5 comments about Jonas Bendiksen: Satellites.

1. Everithing makes you think you'll find a lot of photographs of satellites inside this book: the title, the cover and the description... but there are only 3 nice photos at all.



2. I've never written an Amazon review, but after finding this book, I want to say how much I loved it! Jonas Bendiksen takes a remarkable concept: the former Soviet Republics as "orbiting satellites held together by the gravity of Moscow" and through his photographs exposes the complexities of obscure regions in which he spent years traveling. It is beautifully documented with a lyrical eye. It is also a book that deserves many visits because the images evoke layers of emotions. The photographer is obviously passionate about revealing a collective truth that lies among the ruins of the former Soviet Union.



3. This book gives a very illustrated insight into the fringe of the former USSR. Extremely interesting to read and the photographs are amazing, very atmospheric.
   The images of the crash zone for the Russian space program are my favorite, they're like weird movie-sets.
   
   Michiel



4. As the title for this review states, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The quality of photography is outstanding and the black border presentation is quite effective. I also found the commentary illuminating, albeit a bit on the short side. But I must say that the subject matter is just fascinating. I have always been fascinated by the USSR/former USSR and Bendiksen's photographs do an outstanding job of conveying the quality of life that exists in those countries. That region has undergone some huge and traumatic changes in a very short period of time and this book captures the raw essence of those changes.



5. I bought satellites on a whim, as I had seen some of Jonas Bendiksen's work and been impressed. After viewing this book time and time again, he is now one of my favourite photographers. The use of colour and the interesting compositions are awesome. Very highly recommended.

5 comments about Stuff on My Cat: The Book.

1. I picked up this book in a bookstore and couldn't put it down. It was so good, I read it cover to cover at the bookstore, but I didn't buy it (because many book readers are perverse and cheapskates about buying "non-literary books"). Months later, I still think about it and I'm laughing. So I'm finally caving in and parting with my money to get a copy. If anything, it is worth ten bucks for the idea. But it took me months to realize it. Yes, it is that good. (To cat owners especially).



2. If you have the Internet none of the pictures are that great. Many of the pictures are online or have been done better since. The paperback is too small to enjoy the collection pages (they display 20 or so pictures on one page). You can get this for someone that doesn't have the Internet, but the paperback isn't good enough so you would need to find a hardback; but I couldn't see paying the price.



3. Sometimes it is great to have something fun to open at Christmas. This year I gave this book to my new son-in-law, and it was quickly passed around the family. My daughter says that they have it out at their home to share with their guests. Hey, I'm allergic to cats, and I even like it!



4. 
   My poor cats have no idea what they have coming the next time I'm drunk off my butt on Jack Daniels' popsicles!



5. This is the funniest cat photo book since Why Paint Cats, which fooled a lot of people into thinking the images were real "cat paintings." But here the photos actually are real. Considering how finicky cats can be, it's amazing so many of them would put up with having so much odd junk piled on them, and then being patient enough so that you could take their picture. If I hadn't seen the book I might not have believed it myself. With so much odd stuff piled on them, the images become sort of live kitty collages. :-) For someone who is both a cat fancier and amateur photographer there is probably no more entertaining book than this.

5 comments about Diane Arbus: A Biography.

1. Diane Arbus as a photographer is linked to Walker Evans and Robert Frank. She believed a photograph is a secret about a secret. David Nemerov, her father, was a creative spirit, an enterprising retailer. He expanded the family-owned Russek fur business. He knew fashion was theater, ephemeral. Both Diane and her brother Howard were gifted. A friend felt that Diane and others grew up in an emotional desert of shame, not affirmation, as they received training to become accomplished in the various cultured disciplines. Diane came to believe her circumstances were irrational. She complained that throughout her upbringing of Ethical Culture schools and summer camps she had never felt adversity. Diane met and fell in love with Allan Arbus when she was fourteen. At Fieldston School in Elbert Lenrow's Great Books class, Diane wrote essays on Flaubert and Sophocles, preoccupied with ambiguity, with contradictions. Diane told her friends she was not going to apply to college, she was going to marry Allan Arbus. Her talent set her apart from others; it frightened her.
   
