Looking for the Summer [Hardcover]

Jim Brandenburg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

World-renowned photographer Jim Brandenburg once again uses the hidden world of his beloved northern woods as the setting for a daunting artistic challenge. From June 21st to September 21st, Jim spent each day capturing the spirit of the Northern Minnesota wilderness through his camera. At the end of each day, Jim edited the day's shoot and picked the best shot to represent that day's adventure. The resulting book literally teems with life. It is filled with the color and action of a pristine natural world during its most energetic season of the year. It features all of Brandenburg's favorite subjects: wildlife and wildflowers, water and wide-open skies. As always, Jim brings the photojournalist's instinct for the critical moment to each photo. His is a style quite unlike any other nature or wildlife photographer. As was true of the best-selling Chased by the Light, Jim's exercise in photographic technique became something much, much more: a study in human perspective and vision. For, in addition to being a world-class photographer, Jim Brandenburg is a philosopher/poet. As any reader of his work knows, Jim's influences are broad: native American mythology; classical Japanese culture; and Zen Buddhism. Most of all, though, Jim has lived his life as a dedicated student of the natural world-of earth and sky, of water and wind, of plants and creatures. It is in the cyclical rhythms of the natural world that Jim discovers serenity and the meaning of life, and these lessons are conveyed brilliantly through the images and words married together in this book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This magnificent, multifaceted volume will impress readers on many levels. The second in a planned series of four titles, it captures the magnificence of the Northern Minnesota Wilderness during summer. Beginning with the solstice, Brandenburg set out daily with his digital camera to document life in the North Woods. At the end of the day, the best photograph was selected for inclusion in this book. The result is one breathtaking picture after another. Each page turn offers the opportunity to study the techniques of the masters. Whether it's the soft focus of Arnold Genthe, the shapes and energy of Alfred Stieglitz, or the abstract form and flow of a Georgia O'Keeffe image, Brandenburg has the versatility to draw on styles and techniques at will. The book is divided into two parts; following the portfolio of photographs is an essay taken from the photographer's field notes. The result is a wonderful discussion about the environment. A must-read for anyone interested in photography or conservation.-John Kiefman, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
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About the Author

Jim Brandenburg's photographs have won many national and international awards, and his work was included in "Life Magazine Collector's edition: The World's Best Photographs 1980-1990." Brandenburg was twice named "Magazine Photographer of the Year" by the National Press Photographer's Association (NPPA). In 1991, he was the recipient of the World Achievement Award from the United Nations Environmental Programme in Stockholm, Sweden.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Creative Publishing international; 1 edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559718382
• ISBN-13: 978-1559718387
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,122,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More enchanting photography. More mediocre text., January 4, 2005

By 

Casey Crookston "Casey Crookston" (St. Cloud, MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Looking for the Summer (Hardcover)

I am perhaps one of Jim Brandenburg the Photographer's biggest fans. I am not such a fan, however, of Jim Brandenburg the author. But I will say this, his writing abilities have improved drastically from Brother Wolf, and he is after all, a photographer first and foremost.

The photography in Looking for the Summer has received a lot of flack because it does not, admittedly, conform to many of the norms we've come to expect in rank-and-file nature photography. When this set of photographs was published in National Geographic, the letters to the editors in the next edition railed on them for being overly saturated, too simplistic, and technically flawed.

Yet this refreshing break from overly trite and boring nature photography is exactly what I find so welcoming and enjoyable. Simply put, his photos are stunning! As a week-end shutter hack I find myself staring at every page in this, and all of his other works, and then trying to emulate his works in my own photography.

Keep it up, Jim! Can't wait for what ever you're next project might be.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ...simply wonderful., October 13, 2004

By 

Ingvald - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Looking for the Summer (Hardcover)

Are you tired of looking at the nature photographs that al look the same? Obviously so was Brandenburg. This book is such a welcome departure from the rules and guidelines that plague photographers, and leave us with bland, rehashed photos that lack any sort of spark. It is simply wonderful.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uneven and at Times Amateurish. But Also Striking and Surprising., December 17, 2007

By 

mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Looking for the Summer (Paperback)

Any estimation of the worth of the photography in "Looking for the Summer" will depend upon what the observer wants in his or her art at the moment. If you're looking for the highest caliber nature photography or the best of Jim Brandenburg's work, this is not it. "Looking for the Summer" is a sequel to "Chased by the Light", a personal project that Brandenburg published in 1998 to surprising success. After years of globe-trotting for National Geographic, the man was burned out. In an effort to "restore his soul" and return to his art, Brandenburg devised to make a single photograph per day from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice, in the place he calls home, Minnesota's north woods.

Encouraged by the overwhelming positive reaction, Brandenburg applied a similar principle to a different season. "Looking for the Summer" are photographs taken between the summer solstice and autumnal equinox, again in the north woods of Minnesota but also on the prairie, the landscape of Brandenburg's youth. This time he didn't take just one photo per day. He took many and presumably chose his favorite to represent each of the 94 days. Most photographs are displayed one-to-a-page, though there are a couple of 2-page panoramas. Thirty-seven pages at the end of the book tell "The Stories" behind the photographs which are, frankly, tedious. But I don't think anyone will pick this book up for the text.

These photographs are not all outstanding. Some are not even good. Brandenburg has been criticized for obvious technical flaws. In truth, fewer than 10% of these photographs are technically flawed, either out-of-focus, overexposed, or riddled with digital noise. Some of these effects are successful, some not. The quality, in general, varies widely. While many photos are mundane, some are quite striking. The variety of styles and subjects made this book a good choice for gift-giving in my case: plants, wildlife, flowers, water, sky, landscapes, abstract, macro, and even a double-exposure.

The naturalism of "Looking for the Summer" is what really endears it to me. The colors are not pumped up. There is not one sliver of Velvia Green or magenta. My favorite photos are those which don't seem sure of their subject. I must look around to find whatever the photo wants to reveal. The best ones are surprising, and I keep returning to them. The quality in "Looking for the Summer" is admittedly uneven. But the photographs don't look like everything else in the marketplace. Having been a nature photography aficionado for 15 years, I tired long ago of the vast majority of nature work, no matter how technically impressive, because it all looks the same.