Customer Reviews

Building Images: Seventy Years of Photography at Hedrich Blessing

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What a beautiful collection of photographs! The images in this book are some of the most georgeous photographs of buildings that I have ever seen, beginning with that stunning shot of the Chicago Federal building on the cover. This is the kind of coffee table book that is very smart and invites attention. The images move though 70 years of different styles of architecture, but with a consistent focus on what is most important -- a detail, a beautiful shape, or a play of textures and color to create a mood that shows the strength of the architectural designs. This consistency is amazing considering how many photographers Hedrich Blessing has used -- 19 in all. The book features images that you rarely see elsewhere, like the 1930's panoramic shot of the Palmolive building with the spikes of lighting in the sky (and shows just how far back Hedrich Blessing goes)to the more abstracted photographs, like the design elements of a servant's hallway( something you might never notice as important or beautiful). The essay by Tony Hiss does makes good points about why Hedrich Blessing's work is important. The book wonderfully designed. I especially liked the way each photographer's work is referenced by their name next to the page number and the way that two photographs are paired together on the same page. The book reflects 70 years of history in ways that show how architectural photography started and the way the field has grown. This book could be broken down into different books on different subjects: retail/commercial design, tall buildings, residential interiors, etc., but overall, the book shows off Hedrich Blessing's art fabulously. A must for architectural and photographic enthusiasts!

There are some bodies of work that simply stand out from others. Be it style, approach, purpose, or quality, there's something that clearly puts certain groups of work above the vast majority of others. This book is such a body of work.

The images presented are commercial photographs. They were taken over a span of 70 years by different photographers, all of them doing architectural photography as a professional venture for commercial purposes. All too often it seems that people automatically assume that if something is commercially produced, it simply cannot exist on the level of other things that have been produced for the purpose of art. And unfortunately, a lot of the photography and design we come in contact with on a daily basis just reinforces this notion. However, there are certain individuals who are capable of completing a commercial venture in such a beautiful, elegant, and truly artful manner that it becomes astoundingly clear that commercial work need not be anything short of fine art. In design, we have people like Viktor Schreckengost who have proven this. In photography, there are photographers like those at Hedrich-Blessing.

I do not mean to imply that these photographers are infallible or incapable of producing work that would simply fall into a pedestrian classification. However, given the photographs in this book, it is clear that they have been able to produce a large number of photographs that are both highly communicative and visually clear, concise, and overwhelmingly elegant. Few photographers have been able to approach architecture in such a way.

The book itself does a simply wonderful job presenting these photographs. The layout, editing, text, and photographs are nearly perfect. The introduction, written by Timothy Samuelson, is wonderfully done and does an excellent job of introducing the photographs that follow. The reproductions of the photographs are gorgeous. The order is very well thought-out and the periodic sections of text that identify the photographs contain individual paragraphs about some of the photographs that provide wonderful insight into the process, the photographers, etc.

I think just about anyone could get something out of this volume. Most of all, though, I think that it's something that would be most meaningful for photographers, designers, and architects. Or anyone with a strong sense for the visual, for that matter. I don't know how many times I've spent a coupel hours just slowly going over the photographs in this book. Every time I've done so, I've gotten something different out of the images. And almost always I feel refreshed and eager to get out there and work on making better images myself (I'm a photographer).

I cannot say enough good things about this book. But given that I'm sure you probably think I've already written too much, let me just say this much more - this is a significant volume, being beautiful throughout, more than worthy of the price, and sure remain a prized part of your collection for many, many years.

If you have any desire to learn about how to photograph architecture or interior spaces, sometimes a picture is worth more than a thousand words. Sometimes they are the very best teaching aids you can use, far better than pages of technical writing, diagrams, measurements and angles. Look at the composition, the light and the color. Aside from just enjoying the beautiful photographs for what they are, you can learn a great deal from them, if that is your aim. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to know how to make compelling photographs of structures, interiors and designed spaces. You may need other books to master the technicalities of the craft if you're just beginning, but start here.

(Another great place to learn is from the work of Julius Shulman...)

Every page, every photograph is a work of art and a lesson in architectural photography. Though spanning 70 years and featuring several photographers, "the Hedrich Blessing way" of photographing architecture is evident.

If you, like me, have for years been looking at Julius Shulman photos of west coast architecture or Ezra Stoller's images from the east coast you tend to think they were the only ones taking great building photos so it was a wonderful surprise to come across this book of stunning photos.

Since Hedrich Blessing's start in 1929 they seem to have consistently produced great work. There several shots from the Thirties and Forties here that look just as fresh as yesterday. A list of nineteen company photographers on page eleven raises the question: how do they manage to take work that has a creative quality suggesting that there is only one company photographer? Tony Hiss in his intro essay quotes staffer Bob Harr "We're in competition with the world, but never with each other".

The book has one hundred and sixty beautiful photos split between interiors and exteriors and being client commissioned they all work hard to present their architectural best so fortunately there are no out-of-focus, angled or other trendy photo techniques at work.

I think this is a remarkable book of building photos and at the price some Amazon Marketplace Sellers are quoting it is an exceptional bargain.

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