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Cape Light: Color Photographs
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100 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 14, 2019
The more I looked at this collection – and in full light – the more I appreciated the colors in the pictures. For the most part I didn’t understand what Meyerowitz was saying in the introduction, except for one thing: In response to the interviewer’s comment about the pictures of “things that I’ve seen before,” Meyerowitz, quoting someone in a positive way, said that he uses ‘“nominal subject matter.’” It’s the color he’s after. The rest of the picture is just scaffolding.
Meyerowitz references the blue in a rubber raft leaning against the side of the house. It’s the blue he wanted. The house was not relevant, but I thought the clapboard house was a distraction, a blot on the picture. Don’t we see in gestalt-like ways so that the background complements the focus point? While a good many of these Meyerowitz pictures do that, more than a few do not. The blurb on the back cover refers to the “poignant light of the Cape” and states that the prints in this collection “capture every nuance of color and light in that unique juncture of sky, sea and land,” and that for these pictures “the locale could be no other.” I suppose this means that "the locale" provided the color opportunities that Meyerowitz was after (i.e., the wide-open "sky, sea and land" scapes). While true for many of the pictures, though, a few could easily have been taken in Anywhere USA.
Meyerowitz references the blue in a rubber raft leaning against the side of the house. It’s the blue he wanted. The house was not relevant, but I thought the clapboard house was a distraction, a blot on the picture. Don’t we see in gestalt-like ways so that the background complements the focus point? While a good many of these Meyerowitz pictures do that, more than a few do not. The blurb on the back cover refers to the “poignant light of the Cape” and states that the prints in this collection “capture every nuance of color and light in that unique juncture of sky, sea and land,” and that for these pictures “the locale could be no other.” I suppose this means that "the locale" provided the color opportunities that Meyerowitz was after (i.e., the wide-open "sky, sea and land" scapes). While true for many of the pictures, though, a few could easily have been taken in Anywhere USA.
May 18, 2020
Photographer Joel Meyerowitz is best known for his New York City street photography, which is lithe, spontaneous and, more often than not, presented in black and white.
The photograph in this book are almost polar opposite. Made with a large format camera on a wood tripod, the images are quiet and understated, capturing light, shape, form and, especially, colour. There's a simplicity, a serenity to them. These are images that would benefit from being seen large scale, and while the size of the prints in this book are generous, I'd love to see them larger.
The is a reprint of an earlier edition published in 1978, Meyerowitz comments on the new book's improved contrast but I think there's work to be done (or my copy has faded over time). For example there's a photo he refers to in the introduction that features a woman inside a room, but the room is so dark that it's actually quite hard to make her out.
It sounds unfair to say this about a book of photography but the best thing about this book is the extensive 15 page introduction with Massachusetts artist Bruce K. MacDonald. It's exceptional, consisting of seven fairly in-depth interviews about Meyerowitz's photography. The questions (and responses) are perceptive and allow for a highly articulate explanation of how and why these photos exist.
I've had the luxury of spending a lot of time with this book and the gradations of colours at dusk, the shapes of interior hallways, the '70s-era building exteriors are quietly evocative, speak of a time and, I expect, the appeal of a photographer's memories of that time.
Recommended.
The photograph in this book are almost polar opposite. Made with a large format camera on a wood tripod, the images are quiet and understated, capturing light, shape, form and, especially, colour. There's a simplicity, a serenity to them. These are images that would benefit from being seen large scale, and while the size of the prints in this book are generous, I'd love to see them larger.
The is a reprint of an earlier edition published in 1978, Meyerowitz comments on the new book's improved contrast but I think there's work to be done (or my copy has faded over time). For example there's a photo he refers to in the introduction that features a woman inside a room, but the room is so dark that it's actually quite hard to make her out.
It sounds unfair to say this about a book of photography but the best thing about this book is the extensive 15 page introduction with Massachusetts artist Bruce K. MacDonald. It's exceptional, consisting of seven fairly in-depth interviews about Meyerowitz's photography. The questions (and responses) are perceptive and allow for a highly articulate explanation of how and why these photos exist.
I've had the luxury of spending a lot of time with this book and the gradations of colours at dusk, the shapes of interior hallways, the '70s-era building exteriors are quietly evocative, speak of a time and, I expect, the appeal of a photographer's memories of that time.
Recommended.