   During World War II Howard joined the Canadian Air Force and Allan the Army Signal Corps. When Allan was sent to photography school at Fort Monmouth, Diane moved to Red Bank. Daughter Doon was born in 1945. For a time Diane studied with Berenice Abbott. Allan and Diane worked closely together as a husband and wife fashion photography team. They were creative and perfectionists. In 1951 Allan, Diane, and Doon went to Europe. The sights were a revelation to Diane. All of her experiences were sensory. Another child, Amy, was born in 1954. Allan and Diane were successful, they were 'comers', but they hated the fast-paced trendy world of commercial photography. Howard Nemerov felt the couple was living an unreal but glittering life. NYC was a mecca for photographers. Diane's younger sister Renee was a sculptor. Her husband was a magazine writer. All of the Nemerovs had depressive illnesses, but Diane's were deeper and longer-lasting.
   
   It was felt fashion photography, the artifice and the monotony, contributed to Diane's depression, and so she stopped. Allan continued the business. Diane took a course at the New School with Lisette Model. Under Model she began documenting fearsome persons and places. She went to Coney Island. Diane drifted into downtown Bohemia. She developed a friendship with many artists including Mary Frank. Allan and Diane moved their studio to Washington Place. The couple became estranged. Diane and the two girls moved to Charles Street. Silence, cunning, and exile were emblematic of Diane's work according to Emile de Antonio, using a Joycean formulation. During the summer of 1959 Diane photographed circuses. At sideshows she felt shame and awe.
   
   Diane acquired a mentor, Marvin Israel, who believed she was an original talent who needed to be pushed. Her snap-shot style and subject matter were perfect for ESQUIRE. On assignment, photography for Diane became contemporary anthropology. When Marvin Israel went to HARPER'S BAZAAR, Diane had another outlet for her work. Walker Evans was impressed with Diane's work. Diane was awarded a Guggenheim to explore American rites and customs. When Howard published JOURNAL OF THE FICTIVE LIFE, Diane realized that she and Howard had the same family memories and the same lexicon.
   
   In the mid sixties Diane seemed to be at every spectacle, every parade in NYC. She taught at Parsons in 1965. Her students said she was a terrific teacher. Her photographs appeared in the 'New Documents' show at the Museum of Modern Art, 1967. Later her use of a square format with direct flash was copied widely. Friends tried to tell her not to take the neagative comments to heart, that all original work was irritating at first, (Gertrude Stein). Diane revered the photography of August Sander, Weegee, and Lewis Hine. In 1969 Allan and Diane were divorced. Their studio was closed. Allan moved to Hollywood. In 1970 Diane moved to Westbeth. She taught a photography class at Westbeth to raise money to purchase a Pentax camera. In the end Diane felt her work was being noticed for the wrong reasons. Friends ignored Diane's allusions to suicide.
   
   Patricia Bosworth has done a smashingly successful job of capturing the essence of the life and work of this photography pioneer. Readers of the book feel compelled to follow-up every name and every work mentioned.



2. After watching the movie "Fur" which is a fictionalized biography, I wanted to know more about this artist. The book is fascinating, but sometimes dreary as the author relates the severe depression that pervades many of the artists who were associated with Diane Arbus, as well as Diane herself. Full of famous names and families of $$ in the NY and New England.



3. I found this book on my shelf. Someone may have recommended it to me but I forgot who. I thought, "Oh, another book about some unknown person who is probably a very boring person and this book will be boring, I'm sure." Several times during the hearing (on tape) of this book I thought, "Well, that's enough about this Diane Arbus person." But, the book is so well written and finally I descerned that the subject of the book, Diane Arbus, is so "worth reading" that I did finish the book. And, it was "worth the time". I mean, here's this "little unknown lady" making "immortal" all these "unknown" people who now are "known" and "will be known forever" thanks to her! I wish I had met Diane Arbus and had MY picture taken by her! After you read this perhaps order "Monograph" or "Magazine Photos" to see "what the fuss is all about". You won't be disappointed! Recommended! boland7214@aol



4. I can't say I really liked this book. In the early stages of the biography I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Diane's childhood, but the author does too much fawning over Diane and repeatedly talks about how gifted she was. Yes, I think we all appreciate that fact, now let's move on and get to the core of who she was. ...Except I don't necessarily feel that this book ever truly did that. There were some interesting insights, but I constantly felt far too removed from the real Diane. Each piece of information I felt I could really sink my teeth into was buried between pages and pages of repetitive or useless (to me, anyway) information.
   
