American Independents: Eighteen Color Photographers

This is the second photo book Sally Eauclaire edited in the Eighties that looked at eighteen photographers. Some here were in the first book: New Color New Work: 18 Photographic Essays but with different photos. Both books follow the same format with a photo a page, 163 in this one. Eauclaire writes a two or three page introduction to each photographer followed by a short portfolio of their work, between seven and twelve photos. To go along with the independent in the title I though this book was more varied than 'New color/new work'. For example: Joanne Mulberg has eight photos of the Miss Fire Island yearly competition where men, dressed as women, parody beauty pageants; Robert Misrach's photos of desert fires or John Harding's technique of capturing strangers walking on a city street. Because the photos are from some years back there isn't the creative color exuberance of the last decade or so like the work of Sandy Skoglund or Brad Carlile. I thought this book and 'New color/new work' was an interesting look back at eighteen photographers, some who were just starting out and to bring them into perspective have a look at Kevin Moore's Starburst: Color Photography in America 1970-1980 a contemporary look backwards to that decade's color creatives. ***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

Jim Dow is a Boston photographer whose beautiful photos of North Dakota graced the North Dakota art museum in Grand Forks a little while ago. Jim's quirky, free-wheeling spirit promises an exceptionally entertaining afternoon while viewing this book.