For Hafiz, Sabiha Çimen‘s spent a handful of years photographing young women and girls at a hifz school in Istanbul. For many viewers it may be eye opening, it may humanize or familiarize; for me, it’s all fairly normal: school uniforms are terribly common, and women, young or old, wearing hijab and modest clothing just is. Hafiz was Charcoal Book Club‘s photobook of the month for December, 2021.
Continue reading “Sabiha Çimen – ‘Hafiz’”Best _____ of 2021
I had no plans to do a best of list this year, but then someone on YouTube suggested I do something like that, and I said I’d think about it, so here we are…
Continue reading “Best _____ of 2021”Jindřich Štreit – ‘Village People: 1965-1990’
Jindřich Štreit‘s Village People: 1965-1990 presents Štreit’s work in various Czechoslovakian villages during the waning years of Communism. It was Charcoal Book Club’s photobook of the month for November, 2021.
Continue reading “Jindřich Štreit – ‘Village People: 1965-1990’”Bumdog Torres – ‘#findthebumdog’
#findthebumdog: A Homeless Man’s Development as a Street Photographer While Living on the Streets traces Bumdog Torres’ path from having a faint idea of a single project, to being a fully realized art curator, filmmaker, and photographer with multiple gallery shows, feature-length films, and a handful of photobooks to his credit. If, like me, you live a life of relative luxury, with the Masters Degree in Art History and Criticism and all the toys cameras and film and developing tanks and bulk loaders and photobooks that your little heart desires, and if you just look at all that stuff and feel self satisfied—again, I’m talking more about myself than anyone else—then do yourself a favor and maybe try to think more like a Bumdog.
Panoramic Park Views
I love the little Minolta Freedom Vista (Riva Panorama) camera I scored in a $50 grab bag from Dad last year. I don’t always have a roll of film in it, but I should…
Continue reading “Panoramic Park Views”Blake Andrews – ‘Need Clean Fill’
Back in 2020, I saw something about @swerdnaekalb‘s zine on his Instagram. I had a brief Insta-chat with him and thought I arranged to purchase a signed copy from him, but I’m pretty sure he thought I dropped it. Oh well. During his interview with Simon Kossoff, Andrews mentioned his zine again, and I jumped right on it without the slightest hesitation.
Continue reading “Blake Andrews – ‘Need Clean Fill’”Simon Kossoff – ‘Sonder’ and ‘Descendant’
I learned about Kossoff and his zines from the Blake Andrews’ interview last month (November 2021), and when I found Bump Books offering both of his zines for £10.00, I jumped at the chance.
Continue reading “Simon Kossoff – ‘Sonder’ and ‘Descendant’”