Visions of America addresses a single question: How do you photograph democracy? After all, democracy is an idea; and not something one can easily wrap one's lens around. But photographing democracy is indeed what Joseph Sohm has done in this epic journey across the fifty states. To capture this country's incredible diversity, Sohm frames his national work as George Seurat might a pointillist painting. With each photograph, an individual dot was applied to his American canvas. Spanning three decades, tens of thousands of images were assembled in what becomes a compelling mosaic. With a foreword by legendary travel writer, Paul Theroux, and lyrics by two of America's most distinguished songwriters, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Visions of America is a work of historic value and significance. Visions of America is a perceptive work about both the photographer and the photographed. Reflecting on the wisdom of the founders, coupled with personal observations about American history, Sohm takes us on an insightful journey down the back roads and byways of the U.S, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding and appreciation of who we are as a nation and a people. Visions of America is a sweeping portrait of life in the American democracy, a portrait that shows us US, the United States. Edited by Rick Benzel and Patricia Emory.
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This is more than an amazing book it is an epic work so breathtaking that it is nearly beyond written description. Sohm brings more than 30 years of experience and devotion as a historian, teacher, photographer, and writer to bear on this monumental pictorial work capturing the breadth, depth, and subtlety of American culture. Clearly a labor of love for American people, places, and history, the book is the expression of a lifetime, both sprawling and intimate, spanning three decades, 50 states, and 1300 images of the people and places that constitute the very heart and soul of America, from its bustling cities to its smallest farms. VERDICT An epic achievement not only in documentary photography but also in social and cultural history, this will be a delight for the general public, scholars, and photographers. Most highly recommended. Raymond Bial, First Light Photography, Urbana, IL --The Library Journal
Coffee Table books. What s the point? Spark conversation? Inspire the imagination of far off places one would like to travel? or just to alleviate boredom at family functions? I never actually understood their purpose. Sure, I d leaf through them in someone s living room and truth be told, I enjoyed thinking about what it be like to travel to the places pictured in the book to see the architecture, smell the flowers growing wild, wake up and look out at an ocean bluer than any blue I ve ever seen. I never actually read a whole coffee table book, never looked at every single picture and read every block of text I d actually be interested in knowing if there s anyone out there that has. I think my view of coffee table books has changed though. I recently received a copy of Visions of America: Photographing Democracy by Joseph Sohm. The premise is based on a single question: How do you photograph Democracy? I m reading the whole thing. Really reading it...and pondering the pictures in regards to the chapter headings and the text associated. I haven t finished it, but felt like I had to tell you about it. I m halfway through this book and enjoying every minute I spend with it. Much like my experience with coffee table books in the past, Visions of America inspired me. Not to take a trip to every one of the fifty states. Instead, I was inspired to look around me, to view the faces of my fellow Americans, and to see Democracy in my own back yard. I was inspired to contemplate what people s ancestors may have gone through to provide a life that my neighbors had the opportunity to live. Visions of America is a compilation of over 1300 images and 21 essays about our great country. We are a young nation, and we have had a whole lot of growing pains over our national lifespan. This book takes us on a journey through those growing pains and all our great successes. The birth of this book took thirty years. Think about that for a moment. Thirty years of pictures showcasing the idea of Democracy. The essays are just as interesting as the photographs. As a former-American History teacher, Sohm wanted to understand what he was shooting and how the past has impacted the future. You can see this in his essays. They are candid essays of his journey. He tells us about his trek across country, and the fellow travelers he ran across on the roads through out America. He explores the American Green Movement as well as the challenges we face in our inner cities. He has gone to Africa to understand where our African American brethren came from, and he visits with Native American tribes to understand their role in our nation s history. All with modern pictures with historical background infused within the chapters. If you are looking for some of the most beautiful places in America, you will find it in this book. The landscapes pictured are stunning plains and canyons, vast open land and mountains, and rivers and streams photographed in every