   Throughout the book I felt Bosworth also spent too much time detailing a large number of Diane's friends and acquaintances. Family, close friends and mentors are certainly key in any biography, but the deeper I got into the book, the more I found myself skimming over chunks of text, searching for what (if much of anything) these relationships MEANT to her life rather than tedious details about a person she only met a couple of times.
   
   I was also disappointed in the lack of reflection on Arbus's death at the end of the book. I had expected many more thoughts on that, or maybe even a bit of discussion on her legacy, and how her work is now received. Instead, the book ends with her death.
   
   In short: If you want to know more about Arbus, read the book, but be prepared to skim.



5. Not only could I not put this book down, it made me miss Diane Arbus terribly once I had finished it and so sad that she must have despaired at the end. Not an easy feat for a book, so I would highly recommend it to anyone who is moved/intrigued/awed/interested by her photography.

1 comments about Great Escapes Around the World.

1. What a gorgeous book - fantastic, delicious photography, 400 pages plus, text in English, French & German (as with all Taschen books), and vital information about each resort such as current prices, types of food served, websites, e-mail addresses & even book suggestions for each destination. The only shortcoming is that Australia is not included AT ALL and this country boasts some incredible escapes, especially among the Great Barrier Reef islands off the coast of Queensland. If a title includes "Around the World" and continents such as Africa, North & South America are included as well as Europe and parts of Asia, it seems to me that Australia could have been included too and only added a few extra pages to this lovely tome. However, I still give it 5 stars and can highly recommend it as a gift for anyone who loves hotels & traveling or even as a present for yourself!

2 comments about Animals in Motion.

1. Muybridges momumental work photographing animals in all different gates and poses and tests of ability. Using sometimes up to 100 cameras for a single set up to gain what is now the definitive guide for animators in understanding the motion of animals. It all started with a $25,000 bet: Eadweard Muybridge and a friend argued whether all four of the horses hooves leave the ground completely at any point during a gallop. Being funded for the project, Muybridge proved to be the winner in saying that horses do in fact leave the ground for a momentary second in their strides. The book begins with an anlaysis of locomotion, going over the walk, the amble, the trot, the rack (or pace), the canter, the transverse-gallop, the rotary-gallop, and the richochet, along with the leap and buck and kick. There are roughly 4,000 photos in this collection which claims to be the largest collection of animals in motion. It features not only horses but lions, deers, oxen, elephants, birds and kangaroos. From this development, Muybridge not only discovered that horses gallop with no feet touching the ground, but his discovery led to motion pictures, in which his photos is a very crude version of cinema today. Later he designed a viewer called a Zoogyroscope (or Zoopraxiscope) which, similar to a Zoetrope, was a carousel with slits which you look through while it is spinning to give the illusion of motion (or persistence of vision). Today these pictures are looked at for a couple of reasons, mostly as nastolgia for one to have wonder and excitement of this simple cinema, but it also is a great reference for modern animators. In fact, for those looking at animation, I can tell you that if you ask for an application to Walt Disney Animation Studios, they will give you their requirements and texts, this will be on the list. Highly reccomended for the artist, graphic, fine arts or animation or anything else you can dream of.



2. The images of the dray horses pulling heavy loads is worth the price of admission for me. This is a great reference for artists who want to create realistic images of animals in motion. It's a fabulous settler of bar room bets. It's a source of animated gifs for web designers (I have the running cat image that's been going around.)

   For people who want to understand animals in general, this is a good reference. I never thought that all the ways an animal can go from point A to point B each had a name to it and that a quadruped can have so many ways to move.

   Its an interesting historical piece, too. People do not see horses doing useful work any more and it's a reminder that we all had a life before internal combustion. Its an interesting chapter in the history of photography and the history of art, too. (Painting was never the same after people figured out how animals really moved.)

