So, I've just finished The Ongoing Moment by Geoff Dyer (Book of the Month - March 2011) - Pretty interesting stuff. A lot of concentration needed I felt but a lot of inspiration gained from the book too! It was interesting to see how the details, symbols and 'punctums' of photography hadn't changed through decades of photographers; how just the position of a hat, for example, can symbolise something so defining in a country's history. These 'ongoing moments' have stayed the test of time and give a lot of insight into the photographs of these periods, perhaps even into the photographer themselves, whether they knew it or not...
It was also interesting to gain an insight into the relationships of certain photographers with each other and their spouses. The Artist and the Photographer are often drawn (ha!) together, it seems.
It's kinda hard to go too deep into this book; the best thing would be to read it yourself! New ideas for projects were popping up everywhere. Everything means something...and everying is ongoing; nothing stays in the past; no path is untrodden.
So, onto April's book of the month!
This month, I've chosen Chroma: Celebrating Colour in Photography by Michel Pastoureau.
It's was given to me by my lovely boyfriend as a birthday present and is all about celebrating the colourful things in life! As much as I'm a fan of black and white, I adore colour photographs. I love saturated, atmospheric images as well as the worn and faded colours of old family photographs.
This book has some gorgeous photos inside and is separated into colour chapters, each with an explanation of why we love the colours we do and where this love arose.
Some images in the book:
Girl With a Headscarf / Peshawar, Pakistan / Steve McCurry
Policewoman Directing Traffic / Pyongyang, North Korea / Eric Lafforgue
Rave Party at the Sambadrome / Sao Paulo, Brazil / Paulo Whitaker
This book is pretty huge but well worth a look, especially if you revel in colour, as I do!
Here are some links with info about the book:
Can I also just say that Steve McCurry deserves a Knight-hood or something. His images are so beautiful! A modern day August Sander - check him out! - Check them both out!
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