season in all possible lighting. , Beyond that though, Sohm s photos celebrate the beauty of the American people. The child playing in a basin of water, the elderly man hanging up the American flag outside his house, and even an arial view of traffic jams on some of our major highways. There are road signs and Welcome to state signs; there are baseball diamonds and football stadiums; there are tall buildings and neon lights. All things of beauty waiting to be seen by our jaded eyes. And all visions of what the idea of Democracy in our nation means. While reading this book, I can t help but wonder why it is that no one has ever documented the aspects of America as he has. Its a daunting task to be sure (and expensive); but wouldn t it be lovely if we took time every day to just look out the window and pay attention to the thing --Old Musty Books
Author and self-proclaimed Photo Historian Joseph Sohm has spent over thirty years traveling across America taking photographs. At some point the travel photography journey turned into a more of a quest with a goal to capture in photographed images, the idea of what democracy is and expanded to include visits and photographs of all fifty states. As a self-employed photographer without access to press credentials, Sohm has had to work hard to gain access to locations and politicians to succeed in capturing the wide range of content which he felt was imperative to the project (such as access to photograph Presidents). I learned about this book by seeing Sohm on CSPAN's BookTV discussing the book. In his lecture, I enjoyed hearing stories behind some of the photos of his passion for photography and his patriotism for America. However I mistakenly assumed the book was ONLY a coffee table book of photography. I loved seeing the high quality photography and the large number of photographs that should go without saying. But what surprised me about VISIONS OF AMERICA once I had it in my hands, was that it is filled with essay stories by Sohm. Sohm's passion for America, his pride in being an American citizen and his wealth of knowledge about United States history was clearly apparent. I was so entranced by Sohm's words right from the first story that I decided to not peek at the photographs in the future pages, and instead read the book cover to cover, slowly taking in each image as I read the stories in the order the author intended to reveal his literal 'visions of America'. The images so closely tie in with the stories and the finely crafted chapters that reading it in its entirety and in order seemed the most respectful and best way to approach this book. Of the storytelling I will say that the stories are just right, not overdone, are full of passion (not exaggerated) and seem so sincere. This winds up being anything but a generic compilation of color photographs of the United States of America, there are surely a number of those types of coffee table books on the market already, good only for their photographs. This book is different and SUPERIOR because it tells a story not just in the images selected in the chapter groupings, painting a picture of America's past and present but it is a collection of stories that reads like a travel journal and also like a memoir. The historical content gives a bit of nonfiction history book flavor to the book as well. Additionally there is a fair amount of discussion of the challenges of taking good photographs and the quest and hard work trying to get a great shot so that photographers who like to read about the photographer s artistic process will enjoy that element of Sohm's stories as well. Patriotic Americans will love this book. This is a great book for families too, being a wonderful photographic introduction to our United States of America. If my eleven year old son was any indication, kids will enjoy hearing some of the stories too (he loved the story of the difficulty in getting a clear shot of Mt. Rushmore, when a man in an ora --Thinking Mother
Coffee Table books. What s the point? Spark conversation? Inspire the imagination of far off places one would like to travel? or just to alleviate boredom at family functions? I never actually understood their purpose. Sure, I d leaf through them in someone s living room and truth be told, I enjoyed thinking about what it be like to travel to the places pictured in the book to see the architecture, smell the flowers growing wild, wake up and look out at an ocean bluer than any blue I ve ever seen. I never actually read a whole coffee table book, never looked at every single picture and read every block of text I d actually be interested in knowing if there s anyone out there that has. I think my view of coffee table books has changed though. I recently received a copy of Visions of America: Photographing Democracy by Joseph Sohm. The premise is based on a single question: How do you photograph Democracy? I m reading the whole thing. Really reading it...and pondering the pictures in regards to the chapter headings and the text associated. I haven t finished it, but felt like I had to tell you about it. I m halfway through this book and enjoying every minute I spend with it. Much like my experience with coffee table books in the past, Visions of America inspired me. Not to take a trip to every one of