Customer Reviews

Landscape Stories

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Southam's wonderful book of (mostly) large format images taken from multiple series has been one of the most stimulating of the medium I've yet come across. I think it was Fay Godwin (also from the UK) who first made me look at both the beauty and timelessness of the landscape and the detritus of habitation despoiling same. One can get too precious with the subjects considered worthy of an exposure. From the methods of the photographer as revealed herein, Southam is a painstaking master of the medium with a strong idea of what he's trying to convey. His images of rock falls and dew ponds are unquestionably beautiful and with great colour. But it's the "stories", the multiple approaches of aspect or over time that are most interesting here. With some thoughtful essays and excellent printing, this is a book worthy of consideration.

Good survey of Jem Southam's work, and an essential book for anyone concerned with landscape photography today. His greatest bodies of imagery for me are 'the Raft of Carrots' and 'Red River', both represented here, as are the later works. The design is a little 'classic' which I guess is fine, but the endless quotations of Southam, set out alone on pages in bold get a little tiresome, and misdirect you from the images to the words. Southam is sadly little known in the US, but should be appreciated much more. For the past 25+ years he has been of the most important photographic artists working with true intelligence in the landscape.