5 comments about Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays.

1. A good part of my childhood was spent on an upstate New York farm. We had lots of corn and many other vegetables; many birds - and one extra-special crow. He quickly adopted us and often spoke to my uncle and me by name in my aunt's voice and exact intonations. The vegetable farm, barn, shop-garage, and chicken coop were at the top of a fairly steep hill and the house was at the bottom. Aunt Rose ruled the household; the crow ruled the farm area. Sometimes he would deliver small things up or down the hill. My uncle and I never tired of his antics and wisdom. We were happy to do the work orchestrated by the crow and I was ready for J. Allen Boone's work years in advance.
   
   Bird Brains may not be the most scientific or even accurate book, but I bring it out any time I find a potentially interested visitor. Even now where I live in a fairly rural area of New York City - there are crows among my friends. They live in close quarters with several Cardinal families, near blue jays, and many smaller birds in a huge oak tree and smaller peripheral trees. Crows are gregarious and adjustable. They would no doubt be pleased with this book and see no reason to find fault.
   
   If the book were about humans, would be as picky as we are about crows being correctly represented? Do we expect all humans to be alike? Equally smart with similar talents?



2. Though it's not as long as I would like, the pictures are fabulous and the information is great. It's a must-read for anybody who likes corvids.



3. You will never look at these birds the same again - fansinating.



4. When I got this book last week, I was initially somewhat disappointed. I had expected something more humorous or absurd. I mean, a "coffee table book" about CROWS?! Sounds like the ultimate dada, LOL! When I looked through the book, I also instantly saw a major whooper: the author (or perhaps her editor - the error is in the photo captions) claim that Hooded Crows are black and...wait for it...WHITE.
   
   WHAT?????
   
   I live in Sweden, where there are Hooded Crows everywhere, and I can assure you that they are, of course, black and grey. And yes, you can check a standard, scientific reference work at your university library, unless you don't believe me. :-D
   
   Be that as it may, when I actually started reading the book, I realized that the rest of it isn't that bad, after all. As another reviewer pointed out: it depends on what exactly you are looking for. It's not a field guide to crows and their allies, nor is it a original scientific study. Rather, "Bird Brains" is a popularized introduction to the subject of crows and their intelligence, intended for the general reader. The author, Candance Savage, is a Canadian author and nature-lover (and yes, crow-lover!). The book is lavishly illustrated with photos of crows, ravens, jays, jackdaws and magpies. All photos are in color. Some are quite dramatic, for instance a photo of a crow challenging a Bald Eagle, and another showing magpies sitting on bisons, not to mention a photo of two magpies chasing a crow! (As you might have guessed, I'm a magpie-lover myself.) The text is pretty basic, but it's well-written and interesting. I think the book could be an excellent gift to both adults and teenagers, including people with only a passing interest in birds.
   
   The main point of "Bird Brains" is that crows, ravens and other corvids are surprisingly intelligent creatures. In laboratory tests, ravens have showed abilities on the level of chimpanzees, and above the level of monkeys. One raven could count to six, another learned how to fill a small cup with water and moisturize his food, simply by observing a laboratory assistant. The raven wasn't specifically trained to perform this task - he learned it anyway. Both ravens and crows can mimick human speech, just like parrots or mynabirds, and the most humorous situation in the book involves a crow that could say "Three, two, one" and then mimick the sound of an explosion. Apparently, the crow had spent some quality time near a building site.
   
   The most spooky situation mentioned in the book involved a raven that learned to say "Come" and somehow taught another raven to join him every time he uttered the command! The ravens lived in a laboratory, and were mimicking their trainer. Flexible instincts? Real intelligence? A little bit of both? A short work like this cannot answer the question, just pose it. One thing is certain: if a corvid would start talking to me outside the local shopping mould, I would start running!
   