the fifty states. Instead, I was inspired to look around me, to view the faces of my fellow Americans, and to see Democracy in my own back yard. I was inspired to contemplate what people s ancestors may have gone through to provide a life that my neighbors had the opportunity to live. Visions of America is a compilation of over 1300 images and 21 essays about our great country. We are a young nation, and we have had a whole lot of growing pains over our national lifespan. This book takes us on a journey through those growing pains and all our great successes. The birth of this book took thirty years. Think about that for a moment. Thirty years of pictures showcasing the idea of Democracy. The essays are just as interesting as the photographs. As a former-American History teacher, Sohm wanted to understand what he was shooting and how the past has impacted the future. You can see this in his essays. They are candid essays of his journey. He tells us about his trek across country, and the fellow travelers he ran across on the roads through out America. He explores the American Green Movement as well as the challenges we face in our inner cities. He has gone to Africa to understand where our African American brethren came from, and he visits with Native American tribes to understand their role in our nation s history. All with modern pictures with historical background infused within the chapters. If you are looking for some of the most beautiful places in America, you will find it in this book. The landscapes pictured are stunning plains and canyons, vast open land and mountains, and rivers and streams photographed in every season in all possible lighting. , Beyond that though, Sohm s photos celebrate the beauty of the American people. The child playing in a basin of water, the elderly man hanging up the American flag outside his house, and even an arial view of traffic jams on some of our major highways. There are road signs and Welcome to state signs; there are baseball diamonds and football stadiums; there are tall buildings and neon lights. All things of beauty waiting to be seen by our jaded eyes. And all visions of what the idea of Democracy in our nation means. While reading this book, I can t help but wonder why it is that no one has ever documented the aspects of America as he has. Its a daunting task to be sure (and expensive); but wouldn t it be lovely if we took time every day to just look out the window and pay attention to the thing --Old Musty Books
Author and self-proclaimed Photo Historian Joseph Sohm has spent over thirty years traveling across America taking photographs. At some point the travel photography journey turned into a more of a quest with a goal to capture in photographed images, the idea of what democracy is and expanded to include visits and photographs of all fifty states. As a self-employed photographer without access to press credentials, Sohm has had to work hard to gain access to locations and politicians to succeed in capturing the wide range of content which he felt was imperative to the project (such as access to photograph Presidents). I learned about this book by seeing Sohm on CSPAN's BookTV discussing the book. In his lecture, I enjoyed hearing stories behind some of the photos of his passion for photography and his patriotism for America. However I mistakenly assumed the book was ONLY a coffee table book of photography. I loved seeing the high quality photography and the large number of photographs that should go without saying. But what surprised me about VISIONS OF AMERICA once I had it in my hands, was that it is filled with essay stories by Sohm. Sohm's passion for America, his pride in being an American citizen and his wealth of knowledge about United States history was clearly apparent. I was so entranced by Sohm's words right from the first story that I decided to not peek at the photographs in the future pages, and instead read the book cover to cover, slowly taking in each image as I read the stories in the order the author intended to reveal his literal 'visions of America'. The images so closely tie in with the stories and the finely crafted chapters that reading it in its entirety and in order seemed the most respectful and best way to approach this book. Of the storytelling I will say that the stories are just right, not overdone, are full of passion (not exaggerated) and seem so sincere. This winds up being anything but a generic compilation of color photographs of the United States of America, there are surely a number of those types of coffee table books on the market already, good only for their photographs. This book is different and SUPERIOR because it tells a story not just in the images selected in the chapter groupings, painting a picture of America's past and present but it is a collection of stories that reads like a travel journal and also like a memoir. The historical content gives a bit of nonfiction history book flavor to the book as well. Additionally there is a fair amount of discussion of the challenges of taking good photographs and the quest and hard work trying to get a great shot so that photographers who like to read about the photographer s artistic process will enjoy that element of Sohm's stories as well. Patriotic Americans will love this book. This is a great book for families too, being a wonderful photographic introduction to our United States of America. If my eleven year old son was any indication, kids will enjoy hearing some of the stories too (he loved the story of the difficulty in getting a clear shot of Mt. Rushmore, when a man in an ora --Thinking Mother
