Photobooks, zines, reviewed, etc...

Snake or be snaked - Kingsley Ifill

When I asked for book recommendations a couple of people suggested I get this, with one individual making the comment “Kingsley doesn’t disappoint”. Well, indeed he doesn’t and this zine is as good as his other work.

Just to give you an idea how good: the opening shot is a guy with a cat sat on his head. Stood outside. Yes. The next shot is a girl collecting a signature in a somewhat unorthodox manner. And the next is … well it’s deliberately obscure, but not hard to guess what’s going on.

And it’s this good all the way through. In fact, the title alone is one of the best I’ve seen this year. Get it now - don’t wait for it to sell out.

I had prepared another post with a summary of about 7 different titles but tumblr in its wisdom has deleted it. That means this will definitely be the last post this year.

See you in 2011.

Croissant de queue de cheval - Thobias Fäldt

Another great blue zine from JSBJ. I particularly love the cover image on this one. Thobias has a good eye for composition - his pretty much immaculate framing is a constant theme throughout this zine.

He’s also got the knack of spotting odd little moment or set ups and capturing them through his lens.

A fitting addition to end this series (for this year).

Speaking of which, this may very well be the last post on this blog for 2010 as I’m off on holiday in a couple of days. It’s been a great year for photography books and self-publishing in particular has really taken off. It’ll be interesting to see where 2011 takes us. Some say self-publishing has peaked already, but others (like me) are still eagerly waiting for a few titles that we know are on the way. I’m optimistic about next year, but due to the sheer volume of stuff being published I know I’m going to have to be more selective about what I buy. Cheers everyone.

Where can you see a spaceman transform into someone who is passed out on the floor?

Check out GOLDEN PARACHUTE by Jared Ritz. This new zine is awesome. More like this please.

(Sorry guys, I used your photo, but just LOOK at that cover!)

DANS LA CHAMBRE VERTE - Sam Falls

and

HYPOTHESE D’UN CONTINENT - Charles Negre

I love this ‘blue zine’ series. Just when an edition sells out (like these two, sorry…) a new one becomes available (like this one).

I’ve been a fan of Sam Falls’ work for a while but it was good to see how well it translates to black and white.

Charles Negre’s images were new to me but just look at how good they are!

Looking forward to the next release (ordered already).

Break - Oliver Udy

I picked up a copy of this zine by Oliver at a recent book fayre. It’s all about “the moments that surround the normal chaos of day-to-day life are often those that are the most important…”

That’s a great sentiment, and what I like best about this zine is everyone will see a photo that they can relate to, however you like to relax and however you choose to take a break from things.

The sequence of photos ends with a great shot of a dog, who looks worn out from a hard day of running around and wagging his tail. He sleeps curled up on a sofa cushion, bathed in a beam of light from an unseen source.

This is a really calming, relaxing set of photos and it makes a great break (pun intended) from some of the more hectic (although equally good) series of work I’ve seen recently.

Various books/zines - Café Royal Books

Another parcel of lovely books came last week, this time from Café Royal Books.

First, Resting Ground - a new book by Lewis Chaplin. There’s some cool stuff in here, very much in Lewis’s personal style. The photo just past the middle of the book of the hatch/flap with the light … amazing light.

Next, Rear Window by Erik van der Weijde. Perhaps the summary from the website sums this up best: “The wife is at work, the son is at school and i’m stuck in the new apartment. With a cup of coffee and my video camera. Wow, those dogs are so cool…” This zine is so cool - the slightly blurred photos somewhat reminiscent of CCTV.

Finally, From Sometime Around Then Until Somewhere About Now by Craig Atkinson. A collection of photos taken in North England and Berlin, many of these photos demonstrate a keen eye for capturing unusual, amusing or simply interesting moment. But the sequencing and juxtaposition of contrasting images creates a compelling book.

Another great selection from Café Royal Books - can’t wait for the next set of books.

Various books/zines - Pogo Books

I’ve recently acquired a few books and zines published by Pogo Books. I already had a couple of titles and I was impressed with them, so when I had the chance to buy this lot I couldn’t resist.

I got:

Hasisi Park - Hasisi Park
Photographs & Pictures - Mark Peckmezian
One & two & up & down - Ting Cheng
Photographs - Adam Revington
Stranger Tongues - Jordan Carroll

I don’t want to get into a comparison of the different books, so here’s a quick summay:

Hasisi Park - Korean craziness, but also some really beautiful shots such as photos 7 & 8 and 23 & 24.

Photographs & Pictures - Absolutely LOVE the girl on the bike (just after the centre of the book). A simply wonderful photo. The back cover is nice too.

One & two & up & down - Some really interesting and original ideas here. A lot of the photos take a while to appreciate what’s going on. My favourite here is sunbathing on the sand.

Photographs - How to wear plants, not wear pants and the shot of the car in the middle is very nice.

Stranger Tongues - In which we go camping, hang out in our bedroom and meet a mysterious blonde.

Overall this is a really nice set to have and I’m looking forward to seeing what Pogo publishes next.

‘Thank you for travelling with Northern Rail’ - Adam Murray

This is another nice zine produced by PPP Books.

It documents a railway journey in northern England. Most of what you see will be very familiar to anyone from England. For those outside the UK it offers a local perspective of what the everyday.

I think this is much more difficult for someone local to achieve, because when you travel even the mundane is interesting. Here, Adam is travelling, but within his own country - even more specifically his own region - and so it must have been challenging for him to capture these images.

I love this series of zines. They’re well thought out and always affordable. My only question is where can I get the actual ‘Preston Is My Paris’ zines?

Entre Les Rivieres - Marten Damgaard

&

Maledictions Occasionnelles - Todd Fisher

Two new ‘blue’ zines from the ever excellent Je Suis Une Bande De Jeunes arrived last week.

You can buy Marten’s here and Todd’s here.

In keeping with the consistency of the series, both zines have an original print glued to the front cover - a really nice touch. I seem to have got 1/50 of one and 7/50 of the other - shame it couldn’t have been 1/50 of both.

I like Entre Les Rivieres for its portrayal of the intersection of man and nature. I see this theme in many of the images, and whether it’s intentional or not, it’s the impression I was left with.

I like Todd’s quick and keen eye for capturing a ‘street’ moment, and his photo of the airship is superb.

A great pair, both of which are still available. If past experience of this series is anything to go by, they won’t be available for much longer.