5 comments about China.

1. A beautiful book disfigured by Amazon's packaging. The tight plastic shrink-wrap bent the corners of the book, greatly reducing its value as a part of my collection. This isn't the first time that a photo-book from Amazon has arrived already marred. It's a shame.



2. As a record of this time in the world's history ... the dismantling of local industry around the world in tacit acquiescence of China's future dominance ... I can't think of a more significant body of work in the medium. The images herein are truly breathtaking for their scale. Burtynsky has a privileged view and uses crisp large-format photography to lend authority to his vision. The monumental is not without a humanizing touch as can be seen best in his beautiful ship-building images. This is a wonderful book with images that one can marvel at for their execution whilst viewing with trepidation for their portent. The printing and presentation complements the images.



3. Large format, interesting photographs of China. I was worried his work might not translate in a book, but if you like his work, not to worry about that.



4. I realy like Edward Burtysky as a photographer and this book shows sokme really nice photo's. But for some reason some of his photo's took me by surprise as I saw them in a completely different lightfrom other photos of which he took. it's a bit hard to explain but it almost seems like two different photographers were sharing this wonderful, 147 pages, Hardcover book.



5. Nice and wonderful.
   If you like large format details
   this is to see
   
   BUT I'm very angry because the package by amazon wasn't efficently prepared to the reality of post office.

2 comments about National Geographic: The Ultimate Field Guide to Landscape Photography (NG Photography Field Guides).

1. With the title containing National Geographic, I had high expectations for this book. I am eagerly learning about Landscape Photography and wanted a book tilled with the technical details that would allow me to approach a certain level of professionalism in my photos.
   
   Here's what you should know before buying this book:
   
   1. The digital portion is only a few pages in the back. The book was clearly adapted from the film version of the book. When people started crying for digital info, they just stuck a few pages on.
   
   2. The digital portion is also incorrect or misleading (shockingly). Here's one example from page 126: "More pixels usually means finer detail, and this holds true for both compact cameras and SLR's." Well...this isn't really true. It's the marketing hype that camera manufacturers are pushing. In reality, it's a combination of the size of the sensor, the megapixels and the ISO speed you set, along with the quality of the lens that means finer detail. If you squeeze 10 megapixels onto a tiny sensor, all you get is more noise.
   
   3. 95% of the book is just talking about EXTREMELY basic stuff. Ie: The rule of thirds, including an "S" shape in your compositions, shoot at sunrise or sunset, etc.
   
   4. This is the biggie for me: THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT HOW ANY PICTURE IN THE BOOK IS MADE. Other books, such as the excellent National Audubon Society Guide to Landscape Photography, include camera and exposure info, plus which filters are used and even how the filters are oriented in their holder! Filling a book with pretty pictures (as NG's guide does) teaches me nothing. Telling me how to orient and expose using a Graduated Neutral Density filter (a la Audubon Guide) will allow me to duplicate their results!
   
   This book was a complete waste of money due to the above reasons.



2. Before a camping trip in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, I invested in my first digital camera and read this book. This field guide was informative, interesting and inspiring. It provided useful tips on not only handling the camera itself, but also how to look at one's surroundings and be able to convey the sensations at that time to others viewing the photos later. The images throughout the text provided moving examples of Robert Caputo's and other professional photographers' pointers. Advanced photographers looking through this book would appreciate the mastery of these photos, and novices would gain confidence through this guide to eventually achieve this level of photography.

5 comments about Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders.

1. The Freedom Rider mug shots were collected by Mississippi's State Sovereignty Commission, which was established to protect segregation in perpetuity. The aim was probably to assure that if the Riders returned to the state, they could be run out on a rail, or perhaps blackmailed if they were later ashamed of their youth.
   Who knows why the police photos went into the archives? Mississippi Sovereignty Commission employees were notoriously drunken incompetents (see numerous scholarly articles to that effect) and they needed to collect every shred of evidence of having shown up for work.
   When the Sovereignty Commission's files were finally open to the public thanks to years of work by the ACLU, the evidence of their intimidation & spying & incompetence was astonishing.
   And yet, even in the mug shots, the strength of character & idealism of the Riders showed through. Photographer Eric Etheridge made it his mission to track down those of the 500 Riders who were still alive, and persuaded many to allow him to do new, artistic, penetrating "mug shots" for posterity.
   My regret is that the interviews which went with the portraits were so curtailed by the art book format. I also feel that the intensity of his approach made many people look more forbidding than they are in a more natural setting.
   This is a valuable, powerful & revealing book, which presents to the public some of the people who have not been celebrated but who made the history while others got the kudos.



