Monkey Portraits

The response elicited by these stunningly emotional portraits are like nothing I have experienced in years of looking at photographs of animals. I agree with the reviewer who suggested you ignore the captions. These are prime examples of photographs that transend the 1000 words they may be worth. Priceless.

This is a fantastic book of monkey portraits! Every image is a beautiful view into the humanity of ...MONKEYS!!! I love it!

Ms. Greenberg's extraordinary talent reminds me why I love monkeys and am proud to be related. Peter Cavanaugh wildwednesday.com

The photos in this book are stunning, revealing, and thought provoking. That said I wish the silly captions had been left out. They are contrived and instead of revealing something about the subjects end up being an annoyance. Instead of viewing the portraits and searching the faces for some primal connection we're given the photographers attempt at humor. The occasional quotes were far more revealing and thoughtful. Ignore the captions, which fortunately were designed to not be physically intrusive, and instead enjoy searching the faces of these wonderful creatures for the little that separates us.

Some say they're just animals. Others say they're almost human. What is it about monkeys and apes that fascinate us? Whatever the reason, we love them, and this is what Jill Greenberg celebrates in her new photographic collection, Monkey Portraits. Old world or new, the monkeys and apes are captured in a range of emotions. Somber to silly, bored to brash, these primates will startle you with the depth of their emotions. As Greenberg points out, the beings caught in these intimate portraits can look surprisingly human, expectedly animal, or both. Either way, as you page through, you'll see a set of eyes here or a mouth there that look as though they could belong to someone you know. Greenberg's skills behind the lens are starkly apparent. She has managed to bring forth a stunning array of emotions generally reserved for human "people." Anyone can take pictures, but Greenberg can go beyond the photo to that moment between breaths where the truly remarkable can be found. Are monkeys and apes "mere" animals? Are they something more? Bring this stunning volume home and decide for yourself. Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer 9/6/2006