Nine of the most exciting photography books published this month, covering fashion, art, and documentary and featuring work by some of the medium’s most renowned names
Omaha Sketchbook by Gregory Halpern, published by MACK
Taken over the course of 15 years, Gregory Halpern’s new series – published as a book with MACK and also on show at Huxley-Parlour Gallery – was taken in Omaha, Nebraska, in a stretch of land known as America’s heartland. Omaha Sketchbook brings together portraits, landscapes and documentary photography with a predominant focus on men in the city, drawing a compelling vision of contemporary masculinity.
Manual by Craig McDean, published by Rizzoli
Craig McDean’s second monograph, Manual, is published by Rizzoli this month, and brings together two of the photographer’s longest standing interests: fashion and cars (little-known fact: McDean was a car mechanic before he became a photographer). The book juxtaposes McDean’s striking shots of luxury racing cars and the fashion editorial images that he has shot for the likes of British Vogue, Another Man and AnOther (the photographer recently captured Saoirse Ronan for the cover of AnOther Magazine Spring/Summer 2018). A chance to explore lesser-seen images by one of the most lauded contemporary fashion photographers. Additionally, McDean has partnered with his friend and creative director of BYREDO, Ben Gorham, who in addition to the sleeve of Manual has designed a ready-to-wear and accessories capsule collection in line with the publication, which will be showcased in BYREDO’s Lexington Store.
New York: Club Kids by Waltpaper, published by Damiani
Walt Cassidy – also known as Waltpaper – was an integral member of New York’s Club Kids in the 1990s. Cassidy has produced a history of the underground subculture, complete with photographs of the Club Kids at various nightclubs in the city. “When the Club Kids came along, we brought this idea that our identity was enough; we didn’t have to do anything else,” Cassidy recently told Another Man. “It’s very much ahead of the time. We were criticised at the same time the way people criticise the Kardashians: ‘You’re interesting looking but what do you do?’” Cassidy’s extraordinary tome serves to document this last underground subculture of the analogue age.
Shoot for the Moon by Tim Walker, published by Thames & Hudson
The title of Tim Walker’s upcoming monograph, Shoot for the Moon, comes from a Norman Vincent Peale quotation: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.” The publication celebrates 25 years of Walker’s transporting photography, which favours elements of fantasy and dream-like scenography. Released just ahead of the opening of Wonderful Things at the V&A, Shoot for the Moon is a chance to glimpse into Walker’s extraordinary archive before the blockbuster exhibition – which is set to be the photographer’s biggest yet – opens later this month.
By the Sea: Photographs from the North East, 1976–1980 by Markéta Luskačová, published by RRB Photobooks
Summer may be over but a new photography book by Markéta Luskačová offers some September escapism via images on the English coastline between 1976 and 1980. “I was very touched by it all: the families with children, old women in their best hats, elderly couples with grandchildren, teenagers courting shyly or boisterously, the ponies and donkeys walking patiently to and fro on the beach,” says the Czech photographer, who spent time at Whitley Bay in the North East. Luskačová’s charming photographs depict families enjoying a day at the beach come rain or shine.
The Park by Kohei Yoshiyuki, published by Yossi Milo Gallery and Radius Books
“I think I’m completely ordinary, but I think there is a bit of lecher in everyone,” Japanese photographer Kohei Yoshiyuki told Nobuyoshi Araki in a 1980 conversation. The two image-makers were discussing Yoshiyuki’s controversial new series The Park: photographs taken at night in Tokyo’s public parks among a group of underground voyeurs. The images exposed a flourishing subculture that shocked the conservative Japanese society of the late 1970s. Now being republished as a photography book featuring previously unseen images from the series, The Park offers a singular, if sometimes unsettling, look at this little-documented Tokyo underworld.
11 by Lina Scheynius
Swedish photographer Lina Scheynius’ new book is one of her most intimate projects yet: the image-maker documented her best friend during the last month of her pregnancy and through the birth of her daughter, Ruby, in May 2018. The resulting series is an unflinching look at one of the most affecting periods of a woman’s life. “I wanted to offer a bit more nuance on what giving birth looks like,” Scheynius told AnOther. “I didn’t know just how emotional it was going to be – also for me. When she came out, I hadn’t slept at all for 36 hours, but I still had so much energy; I felt wide awake and alive. It was really beautiful. I think my bond with Ruby will always be extra special.”
California Trip by Dennis Stock, published by Anthology Editions
Dennis Stock’s iconic 1970 photography book California Trip is being republished for the first time. The book compiles photographs taken on Stock’s 1968 five-week road trip through California, capturing the US state’s hippie counterculture during a singular moment of the 20th century. Stock’s black and white images are evocative of the year’s ‘free love’ ethos, and an experimental, laid-back way of living, and California Trip has long been considered a cult publication.
Nathaniel Goldberg, published by Damiani
Portraiture, fashion photography, documentary shots and landscapes come together in Nathaniel Goldberg’s eponymous monograph, a survey of the image-maker’s varied and vibrant oeuvre. Familiar faces like Stella Tennant appear in Goldberg’s captivating portraits, while images shot on the image-maker’s global travels depict striking landscapes. Tracing his 25-year career – which began at the age of 17 on moving to New York from France – Goldberg’s first monograph also showcases personal projects that the photographer has embarked upon: from capturing sadhus in India to male prostitutes in Bangkok.