About the Author
Joseph Sohm is an American history teacher turned photo-historian. Over the course of 30 years, he has traveled throughout the United States and across the world, photographing people, celebrations, monuments, sports, cities, small towns and presidential campaigns. His photos have been published more than 50,000 times in such publications as National Geographic, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and in hundreds of textbooks, as well as on media including CNN, ABC, The History Channel and MSNBC. His work is featured in President Clinton's book My Life and in his Presidential Library. Sohm's images are featured in Frederick J. Ryan's portrait of Ronald Reagan, The Great Communicator; on Bill Maher's Real Time; in Al Gore's Oscar-winning film An Inconvenient Truth; in NBC's memorial for 9/11, Concert for America; on the Today Show, and on the cover of John Grisham's novel King of Torts. His photograph was chosen for both the covers of Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report for the contested 2000 Presidential Election. The U.S. Department of State displays his work in more than ten embassies worldwide. Sohm produced the official 1993 Presidential Inaugural music-video for MTV, which aired worldwide. He has been a keynote speaker at more than 100 colleges, universities and trade associations across America. Both he and his work have been profiled in Esquire magazine, USA Today, the LA Times, The New York Times, The San Francisco Examiner, C-Span, Lexus magazine and the NEWSEUM Museum in Washington, DC. Sohm also serves on the boards of The Museum of Democracy in New York City and the New West Symphony in Southern California.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Photographs with Great Stories,
By
This review is from: Visions of America (Hardcover)
Author and self-proclaimed Photo Historian Joseph Sohm has spent over thirty years traveling across America taking photographs. At some point the travel photography journey turned into a more of a quest with a goal to capture in photographed images, the idea of what democracy is and expanded to include visits and photographs of all fifty states. As a self-employed photographer without access to press credentials, Sohm has had to work hard to gain access to locations and politicians to succeed in capturing the wide range of content which he felt was imperative to the project (such as access to photograph Presidents).
I learned about this book by seeing Sohm on CSPAN's BookTV discussing the book. In his lecture, I enjoyed hearing stories behind some of the photos of his passion for photography and his patriotism for America. However I mistakenly assumed the book was ONLY a coffee table book of photography. I loved seeing the high quality photography and the large number of photographs that should go without saying. But what surprised me about VISIONS OF AMERICA once I had it in my hands, was that it is filled with essay stories by Sohm. Sohm's passion for America, his pride in being an American citizen and his wealth of knowledge about United States history was clearly apparent. I was so entranced by Sohm's words right from the first story that I decided to not peek at the photographs in the future pages, and instead read the book cover to cover, slowly taking in each image as I read the stories in the order the author intended to reveal his literal 'visions of America'. The images so closely tie in with the stories and the finely crafted chapters that reading it in its entirety and in order seemed the most respectful and best way to approach this book. Of the storytelling I will say that the stories are just right, not overdone, are full of passion (not exaggerated) and seem so sincere. This winds up being anything but a generic compilation of color photographs of the United States of America, there are surely a number of those types of coffee table books on the market already, good only for their photographs. This book is different and SUPERIOR because it tells a story not just in the images selected in the chapter groupings, painting a picture of America's past and present but it is a collection of stories that reads like a travel journal and also like a memoir. The historical content gives a bit of nonfiction history book flavor to the book as well. Additionally there is a fair amount of discussion of the challenges of taking good photographs and the quest and hard work trying to get a great shot so that photographers who like to read about the photographer's artistic process will enjoy that element of Sohm's stories as well. The book is without strong political bias but I detect hints which were not troublesome to me. The books contain images of Presidents. Sohm was hired to photograph President Clinton and so that is the time period when the bulk of his Presidential photographs were taken and the book is heavier on the Presidents post 1992. There are images of the Bush's and a couple of now