2. I recently purchased this, having read a review in either the Wall Street Journal or New York Times. It provides background information regarding the Freedom Riders within the civil rights movement and then offers photos of the individuals arrested and profiles of many of them: what they were doing then, why they joined the effort and what they've done since and are doing now.
   
   The book provides a human face to a movement -- something that is very effective here given that the participants spanned various parts of the country, different socioeconomic backgrounds, etc.
   
   The only issue I had with it, which is minor, is that the project is ongoing, which makes the book seem incomplete. That doesn't make me regret the purchase, however. Well worth the money and time.



3. This is a unique piece of literature that gives you a sense of pride for those unsung heroes of the past who made significant history. Great pictures and autobiographical sketches. This should be in every American's household library!



4. My review is not in anyway impartial or detached. Forty seven years ago tomorrow (June 2) myself and five fellow Riders were arrested in Jackson. Three members of our group are no longer with us today, with this disclosure in mind I will now review "Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders" by Eric Etheridge.
   The book is beautifully printed and the portraits are of outstanding quality. The text is, of course, minimal but to me at least, provacative in the extreme. The interviews Mr. Etheridge was able to conduct and include were the flesh on the bones. Incidently, I spoke with Mr. Ehteridge and was advised that the interviewing connected with his project is continuing and they will eventually show up on the internet.
   This book is a perfect complement to Raymond Arsenault's "Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice"(see my review). For primary history enthusiasts, I cannot strongly enough recommend: Mississippi Department Archives and History (MDAH Digital Collection). To get a feel for the real situation in Mississippi of what segregation meant in that state.
   Perusing the portraits was like a portal back into time. Bittersweet memories of accomplishment and failure. Yes, we accomplished the immediate objective of integrating interstate travel and in the ensuing years(at the cost of a lot of blood) removed most overt forms of discrimination. But, sadly if one takes the time and energy to peer into her or his surroundings(locally and globally) the idealism of that time is rarely observed.
   WE SHALL OVERCOME?



5. "Here is a picture of the emergent civil rights movement plunging forward, adeptly taking its strategy of nonviolent direct action to the national stage" writes Eric Etheridge in the introduction to this wonderful book.
   
   Etheridge found approximately 320 mug shots of Freedom Riders who had been arrested in Mississippi in 1961. Ironically, the mug shots were warehoused by the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, a Mississippi agency formed in 1956 "to protect the sovereignty of the State of Mississippi...from encroachment thereon by the Federal Government." The Commission got the mug shots and arrest records from Jackson and Mississippi State police. (The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission: Civil Rights and States' Rightsis an excellent history of the Commission.)
   
   Etheridge has worked as a magazine story editor and on various Web-related projects. He was able to track down and photograph and interview more than 100 Freedom Riders. Many of the modern photos appear next to the original mug shot, as well as the all of mug shots of every Freedom Rider arrested in 1961 in Jackson.
   
   A sample entry (for Larry Bell) consists of the two photos and the following text:
   
   "Born: March 5, 1942, in Monroe, GA. Grew up there and in Los Angeles, where his family moved in 1950.
   
   "Then: Freshman, Los Angeles City College.
   
   "Since then: Returned to Los Angeles, working as a janitor during the day and attending City College at night. In 1966 was one of the first blacks to go to work for United Airlines in California. When he retired in 2000, he was a flight-attendant supervisor and also trained newly hired flight attendants. Still lives in Los Angeles.
   
   "Quote: The clothing that they gave us in Parchman was a t-shirt that was military green and some green boxer shorts. No shoes, no. And as we began to protest, they took them from us and left us with nothing. Then they took the mattress, so now we had to lie on a metal slab with them little round holes--and boy, you talk about some hard sleeping at night? When you're sleeping on the thing, there's that indentation where your skin goes through that little round hole, and there you are, half of you is like being suffocated and the other half is being cut out, you couldn't sleep any way you tried. So we sat up and we debated all night, and we got more boisterous in our songs."
   
