how to read the written word, and by practising reading, tend to appreciate its transformative … Continue reading Book review — New Ways of Seeing (Grant Scott)
Book review — How I Make Photographs ( Joel Meyerowitz) by Allan LEONARD 18 October 2020 Joel Meyerowitz is a renowned street photographer, long before the term became a familiar recognised genre (or subgenre of documentary photography). Once working as an art director, after an encounter with photographer Robert Frank, he quit his job and … Continue reading Book review — How I Make Photographs (Joel Meyerowitz)
Book review — The Colour of Time (Dan Jones & Marina Amaral) by Allan LEONARD 26 May 2019 Released in hardcover in August 2018 and now available in paperback, The Colour of Time, by historian Dan Jones and artist Marina Amaral, is a collection of 200 colourised photographs taken between 1850 and 1960. With accompanying … Continue reading Book review — The Colour of Time (Dan Jones & Marina Amaral)
Book review — Bobby Sands (Yan Morvan) by Allan LEONARD 11 October 2018 Sorj Chalandon ends his foreword with a question from Bobby Sands’ memorial card: “Will tomorrow be remembered?” He is with Bobby Sands, a photobook by Yan Morvan. https://youtu.be/20VVWz6XtVo It is said that a journalist creates the first draft of history, and Morvan’s … Continue reading Book review — Bobby Sands by Yan Morvan
Failed It! by Erik Kessels is an easy read of his encouragement of embracing failure as a means of revealing a better discovery. He intersperses his quips with visual inspirations, from both the intentional (by seasoned artists) and the unintentional (by reconsidering the work of some amateurs). The strength of this short book is demonstrating … Continue reading Book review — Failed It!
René Magritte was the first artist that I identified with -- particularly his sense of humour yet thought provoking presentations of surrealism. One of my favourites paintings of his -- and one of his more famous ones -- is Ceci n'est pas une pipe, because literally it is not a pipe; it is an image … Continue reading Book review — A visit with Magritte (Duane Michals)
Women of Vision accompanies a travelling exhibition of the same title, curated by National Geographic. Both celebrate the work of eleven inspiring female photojournalists, featuring nearly 100 images, ranging from social issues, effects of war, and changes in our natural habitats. Renowned American news journalist, Ann Curry, begins the foreword with words, “Henri Cartier-Bresson, considered … Continue reading Book review — Women of Vision (National Geographic)
The British Life Photography Awards: Portfolio 1 is a catalogue book of the winners and finalists of an inaugural event "to capture and share" the perspectives of photographers from all walks of life. The inspiration for the contest comes from the "amazing democratisation" of photography in the 21st century. Homer Sykes, a self-described documentary photographer … Continue reading Book review — British Life Photography Awards
I have not studied photography formally, but take solace that many of the 100 photographers featured in this thorough volume of the urban landscape and its people have learned their craft from the harsh realities of the street. Nevertheless I may be utterly under-qualified to provide a meaningful critique of this very considered book, The … Continue reading Book review — World Atlas of Street Photography (Jackie Higgins)
