Customer Reviews

Automobiles of the Chrome Age: 1946-1960

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

 

 

Have autos looked any better than Michael Furman's stunning photos, I doubt it. These vehicles look just perfect with liquid looking bodywork and perfect chrome, in fact they probably look better than ones just off the assembly line. This is fine art photography and if you wonder how the 'Furman look' is achieved there is a clue on his website. Click on BIO and you'll see a shot of his studio with an amazing looking light panel hovering over what looks like a very small car. It seems to me that his controlled lighting source is the key and when digital images are printed on quality paper with a 200dpi screen you'll see the perfect picture as on these pages.

The choice of cars seems rather arbitrary, classics like the 56 Austin-Healy, the 58 Ferrari Testa Rosa or the 59 Cadillac Eldorado are a few page turns from possibly the ugliest chrome grill ever of the 51 Hudson Hornet or the bubblegum styling and color scheme of the 56 Ford Crown Skyliner. As well as whole cars there are plenty of lovely close-ups of logos and styling features, the fins of the 48 and 59 Cadillacs, a Buick 49 Dyna-Flow trunk handle or the hood ornament of a 57 Oldsmobile Super 88. Furman's photography can make any vehicle sparkle.

Awe-inspiring as all these photos are I was very disappointed with the book because it is the wrong shape. There are seventy-one side shots of cars and they clearly don't fit an upright page. They rightly have generous margins left and right which means they are even smaller still on the page. If the book had been turned sideways into a landscape format it would perfectly complement these profile photos so instead of being small and surrounded by too much white space the existing ones would be three or four times larger. Another advantage would be to avoid the middle of the book splitting those shots that do extend over a spread. Also, for a lavish photobook it has the usual conceit of placing all the captions on back pages but because of the wrong shape there is plenty of white space on each page for the captions to be set in some elegant typography.

Michael Furman takes beautiful auto photographs and it is unfortunate that this book does not give them the exposure they rightly deserve.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Micheal Furman created an amazing collection of car photography. You're taken by the beauty of the different design of the era. Excellent gift for any car enthusiast.

If you want a history of the post-WW II automobile industry, this isn't it. Historical sketches of the automobiles that are presented are very brief. If you want a stunning collection of photographs which explore the interplay of light and shadow on the American and European designs of this period, and you want top notch printing to go with the wonderful photography, this is it. Each page is a visual delight, with careful lighting and visual angles that cause you to see these designs in a different way. Highly recommended for 'art of the auto' fans.

I did not care for this book. The choices the author made were somewhat limited. I would not recommend the book.

GREETINGS...THE FURMAN TOUCH IS ALIVE AND VERY VISIBLE.THAT BUICK IS A TASTE OF WHAT'S TO BE SEEN.PHOTOGRAPHING THOSE EXTRA BACKGROUND PIECES ARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PROFESSIONAL AND OTHERS .THIS IS SUCH A WONDERFUL BOOK TO READ,IT HOLDS YOUR ATTENTION FOR THOSE IMPORTANT FEW SECONDS,JUST ENOUGH TO ABSORB THE WORK WITHIN.IN THE NEXT LIFE IT WILL BE A PHOTOGRAPHER OF CARS APPRENTICED TO M.F. FOR ME...RONALD.C.LEE-HARRIS

This item was a gift sent directly to my father who is in his eighties. While I have
not seen it myself he has raved about it and says everyone who visits really enjoys
the photos and book totally. He keeps it out all the time; if I don't inherit it
I may have to buy another copy! For anyone who remembers cars from the 60's and before
it is excellent.

This book is another loving tribute to those classic autos that can send shivers up your spine sometimes, they're so cool. I simply cannot see how Mike's photography can be improved upon in any way, shape or form. Buy this; you won't regreat it, promise.