   As Etheridge notes: "The irony here is that the Sovereignty Commission documented the success of the Civil Rights movement instead of defeating it, and left behind a great visual record and the names of everybody involved."
   
   There are two excellent histories of the Freedom Riders:Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement by Ann Bausum and Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice (Pivotal Moments in American History) by by Raymond Arsenault.
   
   Etheridge's excellent book adds a human element of great power to the story.
   
   ***
   
   Reviewer's Disclosure: I worked on various Civil Rights matters in Mississippi between 1961 and 1970 as a law student and later as young lawyer.
   
   
   Robert C. Ross 2008

5 comments about Eyes over Africa.

1. This is the most amazing book. The photography is extraordinary capturing the smallest details, such as the smile on someone's face who is waving @ you. It is a must have for anyone interested in Africa & makes one want to go there.



2. Eyes over Africa (Hardcover) by Michael Poliza (Author)
   
   I saw the bigger version of this book "Eyes over Africa (Hardcover) by Michael Poliza (Author) " in a store were it was displayed and I fell in love with it .
   This piece of art is one of those rare items you do not forget after seeing it .
   The amazing and breathtaking images were imprinted in my mind , I had to buy this book!



3. I can only but dream of seeing as much of Africa as Michael Poliza has, but this book carries me along on his journey. The level of detail is incredible - the more I look at the images, the more I find that surprises, delights or intrigues. Many pictures are pure abstract - and then I flip to the back of the book, only to find they are acute observations on some fascinating aspect of the natural world. Sadly, this detailed record is now vital in an age when global warming is changing the face of Africa so quickly. Perhaps these images will inspire us all to make a difference.



4. A truly beautiful book that gives the reader an immediate sense of the vast and immeasurable beauty of this grand continent. There is a vunerability in his work too. One gets the sense that even though the subject is grand and impressive it is all too fragile.



5. A new and refreshing perspective on a beautiful place. "Eyes Over Africa" will be a centerpiece of my photo book collection. Absolutely breathtaking. I've always been a fan of aerial photography and this book has solidified it for me.

No comments about Wolves 2009 (Calendar).

5 comments about Generation Loss.

1. I am new to Elizabeth Hand, and tried "Generation Loss" because of its unusual themes of Maine, art/photography, punk, and more. Hmm, what was she going to do with that? The result was crisply done, yet somewhat creepy, without a bunch of detours into background and filler that a lesser writer might have indulged in so as not to "waste" research. As two fitting examples, I learned enough about Maine and about the art scene to be interested and not overwhelmed.
   
   Cass Neary, as the burned-out artist stumbling through life, is largely unappealing and unsympathetic. Perhaps Ms. Hand went a bit overboard there, or perhaps I am too simplistic and sentimental in preferring main characters with a positive attribute or two. Even as she gets involved in the mystery and takes decisive action, Cass is still far from angelic. That's cool, because an epiphany that changed Cass into a completely different person would have been grossly out of place.
   
   I liked the idea of tying a plot to photography, which seemed quite fresh. Maine served as a fine backdrop, too, with local color. Who needs another art-oriented story playing out entirely in NYC or LA? Some of the edge was taken off, however, because I guessed a couple of the key secrets well before the end. Maybe I got lucky or maybe the clues were clear or maybe there weren't very many options possible. Whatever it was, that was ok, because the crispness propelled everything along to a sharp ending.



2. Elizabeth Hand ("Waking the Moon," "Mortal Love," among others), known for her poetic and utterly dark fantasies, attempts a more conventional Gothic tale this time, and succeeds beautifully. The characters are memorable; the conclusion is crisp. There are no wasted scenes.
   
   Her protagonist, Cass Neary, a burned-out sociopathic leftover from the 1970s punk era, was "famous long ago" for a photography book in which she photographed dead people.
   
   Now, an old friend from back in the day gives her an assignment to interview another formerly famous photographer, who lives alone on an island in Northern Maine.
   
   Cass soon finds herself enmeshed in a world of missing teens, former hippies, ruined buildings, and mysterious animals--among other things--and Ms. Hand, with her tricky plot, dares you to figure out where she's going with the tale before she's ready to reveal the answers. (I doubt you will figure things out.)
   
   And, along the way, some of her readers will learn a great deal about the almost vanished art of taking pictures with film cameras, while others will nod and smile, and remember the days of grainy Kodak Tri-X black and white.
   
