notes! I don't talk about him enough in my classes. I typically think of his work resulting in exhibitions, but I'd love to poke around and see what photobooks represent his work well.
This is a really amazing, thoughtful , thorough but informal analysis of a photobook that, personally, I wouldn't have been able to access as deeply without your making this video. Your intelligence and ability to connect the dots and not only ask questions of the pictures, but also identify the key questions the pictures are asking us are inspiring! Your students are lucky to have you! I would love to request a look at Sugimoto's "Portraits."
Hello again, Can you please tell me how do you consume photography? Like a film or a song has a time limit during which you can look at it or hear it but what about visual mediums like photography where there is no time limit? Where do you start and where do you end? Let's even forget that viewing process is linear so how do you look at the whole and for how long to do the justice with a single image before moving on?
I am also having trouble with the function of the short stories in this book. I'm constantly looking for connections between the stories and the images that I feel might be there but can't really find, and therefore sometimes end up frustrated thinking I'm missing something important which I'm too dumb to see. For me the book would be "calmer" without the stories. Notwithstanding the texts, this is a great body of work.
Your experience struggling to connect the text to the photographs is eerily similar to mine. I actually found myself assuming inaccurate biographical information from some of the short stories and had to remember they weren't necessarily accurate. Thank you for watching Maarten!
It's so crazy that how much you were able get out of this book and honestly I like your explanation and find photographs boring and soulless. So how much is it the photographs themselves and how much is it you reading into it? I think photographs like these are too much dependent on language or words for conveying an "understanding" rather than a feeling like music. You don't have to translate music it just hits there where it suppose to be. For me personally that's difference between great and average photographers.
I'm glad you found my explanation interesting, and thank you for watching! This is an especially great question and one I think about a great deal. I'd say that nearly every photograph that's trying to be expressive requires a viewing reading into it on some level. Photographs tend to point to things outside themselves and inspire a viewer to ask questions or make assertions. I certainly think people can tortuously explain a photograph or make photographs that are far too reliant on the artist explaining it. I like your comparison to music and think it's really useful. Some photographers that I'd recommend who communicate a feeling or sentiment are Minor White and Robert Frank. Other photographers like Taryn Simon make pictures (that I think) that are enhanced by explanation. Sadly, many photographers now rely on the photograph merely as a talking point, but if the photograph isn't successful then one should keep trying to make the photograph. Sorry to be long winded, but I certainly think one can read into a photograph too much, or see things that aren't intended to be there. Sometimes it leads to interesting, useful, or frustrating results.
@@ThePhotobookReview Nah, don't say sorry. You're one of the few people on UA-cam who is deeply engaging with photography and putting in a lot of effort when almost everything these days is about superficial and thoughtless engagement like double taps on instagram and gear talk, so thank you for doing this. Please make a separate video in future on the topic of "how much is it the photographs themselves and how much is it the critic reading into it?"
Forgot to say that I think she raises a really important issue in her texts and it is related to the balance of our owns abitions and desires with our obligations to our loved ones. Should we reclesssly abandon everything that is not proven to directly contributes to the (future) happiness of our offspring? Is there a middle ground? Will our kids understand when they grow up? Btw, i vote for Day Sleeper.
Agreed, and I think that's the most relevant theme in the book for me. It's a question posed in Larry Sultan's book, Pictures from Home, too. I'll mark another vote down for Day Sleeper!
I really dislike the book design. Also i feel that the book is too fragmented and not very well conected between those fragments. I do like the portraits of Casper but in the context of this book i find them a bit isloated and a repetative, I guess that might be the consequence of using a lf camera and the fact the it can be difficult for kids to have enough patience for the whims of adult ppl. I did enjoy the landscapes.
Thank you for tuning in and watching! Like you, the times I've looked over this book I've wondered how the sequence was determined, because sometimes it does feel like something is missing. The book feels sort of split between railroads and car repair shops. She seems to be carrying a point and shoot film camera with her too, and that camera has a visual style that might be capturing his childhood in a more form fitting way.
So happy to have found your channel. Really insightful and interesting reviews and has really opened my eyes to new artists
Oh that's very gratifying to hear. Thank you for watching and I'm glad you're enjoying the videos.
Thanks for your journey with this book.
Happy to elaborate on the book! It's great to hear what others notice that I don't.
he's back!
I sure am! Had a busy summer but back into the swing now. More videos to come.
Really enjoyed this video ! You have a really smooth voice
Thank you Jules! I appreciate you watching the videos.
