Photobooks, zines, reviewed, etc...

Gun Nation - Zed Nelson

I read this article on the Guardian website recently and was … not exactly surprised, but intrigued by the response in the comments. We all know that photography can spark debate and be deemed controversial at times, but it was the range of topics which were discussed which surprised me.

Everything from judging people by their appearance, to the power a photographer (or editor) has in the final image which is portrayed (regardless of the intent of the sitter) and, of course, gun ownership - these were all covered (and more!) by readers of the Guardian.

So, having read the article and comments, and possessing an academic interest in gun ownership, I thought it would be wise to get hold of Zed’s book sooner rather than later.

As might be expected, you can either view the book as a collection of rather good photographs (ranging from portraits to photo journalism), or you can see it as a commentary on the culture of gun ownership in America and the problems this brings to society.

Zed doesn’t exactly remain neutral on the subject, and his “top tip” in the article linked above is “It’s vital to work on something you care about”.

And that’s what I want to take away from this book. Regardless of your views on this particular subject, what Zed has demonstrated is an ability to get a handle on a topic or matter of interest and to present a compelling argument in the form of a photographic essay.

For that reason alone I’m glad to own this book and I look forward to seeing how other artists achieve the same goal.