   I was surprised that Ms. Hand has written something so conventional, something so within the boundaries of the Gothic (I was casting the movie version in my head--something I've never done with any of this author's novels before), and equally surprised how well she brought it off.



3. 
   
   Damaged goods. Punk music scene photographer Cass "Scary" Neary achieves a sort of aberrant notoriety with her book "Dead Girls". Drawn to the nihilistic mentality of the 70s punk movement, the drug-fueled Cass revels in anti-materialistic rebellion, careless of her body, pushing to the edge and over, increasingly drawn to the pure, if dark, images of subjects no longer animated by a life force. Enamored of the bridge between here and gone, Cass lurks with her camera in shadowy corners, filthy alleys, recording the last moments of wasted lives. Her second book barely acknowledged, Cass remains inspired by those photographers who capture the stark underbelly of the real world. Thirty years later, Neary is as disconnected as ever, living frugally, seeking respite in drugs and alcohol. When she is offered a gig interviewing her idol, the iconic photographer Aphrodite Kamestos, who lives on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, a more-seasoned Cass is drawn one more time into an adventure that is as treacherous as it is seductive.
   
   Danger is familiar to a woman who still bears the scars of a traumatic encounter in a vacant lot ("It's always 4 a.m. beneath a broken street lamp."), her instinctively ignoring warning signs to pay homage to a long love affair with the eye of the camera, the infinite beauty of genius. Such is the early work of Aphrodite, removed from the prying eyes of hangers-on and acolytes. To be in the presence of such talent is its own reward, regardless of Aphrodite's reaction to any intrusion. From the familiar squalor of her digs in New York City, Cass plunges into the heart-stopping chill of Maine, ill-prepared but determined to garner some nugget, proof that her long search for perfection is not in vain. Genius is like fool's gold, irresistible. Accidentally meeting Aphrodite's son the night before her choppy passage to Paswegas Island, Cass is jarred by a vague intuition of danger, distracted as well by a profusion of posters of the lost, tattered notices, "Have you seen this person"? A world-weary survivor, Cass's instincts are self-serving, cynical, a driven woman whose hopefulness is buried under years of disaffection and regret, her imagined and drug-addled responses routinely confrontational.
   
   Her passage into unfamiliar territory sprinkled with epithets, Hand's protagonist challenges us to see beyond the façade, to care about Cass in spite of her behavior, blazing through the eccentric lives of island residents, sniffing out dishonesty, danger and genius in equal measure. Island dramas tragically play out, Cass the unlikely catalyst who is more in sync with her surroundings than she will admit. In an adrenaline-shot climax, Cass meets genius and evil face to face, haunted by the hypnotic images that call to her artist's soul. A provocative and unpredictable character, Cass is compelling in her abandon, her struggle to reclaim sanity in the face of annihilation, a prickly, surprising heroine. Hand captures that most elusive of subjects, the artist's quest for the perfect, redemptive image and the chaos that attends such vision. Never ethereal or pure, this is murky territory, strewn with despair and failure, as heady as the first injection of heroin into a throbbing vein, a reckless impulse to discover the Holy Grail or know the searing touch of the hand of God. Luan Gaines/ 2008.



4. Hasbeen photographer's horror isle.
   
   
   It seems neither Hand or King make you want to rush out and book a holiday in isolated parts of Maine.
   
   While the cover points out the story is about a character of the 70s punk era, this book is not about music or musicians at all, just a character of that era.
   
   She became briefly famous for a photography project at a young age, and just drifted into a vaguely sordid low-rent existence afterwards.
   
   Surprisingly, she is offered a project involving a famous artist, and not so suprisingly agrees.
   
   Cue suspense and move towards Thomas Harris territory later in the book.
   
   
   3.5 out of 5



5. Cass is a has-been photographer in her 40s who achieved momentary fame as a chronicler of the wasted punk scene in New York City in the late 1970s. Since then has been a slow slide into obscurity and despair; she's now as dead as you can be while still having a pulse.
   
   Then she gets an offer to go to rural Maine to interview a reclusive woman photographer who once pioneered a dreamlike photography technique. Cass leaves her rancid NYC apartment for the harsh and frozen shore of Maine. There she meets a strange young man who simultaneously repels and attracts her, and a troubled teenage girl who will go missing. Those are just the first of the lunatics and psychopaths she meets. As she gets better acquainted with the townfolk, she uncovers a dark secret that stretches back to the reckless actions of mystical group of drop-outs in the late 1960s.
   
