Customer Reviews

South Southeast

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This must be the photography publication of the millennium. Until I picked up South Southeast, there was not one single photography book that evoked this deep impression in me everytime I turned a page. Not only does Steve McCurry's photography draw the reader into the world he witnessed and captured so beautifully, the massive full page pictures transports the colour and essence of life from the region before your very eyes. You really must see for yourself to appreciate this absolutely excellent work. My only criticism is why did he wait so long to share this with us.

Not to be missed by anyone; this book has inspired travelers, myself among them, to seek out the impossibly fantastical colors, people and architecture of the southeast buried in its pages. This book has stolen the breath away from every single person who has ever picked it up off my coffee table. It was a gift that I will never forget that also changed my perception of the gift giver forever -- an incredible surprise to have enjoyed it as I have, a thoughtful present for anyone with an imagination. Give this book to someone you love and wish to inspire.

As a lover of photography books, and pictures of exotic locales, I bought this volume based on the glowing recommendations of the other reviewers from Amazon.com. The buyer should know most of the images were taken in India, and so if one is expecting a good mix of images from various places in southeast Asia, he is not going to find them in this book. Nevertheless there is a good balance of pictures of people (i.e., portraits), people going on with the business of their lives (working, playing, begging), and a few stunning city landscapes (I wish there were more of these).
The book is not cheap-there are not really that many pages (one image per page)- and although the quality of the paper and the pictures is good, it is not superb. I have owned better. Overall, for those readers who love looking at beautiful pictures, or those who can relate to pictures of people and places in Asia, this book is worthwhile buying.

I picked up this book quite by accident in the art section-knowing nothing and caring little about photography. After riffling through it for a while, I suddenly realized that these unbelievably beautiful, gorgeously colored, perfectly composed images were photographs, not paintings as I had hoped. Add to that the emotional content of these exotic images, they hit me in the eye, mind and heart with the impact of blow to the solar plexus. It is at the top of my wish list and a must for every artist, photographer, or any one who has eyes!!!

I thought McCurry's last book, Portraits, was "the best" but I was wrong -- South Southeast is even better. In my opinion, this is the finest book of photography ever published. The brief narrative serves to add perspective to a brilliant piece of work. This book will be essential to any photography lover's library.

The photographs in this book reflect the passion that Steve McCurry has for the people of countries such as India, Afghanistan etc. It also shows his eye for the landscapes of these countries, evoking fervour for the colours of the land. While Steve McCurry's photographs will always move and inspire, the layout of this book is so effective to the display of his works. A large format that gives the images room to breath, and simple facing pages that state the location and date of the image. This is a book that would continue to inspire every time you leaf through the pages.

The other reviews here use enough glowing adjectives that I won't add many more, but it will suffice to say this is a dramatic and epic color monograph. Those of you who are consumers of the imagery in National Geographic will experience more than a few flashes of recognition as you page through the sumptuous images in this book. Unlike on the pages of national geo, however, this book gives Steve's images the chance to stand alone, independent of editorial and other clutter on the page, and in this singular treatment it is easy to recognize them for what they are: exceptional color photography, and exceptional pieces of art. Whether you have traveled to southeast asia in body or in mind, you will find these images deep and resounding, worth many hours of leisurely flipping. If you are a color photographer, you will stop and stare with admiration, remembering again why you carry a camera.

Don't buy Steve McCurry's other prints to save a few dollars...they simply don't do the man justice. This print is the BEST. Steve is a genius of photography and can do what most can't. In this print, you actually get to enjoy the picture, the colors, the people, and the scene. It is BIG, HIGH quality, and without distractions. He doesn't need to tell the story, the picture does. I love this print of South Southeast and I searched long to get it. The bookstores are selling little ones, probably smaller than 8x10, and they are not impressive.

While McCurry has a long legacy of photography, this book captures in my opinion the portraits, the scene, the person, the culture and the mood. I LOVE IT. I don't know how he does it. We have used this book in my photo classes at school on many occasions.

In this case I believe that McCurry has decided over the years to focus people forcibly on his pictures. If you are curious as to why Jodhpur has a 'blue' section, you can find that out, but if you don't understand the significance of the birds in Mazar-e-sharif, or the tension in the pictures from Kashmir, you really ought to look for a more in-depth source than McCurry's captions could possibly provide. Even if they were several pages long, they still would not do the subject justice.

The astounding quality of the separations (I think Phaidon may be the best color art-photo house in the world) and the tightly edited collection of McCurry's absolute best work should be enough to hold most readers' attention, in my humble opinion. I have purchased (and given to friends) previous books by McCurry where his photographs were embedded in his prose (Monsoon) or a professional writer's (Paul Theroux, in The Imperial Way). Comparing them to South Southeast, there is no question that McCurry's ever-expanding portfolio compelled him to go for the pure artistic play here. I submit that it works marvelously.

If you are interested in history or politics, there are better sources than Steve McCurry. If you are interested in color photojournalism from Asia, there probably aren't.

I came across this book on the display shelf along with several others. Its cover caught my eyes immediately. After briefly reviewing the content, I though I need to find a place to sit down and take a closer look. I usually view photo albums very quickly because the majority of them are not interesting and special enough to catch my attention. But not this one! The more I looked, the more I was touched. It's exactly what a photograph is all about-keeps the viewer's eyes on it. I then recalled seeing some of the photographs before. Yes, some appeared in "National Geographic" and, more amazingly, I then remembered seeing some of the pictures displayed in the International Center of Photography in New York City. That was my first visit to ICP at year 2000. I was already so impressed at that time with Steve's work. Now it's like bump into a good old friend. You don't need a background in art or photography to appreciate his work, although it might help. It somehow just makes the connection. Just noticed that there is a book signing by Steve at ICP for his "The Temples of Angkor" on May 10th, 2002 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Steve, we love to see more and thanks.