August 2023 MBR The Photography Shelf

The Photography Shelf

Oceano: An Elegy for the Earth
David Ulrich
George F Thompson Publishing
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781938086922, $45.00, HC, 156pp

https://www.amazon.com/Oceano-Elegy-Earth-David-Ulrich/dp/1938086929

Synopsis: Climate change is the great existential reality of our time. How we approach this crisis will affect life on Earth for present and future generations. In spite of our collective ideals, irreversible damage to the environment is imminent and represents urgent local and global concern. Through artfully rendered photographs of an acutely endangered landscape, With the publication of "Oceano: An Elegy for the Earth", photographer David Ulrich visually explores the deep paradox between the devout, powerful presence of nature and environmental loss and damage.

Extending eighteen miles along Central California's famed coastline and divided into both a natural preserve and a state vehicular recreation area, the Oceano Dune complex has long fascinated photographers such as Ansel Adams and Edward and Brett Weston. The ephemeral, ever-changing landscape here expresses a sublime order and reflects many correlations between land and the dynamics of human society. Using metaphors that inspire hope and explore impermanence and darkness contrasted with the purity of suffusing light, Ulrich's photographs have been likened to Mark Rothko's "silence and solitude" that express the resonance and subtle dimensions of consciousness.

The coastal environment of the Oceano Dunes is tempered by multiple threats such as incessant motorized activity, the toxicity of surrounding industrial-scale agriculture, and some of the worst air quality in the nation. Thus, for the book's sequence of images, the photographer employs the literary form of an elegy, an extended reflection and lamentation on Earth during the early twenty-first century.

An elegy refers to a poetic reflection of sorrow and love, often for a transient, mortal entity. As Ulrich writes: "Sorrow and love for Earth, indeed. No better articulation exists for my regard for our dying planet and common mother."

Critique: This large format (10.2 x 1 x 7.9 inches, 2.85 pounds) hardcover volume of "Oceano: An Elegy for the Earth" by David Ulrich is published by George F. Thompson Publishing and distributed by Casemate/IPM. An impressive and compelling compendium of un-captioned, full page photos (four in full color, the rest in black/white), "Oceano: An Elegy for Earth" is a particularly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library collections -- and will be of special interest to students of photography and climate change driven environmental impacts.

Editorial Note: David Ulrich (https://creativeguide.com) is an active photographer and writer whose work has been published in numerous books and journals, including Aperture, MANOA, Parabola, and Sierra Club publications. Ulrich's photographs have been exhibited internationally in more than seventy-five one-person and group exhibitions in museums, galleries, and universities. He is currently a professor and co-director of Pacific New Media Foundation in Honolulu, Hawai'i.

The Interior Landscape
Guy Tai
Rocky Nook
1010 B Street, Ste 350, San Rafael, CA 94901
https://rockynook.com
9781681988917, $40.00, HC, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Interior-Landscape-Reflections-Creativity-Photography/dp/1681988917

Synopsis: Photographer, teacher, and author Guy Tal has been photographing the landscape for more than 30 years, and in that time he has also been consistently contributing to the literature of photography, writing not about the technical aspects of the photograph (the gear, the exposure details, the "secrets to getting a great shot") but about the deeper topics of visual expression, creativity, art, and life.

Building on the legacy of his previous books "More Than a Rock" and "Another Day Not Wasted", as well as his work as a regular contributor to LensWork and On Landscape magazines, With the publication of "The Interior Landscape: The Landscape on Both Sides of the Camera: Reflections on Art, Creativity, Expression, and a Life in Photography", Guy offers a collection of more than 60 brief essays, and illustrated throughout with Guy's stunning photography.

Of special note is Guy discussion of: Creativity and expression as the most significant aspects of making art; The controversial and tenuous relationship between photography (by design a medium for objective representation) and art (by definition the subjective expressions of the imagination of artists); How he has formed a relationship with, and found meaning in, the natural landscape, and how he expresses these meanings in his photographs; Lessons learned from more than three decades of practicing expressive landscape photography.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, thoughtful and thought-provoking read that will be of particular value to photography students, professional photographers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in art appreciation, "The Interior Landscape: The Landscape on Both Sides of the Camera: Reflections on Art, Creativity, Expression, and a Life in Photography" is an ideal pick for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary Photography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "The Interior Landscape" is also readily available in digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: Guy Tal (https://guytal.com) is a lifelong learner and explorer whose interest in art, science, and philosophy converged with his intense love of wild places, which he expresses through his photography and writing. He is a public speaker, educator, and frequent contributor to several photographic publications. Guy's first book, "More Than A Rock", was published by Rocky Nook in 2015.

Park Place: Out West
David Heberlein
George F Thompson Publishing
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
9781938086946, $40.00, HC, 112pp

https://www.amazon.com/Park-Place-West-David-Heberlein/dp/1938086945

Synopsis: The National Park Service was established by an act of Congress in 1916 to "preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations." This directive to protect wilderness yet provide accessibility to it without somehow compromising the integrity of the natural resources seems to be a self-fulfilling contradiction and an arena for conflicting priorities.

With the publication of "Park Place: Out West", photographer David Heberlein explores the tension between access and enjoyment and preservation of America's public lands.

From 1992 to 2019, he traveled throughout the American West and visited thirty-five national parks, monuments, and recreation areas. His stunning photographs, made in the course of his many journeys, document the human presence within the national parks and monuments of the American West. They allude to human influence both through the marks we make on the land (whether temporary or permanent) and through the presence of visitors who appear in numerous shapes and sizes performing a variety of familiar sightseeing activities.

These shifting scenarios provide compelling photographic documentation of the multiple roles that national parks and monuments play and the ongoing need to balance the human impact on nature with the preservation of wild places.

"Park Place: Out West" is comprised of sixty-four tritone photographs by David Heberlein along with an introductory essay by the photographer and an informative afterword.

Critique: Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library American Photography collections, this large format (12.25 x 0.52 x 10 inches, 2.4 pounds) hard cover edition of "Park Place: Out West" from George F. Thompson Publishing will prove to be a welcome addition to a longstanding tradition of artists, writers -- as well as amateur and professional photographers heading out West to see and explore and interpret America's national treasures.

Editorial Note: David Heberlein (https://www.davidheberlein.com) retired as professor emeritus from the University of Wisconsin System at River Falls. His teaching career spanned thirty years and upwards of a thousand photography students.

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