   Cass herself is an unforgettable character who gets several very funny lines. Aside from the pleasures of accompanying such a complex person through such a spooky landscape, you learn a lot about photography in a subtle way that never slows the action. This is a precise, realistic, and haunting mystery. Longer review at BellaOnline Mystery Books (BellaOnline-dot-com).

5 comments about Digital SLR Astrophotography (Practical Amateur Astronomy).

1. Michael Covington's new book contains the latest information, it was published in December of 2007, on recent cameras' and their features that apply to digital astrophotography. The author, after covering the DSLR features, makes informed recommendations regarding their use for astrophotography. I highly recommend this book.



2. In first place, I bought this book because of it was recommended from Sky and Telescope.
   But, when having it on my hands and after reading it I found:
   1- Author is making constant references to his other two books, with no further explanations (if you want to know more, BUY my other books).
   2- Book is soft cover and pictures are black and white.
   3- Has many formulas. Amateurs want a "hands-on" style, not making calculations that show the author as "how much I know", that's not practical.
   4- Many parts are really useful, and some others don't.
   5- Some parts look like a handful of advices that you can find everywhere on the net.
   6- He explains methods, that end up with author saying like "despite of this method I prefer..." and then he mentions another one. A waste of time!
   7- Add the book cost, and this is not a deal.
   Hope my review can be helpful to other people that as me, thought this book was a real good one (before purchase).



3. No matter how much you know...there is always much more to learn. Thats the feeling I got after reading this book. I thought I knew a bit about photography and image processing, but it appears my knowledge had as many holes in it as a block of Swiss cheese. If you are new to astrophotography, this book should be your bible. If you already know a bit, there are still topics you may not have even considered. Highly recommended for the serious amatuer.



4. Wonderful book. The natural prosecution of the first volume of the author. Just a little bit disappointed about the cost. Too expensive for a 200 pages book



5. After reading Michael's previous works I was prepared for a good and thorough treatise on astrophotography with digital SLR's. Unfortunately this book doesn't do that. $37 gets you a modest 234 page, soft bound book that could be described as more of a draft outline than a valuable reference work.
   
   Images Plus, possibly the most powerful and economical commercial astrophotographic image processing and camera control program available today only gets briefly mentioned in passing twice in this book.
   
   And there is nothing whatsoever on imaging the sun, h-alpha image processing techniques or solar eclipse techniques and equipment.
   
   Many other subjects are treated rather too lightly to justify the price of this book too.
   
   I believe that Jerry Lodriguss's book "A Guide To Astrophotography with Digital SLR's" is a much more useful work however it isn't exactly worth it's $40 price tag either.
   
   There is more useful and thorough information available on the Internet for free. Start with the Digital Astro Yahoo discussion group and then supplement with Jerry Lodriguss and Paul Hyndman's web sites.

5 comments about Richard Avedon Portraits.

1. I looked at this book that I just received today and I thought, "These are good fotos but.....but....there is something missing." What is "missing"? The background for one thing! I want to KNOW MORE about these people than Avedon gives us. These portraits are "better than nothng" but...but...who are these people? There are very few "clues" to help us answer that question. On the contrary, Diana Arbus DOES "tell" us who her people are"---both in words and in their surroundings or background environment which Ms. Arbus DOES include. I think Mr. Avedon should throw away his "white sheet" or whatever he uses and show the subject with their environmnet. I'm sure the subjects in this book do NOT carry around a white sheet to put behind themselves! So, why does Mr. Avedon feel he has to use the white sheet? I don't get it and I don't like it. But, the above being said, these ARE very good portraits even with their alledged "defects". Boland7214@aol.com



2. This book is absolutely exquisite. The photographs are stunning and insightful If you are not familiar with Avedon's male nudes--I wasn't--you should be aware that many of them are full frontal and not in any way prettified, pornographic, or erotic. I include this because none of the other reviews mentioned it. Had I been more familiar with the book's contents, perhaps I would not have left the book out on the kitchen counter for the wrong (adult) friend to unfold it before I did!! Yeah, I know, I should have known better . . . . Duh.