   On a more sober note, "Bird Brains" also mentions situations where corvids don't act very intelligently, where they are indeed driven by pure instinct. For instance, crows and their relatives don't recognize their own chicks, but automatically feeds whatever happens to be in the nest (something not mentioned in the book is that this dumbness is taken advantage of by cuckoos - at least one species of cuckoo specializes in parasitizing corvids). Only when the chicks leave the nest do their parents start recognizing them, even in large flocks. Savage also mentions several instances of rank stupidity among the jackdaws studied by the famous Konrad Lorenz. Apparently, the jackdaws attacked poor Lorenz every time he held up a black object, thinking the object was a jackdaw in need of assistance!
   
   Still, corvids (the quaint scientific term for crowbirds) are remarkably intelligent, and this book may wet your appetite for learning more about the intelligence of birds. Perhaps I'll order Irene Pepperberg's apparently more technical "The Alex Studies" next. It's about that other fascinating group of intelligent birds: parrots.
   
   Four stars! (Yepp, I had to delete one star because of that Hooded Crow thing, no offense.)



5. This book has a number of positives: beautiful pictures and some interesting presentations of scientific studies.
   
   It has a major flaw: the author has an anti-science bias. Despite relying on science for just about every detail of the book, she constantly makes snide remarks about how limited it is and doesn't really know things.
   
   If science is that stupid, why is she using it for most of the content of her book?
   
   It also serves as a red flag. While much of the presentation of material is accurate, the author often twists details to fit her notions about science, gender(when a girl bird does something, it shows intelligence; when a boy bird does the same or nearly the same thing it is instinct or aggression), and romanticized nature (nature tends to be peaceful save for humans). This leaves the reader with the burden of sorting fact from the author's wishful thinking.

No comments about William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008 (Whitney Museum of American Art).

5 comments about Annie Leibovitz: American Music.

1. In response to another review on this site, clearly if you think the book has "poor aesthetic quality" You know nothing of photography or art for that matter.
   The people in this book are beautifully portrayed in silver and in color. Clearly the photographs were taken over a number of years, which shows the scope of the project.
   The only thing that I find wrong with this project is that it may be unfinished. The book is called American Music. Cleary that is why there are mainly blues, rock and roll and hip, country/folk and hip hop artists. Obviosly everyone would like to see their favorite artists in the book and have the ones they dislike removed. I however feel that this is the artists choice, and we have to live with it. If Leibovits decides to put out a 'Part II' it would do all of us a favor.
   The only reason why I don't give this a 5 out of 5 stars is that most of the photographs don't grab you by the face and demand your attention. The ones that grab me the most are the artists I folllow, so perhaps there is something in that. Some measure of knowlegde that must accompany the photographs. Buy the book anyways...and listen to more blues albums. I didn't check this review for spelling, HA!



2. The catalog is gorgeous, the photographs are indeed spectacular. While the written entries were wonderful, they were too few and left me wanting more. I guess that's a good thing!



3. I just saw this exhibit at our MoMA, and the work is outstanding. Some of the images are color, some black and white. There are a number of styles and artists, ranging from the very famous to those unknown outside of their small communities. The point is that these are images of musicians--it's that simple.
   
   Sometimes, Liebovitz's work is witty, sometimes it is unflinching in its honest portrayal. There is vulnerability in the subjects of her black and whites because they are so close, often just the face of the subject. To term them "ugly" is simply wrong. It is rare to see behind the artifice of celebrity images and see performers without makeup and with their skin texture and pores visible. Some of the photos are taken in people's homes, or backstage rather than on a set. This lends considerably to the intimacy and honesty that she is trying to convey.
   
   If you want shots of your favorite singer looking oh so pretty, go to their PR person. This is a serious body of work from a renowned photographer. It blends both her celebrity work with her own private interests in portrait photography for non-commercial audiences.



4. If you love the blues, or love photography this is a great book. While not specific to just Blues musicians this book just makes me think of good old delta blues. The prints in this book shine like they were hand printed by Annie herself. Theres a heart and soul driving this book from begining to end.
   This is a more personal project for Annie Leibovitz and so doenst allway have her studio style inside.
   That does not mean that each photograph is not amazing for they are, but some are a smaller more
   candid world that Annie Leibotiz is capturing.



