Portraits from the Summer of Love, and four other photo book picks

Shenandoah Jordan, Super Adaptoid, Lady Glorious, Matthew, and Steve Culligan in a Convertible, Haight Street, August 13, 1968. From Elaine Mayes’ “The Haight-Ashbury Portraits 1967–1968”. © Elaine Mayes In this season’s photo book selection, we look at early color photographs by urban street photographer, Mitch Epstein; Elaine Mayes’s portraits of hippies and oddballs at the… Continue reading Portraits from the Summer of Love, and four other photo book picks

Martha Cooper revisits the chaotic, gritty & enchanting world of graffiti in 1980s NYC

Women on train, 1981. Martha Cooper A playful, illicit urgency under a harsh camera flash. Art on the cusp of creation and the artist on the cusp of being caught. Such was the life documentary photographer Martha Cooper chased as she captured the emerging graffiti scene in 1980s New York City.  Now, nearly 40 years… Continue reading Martha Cooper revisits the chaotic, gritty & enchanting world of graffiti in 1980s NYC

9 famous photography books everyone should have in their collection

Dan Bracaglia This post has been updated. It was originally published on July 23, 2019. A well-curated photo bookshelf can be an excellent source of inspiration when it comes to your own photo projects. Cracking open a nicely bound photography book focuses the eye in ways that just can’t be duplicated when scrolling through Instagram.… Continue reading 9 famous photography books everyone should have in their collection

Thomas Hoepker’s ’63 road trip, plus four other fantastic photobooks to get you inspired

Controlled Burn & Dodge #1, CA 1999. © Bob Kolbrener This month’s photobook selection includes a collection of photos of pairs by Finnish photographer Pentti Sammallahti; Thomas Hoepker’s look back at his 1963 road trip; Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb’s lockdown project of photos from Cape Cod; a collection of Bob Kolbrener’s B&W Californian… Continue reading Thomas Hoepker’s ’63 road trip, plus four other fantastic photobooks to get you inspired

Antigone Kourakou’s surreal exploration of nature & humanity, plus five other photo books for summer 2022

From Antigone Kourakou’s “Transfiguration”. © Antigone Kourakou In this month’s photo books selection, we take a look at an expansive annotated selection of Alec Soth’s work; a collection of images by famous photographers all shot on “the other film” (Polaroid); flowers in contemporary photography; Antigone Kourakou’s surrealist B&W images of women and nature; Curran Hatleberg’s… Continue reading Antigone Kourakou’s surreal exploration of nature & humanity, plus five other photo books for summer 2022

Paris streets in B&W, Meyerowitz’s classic ‘Cape Light,’ and other books worth viewing

From Joel Meyerowitz’s “Cape Light”. © Joel Meyerowitz This month, we look at a collection of COVID-19 lockdown portraits of mothers and their children, each captured through a pane of glass; a series of subtle B&W photos showing a diverse Parisian quarter; a look at the history of portrait photography, from the Daguerreotype to the… Continue reading Paris streets in B&W, Meyerowitz’s classic ‘Cape Light,’ and other books worth viewing

Nick Brandt’s panoramas put the clash between wildlife and urbanity in stark relief

“Wasteland with Lion”. © Nick Brandt Courtesy of Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York To celebrate Earth Day 2022, we’re revisiting some of our favorite environmental stories and interviews from the PopPhoto archives. Nick Brandt’s 2016 photo book, Inherit the Dust, was his visual cry of anguish about the looming apocalypse for animals habitats in Africa.… Continue reading Nick Brandt’s panoramas put the clash between wildlife and urbanity in stark relief

Martin Parr on collecting photobooks, shooting tennis, and the challenges of modern street photography

Tennis, from the Martin Parr’s recent photobook “Match Point.” Roland Garros, Paris, France, 2016. © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos Martin Parr’s photography is instantly recognizable. He zeroes in on the foibles of everyday life, focusing on people in their natural surroundings, highlighting the quirkiness of their lives. A Magnum photographer since 1994, Parr has… Continue reading Martin Parr on collecting photobooks, shooting tennis, and the challenges of modern street photography