Detroit: Hand-Altered Polaroid Photographs [Hardcover]

Cynthia Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 14, 2005

With its historic buildings and landmarks, tree-lined neighborhoods, and automotive legacy, Detroit offers a treasure trove of subjects for the photographer and artist.

Renowned photographer Cynthia Davis captures the soul of the Motor City in these remarkable hand-altered Polaroid photographs. From the graceful lines of the Ambassador Bridge to the elegant interiors of the Fisher Building, from the hubbub of Eastern Market to the jazz festival to the quiet streets of Indian Village and more, Davis's images transform Detroit into an evocative, even magical place.

She creates these unique pictures by manipulating the gel-like chemicals in Polaroid photographs while they're still developing. This imbues her work with a dreamlike quality, somewhere between photorealism and impressionist painting.

A must-have for Detroit fans everywhere!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press/Regional (December 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0472115383
• ISBN-13: 978-0472115389
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,531,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Expensive...Not Enough, July 17, 2010

By 

Dawn Willis "Lily Place" (Brewster, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Detroit: Hand-Altered Polaroid Photographs (Hardcover)

As a die hard Polaroid fan, I was anxious to receive "Detroit" by Cynthia Davis. I was very disappointed, however, with this extremely small book. Especially with it's price of $17.95

Polaroid photographs, especially manipulated photographs, are hard, but not impossible, to reproduce without losing the integrity of the photo. "Detroit" is a perfect example of this problem. Rather than keeping with the dimensions of Polaroid photos, "Detroit" shows many full page Polaroids that look flat and just don't work. The colors in most of the photos are murky and muddy. And the problem is not just limited to the full page prints, but most of the others as well.

It is possible to produce glorious books of Polaroid photos, including: "Instant Light: Tarkovsky"; "Manuel Alvarez Bravo: Polaroids" (which has a real Polaroid print on the cover); "Guy Bourdin Polaroids"; and even musician, Jason Mraz's book, "A Thousand Things", present Polaroids without lessening the distinct characteristics that make Polaroids so special.

Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book.