Behind the Camera: The Greatest Photojournalists of Our Time

by Laura Magni

Meet 18 pioneers of twentieth- and twenty-first-century photography and explore their most powerful images. From Cecil Beaton's glamorous celebrity shots to Robert Capa's gritty wartime images, this remarkable collection gathers the finest work of 18 groundbreaking photographers. Each person represented is a master of the art, and the diverse, international selection includes Margaret Bourke-White, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange, Robert Doisneau, Sebastiao Salgado, Werner Bischof, Abbas Attar, and Annie Leibovitz. On page after page, we see how they documented history, developed an individual aesthetic, and conveyed a specific vision of reality through the subjects, techniques, and styles they embraced.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction

223 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Jona Novak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ať začnu tím pozitivním - fotky jsou nádherné. To je asi tak jediné pozitivum, co k tomu mám.

Celou knihu jsem si lámala hlavu s tím, zda-li by se přece jen nenašel aspoň jeden slušný fotoreportér mimo Magnum Photos. Zřejmě ne. Pořád to ale nevadí tolik, jako texty samotné. Autorka moc psát neumí, i to bych ji však prominula. Co odpustit nedokážu je, že neustále podává svůj názor a odhady, co chtěl autor fotkou říci, za prostý fakt. Popisky fotek jsem tak přestala číst už někde u Cartier-Bressona. Opakovaně jsem to pak zkusila u pár fotek a nelituju, že jsem to ve větší míře přeskákala. Mnohem raději než autorčin názor na emoce, které fotograf při pořízení snímku prožíval, bych si přečetla příběh fotografie jako takové. Např. Steve McCurry a jeho afghánská uprchlice mají velmi silný příběh, který je v knize jen tak naťuknut.

Po přečtení si připadám značně ochuzená. Jednak o příběhy jednotlivých fotografií, a jednak, což je snad ještě horší, o fotografie samotné. Autorka totiž často zmiňuje fotografie, které v knize ani nejsou, což už je jen taková třešnička na dortu.

Byla bych tomu nedala ani hvězdičku, ale přece jen jsem tomu dala ještě jeden pokus. Když člověk nečte, a jen si prohlíží fotografie, je ta knížka famózní.

[Iva Panux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mile prekvapena! Od teto knihy jsem nic neocekavala, max. hezke fotografie. K tomu se ale pridaly strhujici pribehy, inspirujici fotografie a v ramci kompozice i dovetky, proc divak cte fotografii zrovna takhle. Co dodat.. proste “Magnum” fotografove.

[Brian Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Behind the Camera: The Greatest Photojournalists of Our Time has the feel of a concept book by a publisher targeting the bargain book table of a mass-market bookstore, which is precisely where I found it in a bookstore in Toronto. It was inexpensive and worth the cost. The subtitle of my copy is misleading as it includes individuals who might not ordinarily be thought of as photojournalists, like Cecil Beaton, Robert Doisneau, and even Steve McCurry (who’s not a photojournalist anymore, remember…); and it omits many great photojournalists. But those who are included are certainly worthy. Interestingly, the only version of this book known by Goodreads has a different and more accurate subtitle. Perhaps that explains why I found this volume on the bargain table!

The text is either a translation from Italian or by an author not entirely fluent in English; but that’s a quibble. Otherwise, each essay is more an interpretation or critique of each photographer profiled rather than a biographic sketch; and that’s a good thing. Sometimes the commentary seems a bit contrived, but I found the essays to be useful for stimulating my own thoughts on the works of those profiled.

The reproduction quality is very good, the format of the book is sufficiently large to do justice to the images, and each profile includes a fair selection of their pictures. One aspect that is particularly nice is the full-page portrait of each photographer. The photo of HCB is really nice and one that I had never previously seen.

For a concept book, Behind the Camera pulls it off. You won’t discover anything new & profound about any of the subjects but you will find good quality illustrations and a bit of commentary to stimulate thought.

[Ranmali Kirinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful and impactful collection of photos from the masters.