5. I am conflicted in how this book could reflect American Music. I bought this book as a requirement for my doctorate of music. The pictures, though they were sometimes vivid, I do not feel the book accurately paints a picture of American Music. Perhaps, Ms. Leibovitz should have gotten help from a musicologist (one who is an expert on the history of music) because it is a poor representation of music. It is like saying pop singers are musicians, which they are not. It is an insult to all true musicians in discounting their hard work. American Idol does not represent American music and neither does this book.
   I wasted $30 on this book and though I have never resold a book, I will gladly sell this book back. Do not waste your money.

No comments about Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D700 (Magic Lantern Guides).

1 comments about Michael Lucas' Gigolos (Bruno Gmunder Verlag).

1. If you're looking for a scorchin' hot book of gorgeous, mostly-naked men, look no further. (Just ignore the pictures of megalomaniac Michal Lucas...)
   
   Michael Lucas. Porn star, media whore, self-made man, and indisputable master of the cheesiest facial expressions ever seen on any celebrity whose name isn't Paris Hilton. (And I use the word "celebrity" lightly in Michael's case)
   
   Am I a bit jealous? The man gets to work with incredibly hot- and naked- men every day- of course I am!
   
   Don't get me wrong; I love my job. As Style Editor for EDGE Publications I direct plenty of photo shoots featuring beautiful men- often in Speedos or underwear. The men in Michael Lucas' GIGOLOS however, are in a class of their own.
   
   First of all, let's be clear: If you're looking for your next slightly-naughty-but-still-safe-for-visits-with-relatives coffee table book, keep looking. This is porn polished-up. That's not a bad thing by any means, but it's certainly not something you'd want even a very progressive mom to pick up and flip-through thinking it was a book of artistic male nudes. No, the gigolos featured here are a bit more `full-on' if you know what I mean, and some of the situations are suggestive, to say the least.
   
   The gigolos in question are (of course) all Lucas Entertainment models, and most are drop-dead scorchin' hot. The photographs are excellent (including works from the likes of the famous photographer Joe Oppedisano), the production quality superb, and the book overall is erotic, sexy, and hot.
   
   Having said that, and being known for rarely holding back my (sometimes snatchy) opinions, there's also plenty in this book to laugh at, and rip apart- namely Michael himself.
   
   The book is a huge ad for Michael and Lucas Entertainment- something I can accept given that that's often the case when it comes to coffee table books celebrating the male body and sexuality. What I don't like however- aside from all of the photos of Michael with the exact same expression, looking like his lips were just injected with a cup of Restylane- is the pretentiousness and vapidity present in more than a handful of the shots.
   
   If you're going to produce a book of stylized porn stars, I'm all for it. Dress `em up, take their clothes off, put them in expensive looking settings, and bring on the glamorized-yet-still-raw sexuality. But let's leave the cheesy themes and excessive-use-of-the-star (i.e. Michael) out of the next volume, shall we?
   
   The first two-dozen pages are fabulous, and feature almost as many models in various states of undress and `excitement.' Of special note are Spencer Quest- gorgeous- and Jack MacCarthy.) An editorial called "Cigar Club" looks like it was expensive to produce... and also extremely orange.
   
   All the men are the same "tan" color- it's definitely from a bottle- and all look about as excited and relaxed as, well, as a pig in lipstick and a little black dress. Not sexy.
   
   "Auditions" is much better, likely due to the fact that it was shot by Oppedisano, and if anything, at least lets the models' (sometimes forced) personalities come through. The rest of the book is a mix of extremely sexy photographs and those which fall flat- the latter being the ones that his-highness, Mr. Pout Face, is in. The "Denim Divine" editorial is incredible (and not coincidentally sans Mr. Lucas) and should, without fail, be expanded into a volume of its own. The final editorial, "Hotel Chelsea," also features plenty of hot pictures, including some sexy shots of Lucas... namely the ones where his head's not in the picture.
   
   Am I being a bit hard on Lucas (get it?)? Perhaps. But given what I've seen and heard of the megalomaniacal director (I spent eight of the last 12 years working in fashion and gay publishing in Hollywood... trust me, it's not just viscous gossip), he can both handle it and deserves it.
   
   Plus, his book's hot enough to justify putting out (again with the sexual puns!) the $40 cover price.