Customer Reviews

Transitions and Exits

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

 

 

this book offers a radical new look at the world of snowboarding and, for that matter, specific aspects of youth culture in general. it's also beautifully photographed and avoids the usual stylistic clichees of snowboarding photography... marcopoulos seems to have followed the crusaders of corporation-sponsored "rebellion" and "individualism" over longer periods of time, getting familiar with the various protagonists and their lifestyle, thus gaining access to all areas. this results in a volume of images of touching intimacy and odd beauty. 'transitions and exits' could well become the thinking person's snowboarding bible. marcopoulos would deserve it.

On the frontier of the snowboarder, mad dogs patrol. Ari Marcopoulos's photographs paint quite a picture of this crispy culture, from shattered spines to heavenly landscapes, busted faces to blue sky. He's an insider - travelling with these nomads from the Alps to Alaska, he's taken rolls of behind the scenes snapshots, along with large format landscapes and the money shots. It's an honest, evocative portrait of this nomadic culture.

Ari Marcopoulos poesseses a unique ability to keep pace with the transglobal cultural ethos that is constantly and belatedly appropriated by mainstream media. Transitions and Exits is a perfect example. Marcopoulos and Cortez have selected a group of images that both confirms and dispels the stereotypes of this exploding privileged community. Marcopoulos' subtle use of digital manipulation and compositing within some of the layouts reinforces his vision and the overall story of his subjects. Marcopoulos understands his medium and has achieved its potential yet again.

I purchased this book based on the reviews of customers and editorial reviews as well. Nowhere did I read about what was really in the book, which is glossy porn and drug use. If this is what you want then by all means buy the book. But if you are looking for good shots of snowboarders, any information at all about snowboarding, or really impressive photography, look elsewhere. There is no artistic content in this book. I could have taken these photos. This is not Maplethorpe or Liebowitz, it is just stupid. I just thought you should know what you are getting.