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Night Walk is one of my favorite photography books of the last decade. It’s an incredible document of the tumultuous Lower East Side in the 1980’s. Described as a “narrative of lost youth,” it incapsulates a raw energy in a specific moment in time. Rarely do I see still images so expressive, so intentionally chaotic but with an artistic authority. This book is a force, and it doesn’t have a lot of text which I love. Just purely moving imagery. The photos of the art scene resonate with me. It’s a reworking of the original book, Invisible City, which came out in 1988.
Nov 15, 2022
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This is a book of interviews with 12 pioneering artists who create photo books. It’s a long discussion about two of my deepest passions: photography and bookmaking. I found it because of the curator David Campany, and it is a must have for those who take their photography seriously. The most visceral interview is with the photographer Larry Clark, who talks about getting sued by the grandparents of a baby he photographed, leaving out pictures of sawed off shot guns, and his commitment to never making his friends look bad. There’s a lot of passages about book design, a range of photography styles, and the meaning of success. This book is a gold mine of insight, and I carry it with me like a bible.
Nov 15, 2022
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If I say "Gritty street photography that feels like Dan Arnold took a foray into exclusively shooting dark and moody urban B&W shots" and you say "yes please", then Hamburger Eyes is for you. Basically what you got here is a bunch of full B&W photo zines & books with work from tons of photographers, all with a very cohesive semi wild feel to their work. Cop up their latest zine here and maybe some merch while you're at it!
Dec 10, 2020
Much in the same way Edward Hopper explored solitude and banality in industrialized America, Stephen Shore sought many of those same themes irl, taking interest in familiar locations like gas stations or motel swimming pools.
Shore shot a lot of his work (most notably his book Uncommon Places) on road trips across the United States, and would meticulously journal his activities as he progressed from East to West. Reading about what Shore had for breakfast and what the room he watched television in looked like the morning he took photos like the one below is really enjoyable, particularly when his activities feel almost as antiquated as the parking lots of wing-tipped Cadillacs he photographs.
His photos ultimately reveal an extreme technical proficiency and mastery of composition, which allows us to look at extinct moments with full lucidity.
Dec 9, 2024
Top Recs from @marcus-maddox
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This is a book of interviews with 12 pioneering artists who create photo books. It’s a long discussion about two of my deepest passions: photography and bookmaking. I found it because of the curator David Campany, and it is a must have for those who take their photography seriously. The most visceral interview is with the photographer Larry Clark, who talks about getting sued by the grandparents of a baby he photographed, leaving out pictures of sawed off shot guns, and his commitment to never making his friends look bad. There’s a lot of passages about book design, a range of photography styles, and the meaning of success. This book is a gold mine of insight, and I carry it with me like a bible.
Nov 15, 2022
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I’m a nerd when it comes to image composition, and James Cowman has a relatively obscure YouTube channel dedicated solely to the art of composition. His videos are amazing and some of them literally have less than 500 views. There’s some good writing on photography out there, but almost no good resources specifically about composition. I rarely get helpful information, with examples, that go beyond the rule of thirds. This guy is breaking that mold… by explaining the harmonic armature. I love James’ passionately critical attitude towards the medium. He might get some flack for it, according to the contact page on his website, but I love his work. His video about Henri Cartier-Bresson is so honest and insightful.
Nov 15, 2022
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I’ve been following this middle-aged dad on Twitter for like 8 years now, and he’s so damn funny. I have no idea what he does for a living, or if he’s an actual professional comedian, but his tweets slap. He’s always making jokes about 1 upping rival dads and describing what being middle aged feels like. Anytime I open Twitter this guy makes me laugh.
Nov 15, 2022