President Obama, taken close to the publication date. The hot button issue of global warming found its way into the book with the author seeming very worried about it (he's clearly not a validity of the issue doubter). A chapter features some photos of some abuse of the Earth by humans (pollution, garbage dumps and so forth) as a bit of a call to action to treat our planet more gently. Patriotic Americans will love this book. This is a great book for families too, being a wonderful photographic introduction to our United States of America. If my eleven year old son was any indication, kids will enjoy hearing some of the stories too (he loved the story of the difficulty in getting a clear shot of Mt. Rushmore, when a man in an orange jacket was standing right on Lincoln's head, ruining an otherwise perfect shot). This is also a great book for public libraries. This is a great coffee table book for casual flipping for people of all ages, but readers should do themselves a favor and take the time to read through the book cover to cover to savor it to its fullest. I can't recommend this book highly enough! It is a beautiful book, very high quality paper and printing with stunning color photography with very good storytelling. Bravo Joseph Sohm and thank you for sharing your Magnum Opus with us!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
America's Perfection,
By
This review is from: Visions of America (Hardcover)
Visions of America by Joseph Sohm is more than a collection of photos about democracy, it is one man's journey across America to find democracy and reconnect with his nation. Amidst the photographs Sohm intersperses our nation's history and the emergence of our very own icons--the bald eagle, Mount Rushmore, the American flag, and more.
And one point in this "travel" journal, Sohm says, "Maybe the point in photographing icons of democracy is more about seeking perfectio...more Visions of America by Joseph Sohm is more than a collection of photos about democracy, it is one man's journey across America to find democracy and reconnect with his nation. Amidst the photographs Sohm intersperses our nation's history and the emergence of our very own icons--the bald eagle, Mount Rushmore, the American flag, and more. And one point in this "travel" journal, Sohm says, "Maybe the point in photographing icons of democracy is more about seeking perfection than finding it." (Page 7). Not only are the photos gorgeous, the essays are poignant and informative about his journey and our nation's history. Visions of America is a coffee table book for guests to peruse while dinner is cooking, for friends, family, and neighbors to ogle and discuss. This book compiles some of the most breathtaking images of our nation's countryside, our icons, and our people from all walks of life. Each page is laid out in a variety of ways from large images with superimposed images of birds and famous quotes from former presidents and others. One of my favorite tidbits from the book is when Sohm talks about how he got out his trusty Mr. Clean and paper towels to wash down the New Hampshire welcome sign for its photo shoot. There are a series of panoramic photos throughout the books from the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., to landscapes in Utah, Alaska, and California. Countrysides, cityscapes, everyday men and women, and communities pepper this volume and celebrate democracy in a variety of ways. Readers eager for a break from traditional reading pursuits should consider picking up this beautiful volume of our American heritage. There are only two possible drawbacks to this book--the cost of $75 and the heft of the book itself. You won't be carrying this one around on the subway. Photographers--amateur and professional--will want to add Visions of America to their collections. However, Sohm has a great eye for what makes this country great and his photography and essays are a testament to our nation's grandeur.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Democracy Photographed,
This review is from: Visions of America (Hardcover)
I just bought Visions of America "Photographing Democracy" by Joseph Sohm. He claims it took 30 years to photograph the 50 states, but as I review the 312 color pages, and 1300 stunning images, it looks as if he devoted a half century to capture our nation in living color. Everything you love about America can be found here: the small towns, US Cities, the games of Democracy, stunning panoramic landscapes, Presidents from both sides of the aisle, Icons, Native Americans, etc. If it can be found in America, Sohm photographed it. But the book's best part are the essays - all 21 of them. Each essay is rich, poignant, entertaining and loaded with historical insights that we all should know as Americans. Combining pictures with words, Visions of America is an inspirational treatment of the American Spirit. And with all the bad news these days, the book is a breath of fresh air. It's time to feel good about America again - and this book does it! I strongly recommend this book for parents, teacher and students who believe that America is a very special place. It makes you want to go out and get a 57 Chevy and see the USA.
Betty Bush Frontenac, MO
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