Customer Reviews

In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is truly one of the great books of people pictures, a treasure chest of images truly deserving the self-imposed subtitle of "greatest portraits".

Trust me on this. Having spent almost 40 years in the news business as a reporter, photographer and editor, I have some experience in recognizing good pictures and hiring people who can produce good pictures. By any standard, these are great pictures.

A "great picture" hinges on an intangible called the moment of peak action. Let me explain that by referring to a photo not in this book; the angry defiant look of Sir Winston Churchill in the portrait by Yousouf Karsh of Ottawa, Canada. Churchill was angry because Karsh had just taken away his cigar, which Churchill had just lit of relax after a speech to the Canadian parliament. It's probably the most famous portrait ever of Churchill.

Had I taken that picture, instead of the angry portrait I'd have waited and asked Churchill to "smile". As everyone knows, it would have been a lousy picture of a great man. Karsh had the genius to recognize the precise moment of peak action; likewise, in picture after picture in this book, I saw the same superb talent in capturing the most evocative expression of the subjects. This is the heart of great photography; I think I can recognize it, just as an art critic can recognize a great painting without being able to do it.

Photography is the most accessible of the arts; every parent wants "great" pictures of their children, every lover wants "great" pictures of their beloved, every tourist wants that memorable vacation memory. This book is a superb course in what great pictures look like; it's not just a museum of the finest, it's also a teaching example of "here's what a good picture is like" for anyone who takes pictures. This quality can inspire your quality.

If we are to learn, we might as well learn from the best whenever possible; if we are to enjoy great art, we might as well have the best. This book is an example of both; the price is incredible for such a treasure trove. It's awesome.

Buy it; it'll improve your pictures, and your life.

I am used to top quality when buying products of the National Geographic. This book, however, doesn't meet the high standards I've learned to expect.

If we think of the multitude of amazing photographs NG printed, owns, distributes... the content of this book are very mediocre in comparison. Yes, there are a lot of fine photos but there are too many 'blah, so what' ones too.

Still, for this price, it is a very good deal, to get a giant hardcover full of photographs in colour.

And here comes the biggest drawback of the book: the brand new hardcover simply fell apart in my hands the first time I opened the book. The book is too big and heavy for the lame method of attaching the body of the book to the cover they used.

I pray NG rediscovers the lost art of fine bookbinding.

In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits is a deeply inspiring collection of images, some spontaneously collected and some organized for the sake of composition illustrating the lives of people around the world. Although some photographs, are composed to make a clean, easy to read picture, many others contain an element of "snapshot" quality, which successfully increases the unprompted spirit within each picture.
This book introduced many different lifestyles to me that I had not previously known about or had the chance to research myself. Some photographs show the pristine beauty in certain rituals, and others, the gritty reality of everyday life.
I am inspired to look farther into the cultures of these people I have just perceived. However politically correct or not, I was still spellbound, particularly by a portrait of an Amish teenager working early in the morning out in the fields of a farm. I wonder what his life is like, where this image was taken and who this person is. The book is only a catalyst, exposing the reader to the lives of people from around the world. Another striking image is of a Japanese Geisha taking a cigarette break from applying her makeup. I wonder how the photographers were able to put themselves in these intimate situations and what they said to the subjects in order for them to take the picture.
Overall, I found In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits to be a book full of vibrant, clear, some shocking, some familiar, and all together beautiful images.

Considering the millions of images created by National Geographic over the decades, this collection of portraits of "ordinary people" is disappointing. The images are defintiely not the most striking. The commentaries by photographers and editorial comments do no justice to the collection. The political correctness is overwhelming and entirely unnecessary. For example, the admission "[e]ntire tableaux were arranged to illustrate imagined lives in popular Geographic stories about American cities and states and exotic foreign metropolises and villages." No kidding? That's real news - especially when followed by "[i]ronically, the arrange of elaborate scenes for the sake of photography has become very fashionable these days."

Huh? What's the point?

Many of the photos are indeed transcendant, but the majority are mundane. Overall, a disappointing collection.

Jerry

Excellent photographs, however I am extremely disappointed that the binding could not support the weight of the book when open and has badly split and will fall apart.

National Geographic has, of course, always been noted for outstanding photography. The book In Focus is certainly no exception. It offers outstanding portraits from every corner of the Earth. Some of the subject matter seems ordinary, but these skilled photographers are able to turn the ordinary into photographs that you will not forget. This is an excellent book to go through slowly while perusing the photos at length. The skill and the vision of the photographers is evident throughout.

The book is a companion volume to two other National Geographic books - Through the Lens and Wide Angle. All the books are excellent.

This book is gorgeous! The images are amazing and the stories/articles are a wonderful accessory to the photography. AND, what a bargain!!!! It is hard back and HUGE...well worth the money.

I really enjoyed this book. It contains the great photos you normally expect from National Geographic, but what I liked the most was the commentary. The book addresses the topic, "What is it that makes a great portrait?" I have a better idea of the answer to that question now that this book is in my library.

Out daughter requested this book for Christmas. She is thrilled with it. The book is beautiful.

National Geographic magazine has always displayed photographs with real meaning and I don't think anybody would disagree with me. Gratest Portraits takes things to another dimension. The depth of feeling in these photographs take you to another place. You can see into the very soul of the people involved, sheer beauty, intollerable suffering and everything in between. Every photograph told it's own story, the photographers created real magic. It would be a blessing indeed to have the skills to create even one photograph as beautiful as these. As I look at each portrait, some for much longer than others, running my hand over the page and try to feel what these people are feeling, you will become totally absorbed with the contents. I love this book and will treasure it forever. It is a masterpiece to say the least.