June 14, 2025
I've only "read" two photo books (cover to cover, all the text, the intro, the interviews, etc.) and I enjoyed both experiences immensely. A photo appreciator at best, I'm familiar with photographers and photography as art but am not a photographer myself. Flipping through these pages and reading the interviews and how Meyerowitz talks about light, and horizon, and subject matter is transportive. He sounds so wise, so thoughtful, so... brilliant. I heard of this book from @dannys_photobook_corner on tik tok, and I'm so glad I put in an ILL for this photo book. Reminiscent of an I SPY book in the way there's the tiniest hint of whimsy in some of these photographs, especially the scale (GIANT skies, (tiny) people), the photos of Provincetown beaches and landscapes fill me with melancholy, make me feel cozy and relaxed, and make me long to sit on a porch of my own, watching as the light changes and how it makes me feel. A great way to spend a rainy afternoon.
January 22, 2023
This book is fantastic. I first bought it in my early teen years, I believe in the early 80’s. I’m not sure what ever happened to that original copy. Later, when I looked to replace it, it cost a fortune to get a used copy because it was out of print. Now it’s available again as a reprint with newly remastered prints. Buy it before it’s gone again!
The photos are beautiful beyond words. They express the feeling of what Cape Cod feels like perfectly. I cannot imagine having lived without having this book, and without having these photos in my mind.
I entered it here in Goodreads because if I didn’t, I may never have read the introduction, biographical chronology, and notes on the camera and film used to make the photos in the book.
The photos are beautiful beyond words. They express the feeling of what Cape Cod feels like perfectly. I cannot imagine having lived without having this book, and without having these photos in my mind.
I entered it here in Goodreads because if I didn’t, I may never have read the introduction, biographical chronology, and notes on the camera and film used to make the photos in the book.
February 8, 2026
Quickly emerging as a current favorite. I love his slow-paced, painterly compositions. He really does frame and look like the painter he was training to be. These photographs are excellent and inspiring, and I quite enjoyed the interview (especially the Cartier-Bresson story) and the note about his film, developing, etc.
November 2, 2020
Incredible perspective to an alternative medium of photography, swapping the riff-raff jazzy 35mm Leica, in favour of a large format camera. The images show extraordinary nuances of how he works with light. An incredible photographer, a painter of light and colour.
December 2, 2018
Beautiful work. well composed- deep seeing.
August 9, 2022
such sensitive vision. the houses of Provincetown, Massachusetts, through his lens bear a strange resemblance to the ancient Parthenon's white marble columns and broken walls. timeless poetry.
March 31, 2026
My favorite book of his work.
Read
March 21, 2025soft rock aor photography. especially reminiscent of the band Pages. make of that what you will
February 21, 2017
When I look through the photos in this book, it brings me back to the times when I used to wonder the streets, looking at roofs, cars, trees, and seeing how their colours melded with that of the sky.
He has done a great job at capturing different colours, often where the sky melds into the ocean. Other times he photographs the same scene at different times of the day, and some of the colours caught are outstanding, perhaps colours that you would not notice if you were not hunting for them each day.
He has done a great job at capturing different colours, often where the sky melds into the ocean. Other times he photographs the same scene at different times of the day, and some of the colours caught are outstanding, perhaps colours that you would not notice if you were not hunting for them each day.
December 9, 2012
This beautiful book with thoughtful photographs has made my summer in Cape Cod seem further relegated to the past. I am prone to nostalgia, and although these photographs were taken in the late 1970's there is a true familiarity to them from my time on the Cape only 2 1/2 years ago. The attention to varying degrees of light, both natural and man made is an intriguing aspect of the book. The forward / intro essays, done as interviews between colleague friends explain much of the artists intention and what the viewer may notice. These are simply photos from the analogue days of not immediately knowing what may turn out once exposed, and have a feel of truth that isn't found anymore when everyone walks with a camera on their phone or in their back pocket, a moment of truth that shows that no one is showing off in hopes of a camera, or trapped for fear that a camera is lurking - and a feel that the camera showed up at just the right moment to capture joy and truth that couldn't happen unless life has that room to breathe.
August 30, 2016
An extraordinary body of work by one of the greatest masters of recent photography. I only hope that reproductions in my paperback version are as good as in hardcover. However, I can't wait to lay my eyes on some of the originals. Someday.
My favourite plates: 15, 22, 25, 29, 33 and 34. Some of them look like Turner or Rothko. Amazing.
My favourite plates: 15, 22, 25, 29, 33 and 34. Some of them look like Turner or Rothko. Amazing.
June 23, 2010
Beautifully done - perfect photos for a Marblehead summers day!
December 10, 2012
This is my book for photography inspiration.
January 10, 2019
Gorgeous re-issue of a classic photography book that perfectly captures the kind of light that seems to only happen on Cape Cod. (A wonderful gift to receive!)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews