Bloom [Hardcover]

Ron van Dongen (Author), Peter Fetterman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2007

Photographer Ron van Dongen, long celebrated for his stunning duotone floral photography, has created his first work in rich color. This gorgeous edition of detailed and dramatic images captures the sculptural essence of flowersexotic orchids and common daisies alike. Exhibited in galleries in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Japan, van Dongen's work is often compared to Mapplethorpe and O'Keeffe for its exceptional beauty.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ron's photographs are portraits; plants and flowers his subjects. After nurturing them from seed or spore they pose for Ron's lens when he deems the moment right. The results are a deeply personal, intimate recording of architecture, life, frailty, resolve, emotion, and sensuality." Ralph Lauren

About the Author

Ron Van Dongen was born in Venezuela, raised in the Netherlands, and studied photography in San Francisco. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Peter Fetterman is a fine art photography dealer based in Santa Monica, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811857565
• ISBN-13: 978-0811857567
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 11.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible flower photography!, July 4, 2009

By 

Aaron Perelmuter (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bloom (Hardcover)

WOW!!! The photography in this book is absolutely stunning. That the pictures are reproduced so well, showing the amazing clarity, detail, colours, vibrancy & richness of Ron's flower photography is superb. I have another of Ron's flower photography books, Flowering Passion, but it is nowhere near as beautiful as this title. Sure it's possible that I could be biassed because it's printed entirely in B&W, but there's more to it than just the lack of colour... The reproductions in Bloom are simply a level above - better than just any other photographer's flower books too, both the reproductions & the photography.

Of course flowers are a perfect subject to have reproduced in colour (with all of the beautifully vibrant, rich hues encountered in this book it's difficult to imagine why one would want to remove that colour to produce a B&W title), but even in B&W, Ron's outstanding skill in composition, exposure, physically arranging the flowers & lens choice are evident.

IMHO this is by far the epitome of flower photography. And there is nothing in this book to detract from Ron's amazing photographic skills - no boring photographic hints & tips, no selling of a sponsor's product, no boring/seen-it-all-before-shots, just a phenomenal artistic work.

Did I mention how incredibly vibrant, detailed & sharp each reproduction in this book is? One can only dream & wonder at what the original transparency would look like & does Ron produce inkjet prints for sale? My only wish is that he would release more books like this. Here's hoping...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful inspiring book, December 20, 2010

By 

Pat Ellson (Red Bank, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bloom (Hardcover)

A wonderful book of simple flower photos with coloured backgrounds, this book gives the artist ideas. The cover photo is not the best one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars so gorgeous, August 17, 2010

By 

L. Lo (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bloom (Hardcover)

I first saw this book in a quirky shop called The Curatorium in Providence, RI. I was with my friend at the time, who loves flowers and photography, and saw her eyes light up when she saw the book. I got the book for her as a going-away gift, and she loves it! If you think the cover is pretty, it is only the tip of the iceberg. Beautiful, ethereal, breathtaking pictures inside, and printed on sturdy strong paper, of a large variety of flowers. Makes a great gift for anyone who loves flowers, or photography, or both. Would also be a good coffee table book.