Customer Reviews

Horses: Photographs

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been in designing books (mostly pictoral) for over 12 years. I can safely say this is an absolutely incredible book!!! It's worth the $45 sticker price but a can't pass up at the Amazon price. The 4 color b/w photography shows detail that is very, very rare to be able to see in photographs. Perfect jobs were done on tones, contrast, and not to mention the talented artistry of Eastman. I saw photos in here of angles and positions I've never seen printed before and this book has provided me with over half a dozen inspirations for sculptures. I can't possibly recommend this book enough! For those of us that do equine art, you can't be without this beautiful reference. I'll never part with it.

I had high hopes for this book, especially after seeing the other Amazon reviews. I was very disappointed, however, because many of the photos appear to be touched up or otherwise stylized somehow. There are many very blurry images and various double or multiple exposure shots. If all the photos were like the one on the cover - simple, real, excellent photos of horses - the book would be worth the money. However, only about 1/4 of the photos are that way. This seemed to me to be more like a rich person's coffee table book than a true horse lover's book - for those who like "artistic" renderings rather than the real thing.

Really, Michael has that gift of seeing what others don't see and capturing it in the lens. What you'll see in these images if you're open enough, is pure love. The love Michael has, obviously, for these creatures, wild, free and noble. But also you'll see these animal's love for life itself in their expressions and the briefly-captured energy of their movements. Each page suitable for framing, each page dares you to stroke it and imagine the sweat of the hides and smell the unmistakable odor of a living horse. In fact, most of the images are so beautiful, you could crop out the horses and still have raw beauty.

Eastman has done a fabulous job! He portrays a side of the horse not often seen with his stunning photographs filled with motion and beauty. Each photo pictures a horse frozen in time, in all of it's equine splendor. This is truly a must have.

If horses studied photography and got very very good at it, these are exactly the sorts of pictures they would be most proud of. Mr. Eastmen's photographs seem to capture how horses wish to think of themselves and their family and friends. Dreamy and evocative, in sepia tones that do more for character than straight forward color prints ever seem to. As a painter of horses I continue to be mesmerized by this collection and refer to it often for inspiration.

Eastman is a very talented photographer that has the ability to capture the true spirit of the horse. His pictures are nothing short of breath taking! If you are a horse lover, make it a point to purchase this book. You will enjoy it over and over again.

There is no doubt that Michael Easton is a talented photographer, so his over-manipulation of some of the images in the book was disappointing. I'm sure he had a purpose--some emotional reaction of his own to the pictures he'd taken--and he intended to elaborate on that emotion for the viewer, but my reactions must have been significantly different from his, as much of the reworking left me confused and unhappy. Still a great collection of horse photos for the horse lover, but not what I expected.

I HAVE PURCHASED SEVERAL EQUINE "COFFEE TABLE" PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS OVER THE YEARS. SO FAR, OUT OF ALL THE VARIOUS PHOTOGRAPHY ARTISTS, I HAVE THREE ABSOLUTE FAVORITES. MICHAEL EASTMAN, TONY STROMBERG, AND GABRIELE BOISELLE. THIS BOOK SIMPLY ENTITLED "HORSES" IS A REAL PLEASURE TO BEHOLD. DONE IN MOSTLY BROWNTONES, EACH PHOTOGRAPH IS WARM AND INVITING WHILE ALSO VISUALLY DRAMATIC. EASTMAN MANAGES TO CAPTURE SO MUCH EQUINE EMOTION IN EACH PICTURE WHILE NOT OVERWHELMING HIS VIEWERS WITH ANY PARTICULAR MESSAGE. HE SIMPLY BRINGS FORTH THE BEAUTY & GRACE, THE WILDNESS, AND GENTLENESS, THE INQUISITIVENESS AND THE SHYNESS, WITH BRILLIANT ARTISTRY IN EVERY PICTURE. THE WHOLE BOOK IS LIKE A LOVE LETTER TO THE HORSE. I ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH THIS BOOK OVER AND OVER AND HAVE SHARED IT WITH BOTH CHILDREN AND FELLOW ADULTS DURING MANY HAPPY HOURS ON MY SOFA. THIS BOOK IS A GREAT GIFT IDEA FOR ANY HORSEY PERSON IN YOUR LIFE AND IS SURE TO BE APPRECIATED ALWAYS. TWO THUMBS UP FOR MICHAEL EASTMAN!

This book has great photos of horses running, sitting, rolling & fighting. The description was not very clear about the fact that the photos are black & white and also brown & white. There are no color photos. Large book & good price.

Words cannot do justice for the photos in this book. Michael Eastman is without a doubt divinely inspired. The photos are emotional, touch the heart, and are genuine artwork. I bought this book for my mother who loves horses, but anyone who appreciates photography will enjoy it. It's a lovely treasure.