Hello; I popped by to put Jeff Wall on my wish list of book reviews.
notes! I don't talk about him enough in my classes. I typically think of his work resulting in exhibitions, but I'd love to poke around and see what photobooks represent his work well.
This is a really amazing, thoughtful , thorough but informal analysis of a photobook that, personally, I wouldn't have been able to access as deeply without your making this video. Your intelligence and ability to connect the dots and not only ask questions of the pictures, but also identify the key questions the pictures are asking us are inspiring! Your students are lucky to have you! I would love to request a look at Sugimoto's "Portraits."
Hi Dev, and thank you for your very kind comments! I do have a growing list of recommendations that I'm happy to add the Sugimoto book to.
Great video!! I'd love to see you review Day Sleeper
Hi Garon, and thanks for watching till the end! I'll mark one vote for Day Sleeper. That's such a new book that I'd be delighted to review it.
Excellent work! I’d love to see Day Sleeper but The Americans would also be great.
Thank you for watching! I'll put down another vote for Day Sleeper
Hello again,
Can you please tell me how do you consume photography? Like a film or a song has a time limit during which you can look at it or hear it but what about visual mediums like photography where there is no time limit? Where do you start and where do you end? Let's even forget that viewing process is linear so how do you look at the whole and for how long to do the justice with a single image before moving on?
I am also having trouble with the function of the short stories in this book. I'm constantly looking for connections between the stories and the images that I feel might be there but can't really find, and therefore sometimes end up frustrated thinking I'm missing something important which I'm too dumb to see. For me the book would be "calmer" without the stories. Notwithstanding the texts, this is a great body of work.
Your experience struggling to connect the text to the photographs is eerily similar to mine. I actually found myself assuming inaccurate biographical information from some of the short stories and had to remember they weren't necessarily accurate. Thank you for watching Maarten!
It's so crazy that how much you were able get out of this book and honestly I like your explanation and find photographs boring and soulless. So how much is it the photographs themselves and how much is it you reading into it? I think photographs like these are too much dependent on language or words for conveying an "understanding" rather than a feeling like music. You don't have to translate music it just hits there where it suppose to be. For me personally that's difference between great and average photographers.
I'm glad you found my explanation interesting, and thank you for watching! This is an especially great question and one I think about a great deal. I'd say that nearly every photograph that's trying to be expressive requires a viewing reading into it on some level. Photographs tend to point to things outside themselves and inspire a viewer to ask questions or make assertions. I certainly think people can tortuously explain a photograph or make photographs that are far too reliant on the artist explaining it. I like your comparison to music and think it's really useful. Some photographers that I'd recommend who communicate a feeling or sentiment are Minor White and Robert Frank. Other photographers like Taryn Simon make pictures (that I think) that are enhanced by explanation. Sadly, many photographers now rely on the photograph merely as a talking point, but if the photograph isn't successful then one should keep trying to make the photograph. Sorry to be long winded, but I certainly think one can read into a photograph too much, or see things that aren't intended to be there. Sometimes it leads to interesting, useful, or frustrating results.
@@ThePhotobookReview Nah, don't say sorry. You're one of the few people on UA-cam who is deeply engaging with photography and putting in a lot of effort when almost everything these days is about superficial and thoughtless engagement like double taps on instagram and gear talk, so thank you for doing this.
Please make a separate video in future on the topic of "how much is it the photographs themselves and how much is it the critic reading into it?"
Forgot to say that I think she raises a really important issue in her texts and it is related to the balance of our owns abitions and desires with our obligations to our loved ones. Should we reclesssly abandon everything that is not proven to directly contributes to the (future) happiness of our offspring? Is there a middle ground? Will our kids understand when they grow up?
Btw, i vote for Day Sleeper.
Agreed, and I think that's the most relevant theme in the book for me. It's a question posed in Larry Sultan's book, Pictures from Home, too. I'll mark another vote down for Day Sleeper!
I really dislike the book design. Also i feel that the book is too fragmented and not very well conected between those fragments. I do like the portraits of Casper but in the context of this book i find them a bit isloated and a repetative, I guess that might be the consequence of using a lf camera and the fact the it can be difficult for kids to have enough patience for the whims of adult ppl.
I did enjoy the landscapes.
Thank you for tuning in and watching! Like you, the times I've looked over this book I've wondered how the sequence was determined, because sometimes it does feel like something is missing. The book feels sort of split between railroads and car repair shops. She seems to be carrying a point and shoot film camera with her too, and that camera has a visual style that might be capturing his childhood in a more form fitting way.