Customer Reviews

Empty Quarter: A Photographic Journey to the Heart of the Arabian Desert

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

 

 

George Steinmetz is an unbelievable photographer and writer. I love all his work and this one is very much up to his high standards. A different perspective and an awesome subject make this a must have book.

There are instant classics of travel that stand as monuments to the genre: "West with the Night," "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush," and Wilfred Thesiger's Arabian Sands" are three I grew up with. But the title of one of the most spectacular travel books of all time should go not to a book of words, but to George Steinmetz's book of photographs of the "Empty Quarter"--a vast, largely uncharted sea of sand spilling from Saudi Arabia into Oman, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates.

Strapping a motor to his back and suspended from a paraglider, Steinmetz, who was clearly mesmerized and haunted by the exploits of early British explorers such as Thesiger, flew over areas off limits in more ways than one to tourists or journalists. The long introduction--which spins off a tale of intrigue about how George managed to parlay his own lifetime wish to document the world's deserts--involves a Saudi astronaut, GEO magazine, the National Geographic, and a French paraglider expert; and after numerous side trips you realize that this only happened because of one man's insistence on following his dreams.

Those who have followed Steinmetz's career will recognize the low level aerial perspective which he uses to its fullest effect in this book. Unlike other aerial photographers, Steinmetz could more aptly be described as being suspended above his subject, often flying at less than 25 miles an hour, at altitudes seldom over five hundred to a thousand feet. Limited in distance by only by a few liters of fuel for the paraglider's motor, Steinmetz spent months crisscrossing the desert, photographing in areas which may never again be photographed in this way. Ironically, his journeys to this "world apart" began soon after 911; yet as George writes, in some ways that may have opened doors that might otherwise have remained closed.

Unlike his first book, "African Air," Steinmetz's love of photography supersedes his love of "flying," and almost supersedes his love of the desert; and he is wise here to spend much of his time on the ground, whether it's getting marooned on the side of a giant dune, or photographing gas flare towers at the edge of this universe of sand, or sheiks with falcons on their wrists racing into the wind, or simply abstract arrows on long roads and intersections going off to nowhere, or everywhere.

It is tempting to make comparisons, or to use metaphors, to think of Icarus or at least Philippe Petit in the documentary "Man on Wire." But that would be pretentious, and it is best to simply think of "George" as George, of a man crazy enough to get arrested not once but three times in Iran, and who has crashed in China, and soared with birds over Antarctica. And who has produced this inspiring, glorious book that shows in detail a world that until now has remained hidden from our eyes.

I dont get a kick to write negative reviews, Id rather apraise book and author, but when you get so disapointed with what you got, is time to help others discern if this is what they're looking for.

This is a dull book not because of aerial shots of the sand, after all this is what this book should be about..but because this represents roughly half of the pictures, being the other half pictures taken from the ground of people and places.

I was expecting a book on sand and sand only, with it patterns, volumes, light, shades, shapes, topography and the sort.

I could give it 4 star would the terrestrial pictures be *wow* worth for their own, but this photographer works for Nat Geo, and was sponsored on this work by this institution.. and then occurred to me that such an important institution as Nat Geo have the most dull pictures of the world- an ill hibrid of documentation and artistic aiming for "good taste", and as noticed Capote very well " Good taste is the death of art"

Should this pictures be taken on a descriptive view only ( like the first explores did with their heavy cameras ) would be ok. Should they find a good photographer, an author, and perhaps they might be well too, but nat geo's photographers seems to follows an agenda on good taste.

It looks like the photographer was tied and unconfortable being there, out of place would be another word, he only took pictures on the places his hosts would take him, like camel contests, weapons store, abandoned gas stations... where he would take the same hortodox pictures your local photographer would take on your daughter's wedding.

We can blame him for being at official places only, pehaps he couldnt venture himself on other places there, perhaps it is not Nat Geo agenda to be daring creative..but he should have hold himself on the damn sand aerial view for that, this is what the wholle book should be about right? try to please greeks and trojans and you'll end up like this. Besides, whats the point of taking pictures on the places and on the way any dull tourist on the world would do if they could be there?

Having lived in Saudi for 17 years *early '80s to 2000) and traveling deep into the the "Rub many times, these are the most beautiful photos I have ever seen and will remain in my Saudi collection of books foever. My photographs are all as we trekked by land, over sand dunes, snapping every critter that scrared the crap out of us. Never have and never will see a more beautiful sky at night or wake so such silence and peace and joy. The heat was unbearable, but we had learned beforehad to tolerate and be prepared -- thus, we were obviously "bearable for the 104 degree temps). Thank you for a lovely book!

I have long been an admirer of Steinmetz's work, but "Empty Quarter" is his best ever in my opinion. The photographs could only have been made from his low flying powered hang glider. That perch and Steinmetz's eye have produced stunning images.