Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-10-18)

72 12 October 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113

FAV O U R I T E B O O K S

ShadowCatchers:

Camera-less

Photography

MartinBarnes

Merrellin associationwiththe

V&A,ISBN978-1-858945927

ONEPHOTOGRAPHYbookthathas

a greatdealof personalappealand

connectiontomeisShadowCatchers

byMartinBarnes.ShadowCatchers

showcasestheworkof fivecontemporary

artists(SusanDerges,GarryFabian

Miller,PierreCordier,AdamFuss

andFlorisNeusüss)allusingunique

alternativecamera-lessphotographic

processes.Thebookwascreatedin

coordinationwithanexhibitionthat

wasshownat theVictoriaandAlbert

Museumin 2010to2011,and

includesa briefhistoryof camera-less

photographyaswellasinformationabout

theartistsandtheprocessestheydo.

AnappealingfactoraboutShadow

Catchersis thatin anagewhere

photographyis mass-produced,images

sharedat theclickof a button,and

generallythrownaroundleft,right

andcentre,theseartistsarecreating

unique,originalphotographicartworks

thatareof greatvalueandsignificance.

WhenI wasa studentat university

undertakingmyphotographydegree

I spent many hours in the darkroom

makingimageswithouta camera.I feel

proudthatduringthewholeof myfinal

yearI neveroncepickedupa camera

(andyesI didpass!),yetI wasleftwith

uniquephotographicartworksthat

couldneverbereproduced.Oneof the

aspectsI loveaboutphotographyis the

numberof differentprocesses,gadgets,

technologies,andtechniquesyoucan

usetomakea photographicimage.

WheneverI readthisbookandlook

at theinspiringimages,it remindsme

of that.It alsopromptsmetocontinue

pushingtheboundarieswithinmy

practice,asphotographyis an

ever-movingtechnologyfullof

undiscoveredpossibilities.

Claire Gillo, Acting Technique Editor

DogsinVogue:

ACenturyofCanine Chic

Jud it hWat t

Little,Brown

ISBN978-0316027137

ONEOFthegreatperksof workingat a

photographymagazineis accesstothevast

swathesof photobooksthatarepublishedevery

year.Tryingtopicka favouriteis a trickytask,

butthisone,publishedat thebeginningof my

magazinecareer 10 yearsagohasalwaysstuck

in mymind.A bookwhichdoesprettymuchwhat

it saysonthetin,Dogsin Voguechroniclesthe

countlesstimescaninecompanionshavebeen

featuredonthereveredpagesofVoguemagazine.

There’salmosteverybreedimaginablehere,and

they’vebeenphotographedbya veritablewho’s

whoof 20th-centuryphotography– CecilBeaton,

DavidBailey,MarioTestino,LeeMiller,Helmut

Newton,LordSnowdon,BruceWeberandmany

morefillthepagesof thischarmingbook.It’sa

visualtreatfordog,fashionandphotography

loversalike.

‘Thenextbestthingtohavingtheworldat your

feetis tohavea dogat yourheels,’saidVoguein

1930.I’mnotcertainI’veevercomeacrossany

truerwords.Ona darkandgloomyday,there’sno

finerblissthancurlingupwithmyownbeautiful

hound,cupof teain hand,flickingthrough the

pagesofDogsin Vogue– heaven.

Amy Davies, Features Editor

‘Prettymucheverybreed

hasbeenphotographedby

a veritablewho’swhoof

20th-century photography’

Hommageà William
Henry Fox Talbot (2010)
© FLORIS NEUSÜSS