Black+White Photography - UK (2019-12)

23

B+W

G

uardian press

photographer Denis

Thorpe started

his career at the

age of 16 on the Mansfield

Reporter, and we begin this book

with photographs taken from

around this time – his mother

at the ironing board, his father

smoking a cigarette, the church

where his parents were married.

The images show a remarkable

natural talent for photography,

with a sensitivity that is rare

in someone so young.

Thorpe went on to have

a highly successful career in

photojournalism, and we see

much of his early work (from

the early 50s to the 80s) here in

this book. Divided into sections

such as Children, People

and Work, the photographs

reveal a superb mastery of

the genre, his understanding

of light being as important

as his connection with the

people he photographed. Being

a northerner himself, his

pictures have great warmth and

empathy for his fellow workers.

In his introduction he refers

to photographers he knew such

as Don McCullin and Philip

Jones Griffiths who were his

compatriots, and he clearly

takes his place among them.

Elizabeth Roberts

K

nown for his disarmingly

beautiful wet plate

portraits, Nicolas

Laborie’s new book

explores the link between the

body and nature, again using this

lovely old process. The result is

an intimate and highly personal

collection of images,

interspersed with writing and

haiku poetry that enhance the

work, giving it greater depth

and meaning.

Using plants as a starting point

and metaphor, Laborie takes us

through the varieties from the

lily to the rose, with many in

between, explaining their history

and meaning, and illustrated

with exquisite pictures.

A practising Buddhist, his

approach to photography is one

of contemplation and openness.

‘I seek beauty in imperfection,’

he writes. And the wet plate

process is a perfect conduit

for his purpose.

This is a small but beautifully

produced book with linen-bound

cover and excellent reproduction

of the images.

Elizabeth Roberts

R

ediscovered after years of

obscurity, the photographs

in this book lay forgotten

for almost 30 years until

John Myers had a chance meeting

with a curator who felt his archive

worthy of attention.

The End of Industry is the

last book in a trilogy celebrating

Myers’ photographs of 1970s

and 80s England. Published

by RRB Photobooks, The

Portraits and Looking at the

Overlooked garnered much

praise from some of the

most credible voices in the

photography industry.

Showing the people and places

of the Black Country throughout

the 1980s, the images highlight

an era when the landscape and

culture created by the Industrial

Revolution were disappearing

fast. All taken on a medium

format Gandolfi camera, the

images are exquisite in technical

quality and aesthetic, with

creamy whites and deep blacks.

The first edition is limited

to 450 copies, with each book

including a 5x4 silver gelatin

print. For the avid collector, a

portfolio set of silver gelatin

prints plus the book is available

for £225.

Anna Bonita Evans

I

t’s well known that Martin

Parr’s creative output is

unflagging and impressive.

Considering the 107 solo

photo books he has to his

name, one might wonder how

a single photographer could

have anything new to show

or say, particularly in a book

comprising early work.

Jeffrey Ladd’s refreshing

introduction presents Parr’s

pictures differently to how

we might expect. Revealing a

new way of thinking about the

history of British photography

and the creative use of a

photographer’s archive, Ladd

embraces the book’s loose

picture edit, applauding how

representational the collection

is for a photographer at the

dawn of their career.

All black & white and far

more traditional in composition,

style and approach than his

later colour work, we do see

Parr’s fascination with the

eccentricities of the British

was there from the start. His

portrayal of the subjects is not

insensitive or judgemental, but

subtly intimate – a viewpoint

offering a thoughtful critique on

social norms and customs.

Encased between cloth bound

covers of a vibrant eau de Nil,

this book is a coveted object to

enjoy time and again.

Anna Bonita Evans

ON THE SHELF

NEWS

THE END OF

INDUSTRY

John Myers

RRB Photobooks

Hardback, £75

SENTIMENTS

DÉSHABILLÉS

Nicolas Laborie

1/70 Limited edition,

stamped and signed £50

Available from:

nicolaslaborie.bigcartel.com

EARLY WORKS

Martin Parr

Martin Parr Foundation

and RRB Photobooks

Hardback, £48

Black+White’s line-up of some of the very best new photographic

publications out in the bookshops or to order online.

A VIEW FROM

THE NORTH

Denis orpe

Bluecoat Press

Hardback, £25