3. I bought this book for my photography friend for Christmas. She was blown away. From the moment you open the package, it is clear this book is worlds apart from your standard photography book. Every photo is frame-ready. I highly recommend for the picky photography enthusiast.



4. The format allows for a stand-up display down the entire length of a coffee table! Pretty cool if you ask me;
   Got this as a christmas gift for my art-school-grad photographer/niece. It caused something of a stir when the holiday guests started to look at everyone elses presents.. Along the lines of "Don't let the kids look at that book" and "Let me see it' and "Ewwww".



5. It is not really a book, but an art object: accordion folded and neatly ensconced in a box, its heavy cardboard structure makes it a durable thing, one that transcends the notion of a mere "book." It is an object of intrinsic beauty and the mere holding of it in one's hands conveys the good taste, fine quality, and the superb craftmanship that were blended to create PORTRAITS.
   
   One side of the fold contains text -with some pictures- and the other the portfolio of portraits. Maria Hambourg and Mia Fineman collaborate in the essay "Avedon's Endgame," which presents, analyzes and brings into focus the extraordinary talent behind the portraits; and Richard Avedon gives us a touching essay called "Borrowed Dogs," in which he addresses some of his unquiet talents. The other side is one's private gallery of 27 pictures (including the covers) to be savored at home, each image a meticulous print. In all it is an extraordinary performance by those involved, and a jewel to possess.
   
   Avedon has pushed the borders of his art far beyond picture taking: a master psychologist, his portraits are potent statements about the soul and the fears and the anger and the dilapidation and the triumph and the humanity of his subjects. His pictures are so intense and revealing that the viewer cannot remain neutral. The diptych of Clarence Lippard, a drifter, makes one see more than we have any right to ask for: because if we must view the horror of a wasted life on one panel we must also accept the defiant triumphalism and humor that the second panel conveys. Waste no pity on Mr. Lippard, he asks no such thing from you.
   
   I shall often return to this jewel for solace; and for a jolt about the meaning of being alive and a human being.

5 comments about The Fashion Book - Mini Edition.

1. The Fashion Book is a first-class encyclopedia on fashion as a whole. The cross-references going with each entry make this book an even more entertaining and fascinating source of information as it reveals the entity fashion from different perspectives.



2. This book is a must have as a reference book. It has all the important names in fashion industry and a great editorial design that makes it hard to put it down. Although the size is a little bit tiring ("mini edition"...mmm, kind of says it all!), the pictures couldn't been better.



3. This is a flawless example of beautiful, mesmeric art. Not only does this book capture the ongoing development of fashion through the years, it presents the designers, photographers, makeup artists, and even fashion retailers who made these pieces come to life. Phaidon has always impressed me with the quality of their books, along with the meticulousness they put into choosing the perfect photos for their final product.



4. This is a great referance book for anyone who loves fashion. It's an A-Z book of designers, illustrators, icons, photographers etc. Just about everyone is in here. This is a great book, because it's very inexpensive, small and great because you can look up just about anyone you would like. There are great pictures, and great informative blurbs, including birth and death dates and information about just what made the person so influential. If you love fashion/ fashion history, go out and get this book!



5. This book was suggested reference material for a college course of study at FIDM. Initially I thought this was a paperback condensed version of the hardback book. Upon receipt I found it extremely difficult to read without a magnifying glass - the print is literally micro-small. At first I blamed my aging eyes, but my nineteen year-old daughter whom I purchased the book for has 20/20 vision, and she expressed a similar opinion. I would not recommend this version of the book - if you have the option, purchase the full size hard bound copy.

2 comments about Luigi Ghirri: It's Beautiful Here, Isn't It....

1. I bought this book as a birthday present for my sister. But I think I'm going to get another copy for my own collection.
   This is contemporary photography, shots of an open door or an empty kitchen... But as the photographer says in the title, he manages to capture the beauty of place, mundane but beautiful. I am impressed. He is an ingenious photographer.



2. "It's Beautiful Here, Isn't It..." is not just a book title; it's a statement that perfectly sums up this newest collection of photography from Luigi Ghirri. Filled with countless color photos, as well as essays covering Ghirri's reflections on the time he took the photos and the atmosphere surrounding the events, "It's Beautiful Here, Isn't It..." adds a personal touch to the gorgeous shots on film. "It's Beautiful Here, Isn't It..." is an ideal coffee table book and a top pick for community library photography collections.