Variations on a theme: books of photography

Most days I feel that my job is pretty incredible.  I wake up, have a few cups of coffee, make the very short commute from the dining room table to my office, check my email, update the review database, post reviews, email publicists about the reviews, check in with my reviewers, promote the site and the blog, read a book or two, write up a review, write a blog entry, open packages from publicists with new books, joke with the delivery men about the insane number of books I receive, add the books to the database, assign the books to reviewers, read some more books, update the San Antonio Book Review Facebook page, leave the office, eat dinner, and unwind from a long day's work with yet another good book.  But that's just most days.  I have a few days where I think my job isn't just incredible -- I think I have the best job in the world, and the theme of today's books ought to explain why.

Photography has always struck me as magical.  In the right hands, a camera is as much an artist's tool as a brush or a chisel.  Contrary to the superstition that arose when cameras were first introduced to developing nations -- that a camera could steal a person's soul -- I believe that a good photographer put a little of his or her own soul into each picture.  Whether the subject matter is human or animal, nature or the vast expanse of space, photographs have the ability to capture and inspire viewers.  Here are some of the books of photography currently sitting on my shelves.

Connections: A Visual Journal by Ford Robbins

This is a slim and unassuming book that packs a powerful punch.  There are only forty one photographs, but what photographs!  The plates of black and white photographs -- taken all across the continental United States -- are the work of a very talented artist, and Ford Robbins' talent is indisputable.  He uses the textures and patterns of the natural world to a great effect, and his gift for sussing out the best light and angle to achieve the right amount of contrast and detail is highly evident.  His photograph of the Merced River in California is dramatic and eyecatching, as is his amazing Bistahi series.  Black and white photography enthusiasts should not miss this collection.



Bird by Andrew Zuckerman

It's because of books like this that I feel I can legitimately claim to have the best job in the world, paltry paycheck and odd hours notwithstanding.  Following up on his last critically acclaimed photography collection, Creatures, Andrew Zuckerman has published a magnificent new book filled to the brim with vibrant and lively photos of birds.  Zuckerman's photos, shot against a stark white background, capture the very spirit of each of his seventy four subjects with passion and grace.  From the arrogant hauteur of the African fish eagle to the playful intelligence of the American crow, the personality traits of every bird is brought to the fore.  Here you can find owls and seagulls side by side with kookaburras and birds-of-paradise.  The clarity of each photograph is remarkably crisp; every barb of every feather is in focus, as are every claw and every beak.  Bird is a joy to behold.

Ancient Light: A Portrait of the Universe by David Malin

When our Bronze Age ancestors first cast their gaze to the sky and invented legends to explain the shapes the stars formed, never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined that one day the majesty and wonder of the night sky would be captured on photographs and bound in a book for our enjoyment.  Astronomer-cum-photographer David Malin delivers galaxies, constellations, and nebulae into our hands in Ancient Light.  The book is divided into sections based around the constellations to establish the positions of the images captured here.  In the section titled Fornax, Sculptor, and the South Celestial Pole, the Helix nebula in Aquarius seems to be nothing less than an enormous and otherworldly eye staring back at the viewer.  On pages 86 and 87, the Sombrero galaxy in the Virgo constellation (so named for its resemblance of a broad-brimmed Mexican hat) expands off the page and into the imagination.  Humbling and awe-inspiring, Ancient Light both entertains and educates.  Malin reveals his techniques for capturing the images and provides information a wide range of pertinent information about the stars and galaxies, from the dust clouds that birth stars to the myths behind the constellations.  This is a must-read by any definition of the phrase.

Himalayan Portfolios: Journeys of the Imagination by Kenneth Hanson

 This book is the "magnum opus" of photographic maestro Kenneth Hanson, a master of his craft and a gift to all who have been lucky enough to see his work.  Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association, Himalayan Portfolios transports viewers from their living rooms to a storied land of snow-capped mountains and harsh climates.  The photos, taken on over a dozen trips to the Himalayas, reveal Hanson's journeys through Tibet as he followed in the footsteps of explorers and visitors who came before him.  Hanson has a keen eye for the beauty of the natural world, and he gives us the privilege of seeing as he does through his photographs, taken with a deft touch and rare sensitivity.  He provides a clear and engrossing narrative that gives each image geographical and historical context through which they should be viewed.  Himalayan Portfolios is nothing short of a work of genius.