Customer Reviews

Rear View -C

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

 

 

I work in a book store in San Francisco which has sold this book quite well. When Mr. Vaschon came into our store for a book signing I took an interest and learned a few very cool things about this book, it's artist and why it sold in our store so well.

First of all, we put up a poster identical to the book cover in our window and from that image alone, our foot traffic into the store was greatly increased with many folks wanting to take a look at the book. We sold out of our initial copies in one week (as did 10% Productions.com, TLA Video.com, Books Inc. and many other websites and retailers.) As we reordered the book, we continually sold out and to this day, (a year later, it still sells well).

I think that the guy from NYC is being way to harsh about this book. The photographer is attempting to make an "artistic" statement instead of a "pornographic" statement, so I don't know how "engaging" artistic photos are supposed to be. (Maybe you should stick to porn for more engaging material, or take an art class.)

This book has also been a #1 Bestseller here on Amazon.com for months at a time so I'm quite certain that few people share your opinion that this book is "bland". Give the guy a break. As per his credits on the last page, he's only been doing photography for a couple years and I think he did an excellent job!

I like the book and it's images and I would recommend it or buy it for many close friends, as well as people I don't know well.

This photography is nice. Obviously I have an appreciation for the bottom, and the male bottom is totally awesome! There were a few photos that were two-page spreads and they put the bottom right in the crease. It sort of ruined the photo, at least if the butt was supposed to be the main focus. I thought that was a little bit of a dumb move. Anyways it wasn't terrible.

Gave as a gift. It wasn't nearly as impressive of a gift as I had hoped once it arrived. The photography was very nice though.

With all of the flack about male frontal nudity that pipes through the media (is the new ROME series on HBO pornographic?, how many major male stars have full nudity shots and what does that mean?, why does art not treat female nudity the same censorious way male nudity is treated?, etc), it is most refreshing to leaf through Steve Vaschon's fine collection REAR VIEW. No problem with the derrière here: it is the star!

Vaschon juxtaposes his subjects with architecture, landscape, forms, light and shadow, all of which generally add to the postulate that 'bums' are simply worth including in photographs. But actually by keeping such a low profile in the manner in which he photographs his models (each of whom has an exceptional specimen of derrière!), he allows the muscle mass and flesh that compose this structure to be appreciated both as anatomy and like fine sculpture. This is a well-produced book that might just be that perfect gift for friends who pose as liberated beings. Nicely done. Grady Harp, September 05

Five minutes after getting Rear View, I tossed it in my "Gifts For Folks You're Not Close To" drawer. It's not that the photos are bad; they're just not any good. Dull, without context or drama -- I've seen more engaging shots in medical school anatomy books. Butt, I mean, But -- you be the judge, and then rewrap it for a friend.

There's something about the photographic work of Steve Vaschon that inspires near-poetic description. Though his recent release "Rear View", focuses--literally--on the male hindquarters, the resulting images hardly reflect the more "utilitarian" nature of one of the human body's most intriguing features. Terms such as "ass", "butt" or--God forbid, "bum" hardly seem appropriate when describing such magnificent photogenic posteriors. Even a term as delicious as "cakes" seems so inadequate and pedestrian, one is almost moved to Gallicize it to the much more appropriate "gateaux".

Juxtaposed with such elements as funiture, vehicles and architecture, Vaschon's nudes are both compelling and elegant, completely at home in the context of fine art photography.

--- Outlook Magazine - Vancouver, BC