Customer Reviews

Alex Webb: Istanbul

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I visited Istanbul in 1988, almost 20 years ago. It was a visit that left me in awe of the uniqueness, beauty and complexity of this historic and important city. It is a great pleasure to have revisited Istanbul, this time not actually, but through exceptional photographs of Alex Webb.

The photographs are not only evocative of the real life of the streets, but are depictions of people going about the daily lives with very little awareness of their being photographed. Alex Webb's level of skill in composition and timing is of the highest order. His ability to work unnoticed is incredible.

The photographs are followed by a most thought provoking essay by Nobel Laureat and Istanbul resident Orhan Pamuk. I found the text so interesting that I have ordered his book on Istanbul as well.

Be aware that Alex Webb's photos have remarkable visual richness, with multiple layers of foreground and background. The possess great vibrancy of colour, honestly caught human expression and a busy city's sense of action and movement. I would recommend spending some time on each photo to draw out the vast offering of information and emotion within each one.

Well worth the purchase; particularly if you have visited Istanbul, or long to go there.

Alex Webb has done a great job for sure.As an ameteur photographer living in Istanbul for all my life ,I enjoyed the photos so much that i gave myself permission to see maximum 3 photos per day.here's why;
I found lots of familiar sights with different tastes.So different that i see almost everyday of my life. I think Mr.Webb's success in this book is based on his experince on his photograpy skills, his full understanding of a nation, its values( such as the flag's importance for us, Ataturk-the founder of our republic), religion (the scarf and people), history, architecture, sociology and culture.
The photos are being shot in a wide range of time during Mr.Webbs's visits to Turkey.On the other hand ;
To be honest Mr.Pamuks(2007 literature nobel prize winner) essays are unlucky to be in this book just because the phots tell everything that no words are necessary to fill in the blanks.
As i mentioned in my review that the book has so familiar daily sights from my life that,i've found a woman i knew in one of his photos ,shot at 2001 while she was waiting a bus in the bus stop.She was really surprised to be in this book as she didnt feel anyone shooting eventhough she remembers the day so clear that day.Mr.Webb found the real light of Istanbul and that day it was 07:00 in the morning.We decided together that we ll ask for a signed copy from Mr.Webb by a letter or email.
Thank you Mr.Webb for these magnificent shots and for pushing me to go out and shoot again in the city i belong.

I looked at it many times. Webb has a style of his own and repeats himself throughout the book. In one single photograph, you can't see it all, but overall it works, and absolutely remarkable. He touches areas of the City that a lot of phtographers shun. Mysterious, sad and beautiful at the same time -- very much like "huzun" which Orhan Pamuk's delicate article elaborates, giving us a deeper understanding, wider perspective. The real, machine like city underneath the glamour and all. I felt Webb encourages photographers documenting all, and so raw. He cuts off his portraits -- you can't see all, mystifying, and it truly works.

With "Istanbul" Alex Webb seems to be hitting an apex in his style. It is amazing. All of his photos are complex juxtapositions of humans in their environment. His color is too saturated for my taste (detail is obliterated in his shadows), but I see what he is doing, and it works toward that end.

But do I see what he is doing?

I've never been to Istanbul, but I certainly don't feel like I've been there through this book. (The essay by Orhan Pamuk has zero to do with the images. Add a generic essay about Istanbul by the city's most famous author and it will help sell a book of photos that is, well, maybe more about the photographer than the city ... ) Is there a single happy face in this book? I've only seen grim, suspicious looks. Is that Istanbul, or is that Webb?

Webb's strength is as a visual puzzle master. A technique that he has perfected here is his use of capturing images in mirrors and reflections. It is all confusion and dislocation, done supremely well -- as photo-surrealism. But "warmth" is not an adjective to be used in any way to describe his images, other than their saturated reds. (Even those offer heat rather than comfort.)

I see this book as a fantastic tool for discussion of composition. It isn't a book to get to know Istanbul or humanity -- but maybe a great way to get to know Alex Webb.

I've tried, I've really tried, but I just can't bring myself to like this book. I get what he's trying to do here, but it doesn't stir any emotion in me. My friend, who studied under Minor White and lives in Istanbul, also said that it does not show anything unique about Istanbul, but that he makes it look like any other city.
I'm a photographer and Istanbul is one of my favorite destinations to shoot street photography. Perhaps my idea of Istanbul is much too different. What I would really like to see is an updated version of Ara Guler's book titled Istanbul. He's also a Magnum photographer, and he did a very good job probably about 30 years or more ago.
Also the Orhan Pamuk essay was just taken from Orhan's book Istanbul. Nothing new there.

Istanbul is photographed with a complexity that only Webb can achieve. Webb spent years visiting Istanbul to create a very thorough depiction of the city. He uses a great deal of formal structure and his unique photographic toolbox (simultaneous events, deep shadow, mirrors, obscured elements, frames within frames) to intrigue the viewer. Istanbul flows intuitively from start to finish and is a beautiful book that anyone would enjoy.

De este libro de fotografia merecen ser destacados dos aspectos: el primero, la edicion misma, muy cuidada y muy acertada en las dimensiones de las fotografias; y el segundo, las fotos que contiene, originales en composicion y en el uso del color y del claroscuro. Un libro que se disfruta enormemente.

THis book was a impromptu buy! None the less I love it. IT came in great condition and I would buy from person again as well as something else from this photographer.

Alex Webb's photographs reflect a powerful set of images revolving around Istanbul's culture and peoples, and is a top pick for any collection strong in the region's history and culture, from art libraries to general-interest collections. Both traditional and contemporary culture come to life in a volume which reveals Istanbul's attractions as a rich urban cultural center. A powerful set of full-page, full-color images goes far beyond the usual city focus to capture Istanbul's crossroads cultures.

Once again, Alex Webb has NOT surprised us. What we have come to expect from Mr. Webb--brilliant images containing muted colors juxtaposed with bright colors and framing within framing--has made its way into Istanbul.

This book details not only the everyday routine of the Turkish people, but also sheds light on the customs that make life in Istanbul worthy of a heartbeat.

Set within burnt orange boards, this book is a must have for both Webb admirers and those who have a fascination with Turkey in general and/or Istanbul in particular. For those who are familiar with the Magnum cooperative, more than a few of the plates seem to borrow heavily from Martin Parr. In one image children are seen sunbathing atop sharp rocks near the sea and in another image bright, framed posters are being hawked to passersby.

This book will surely go on to be another of his greats, like 'Hot Light/Half-Made Worlds.'

Enjoy!