Photo Book Reviews

Focal Press recently introduced the comprehensive photography book, Twentieth Century Photographers: Interview on the Craft, Purpose, and the Passion of Photography, by Grace Schaub, edited by George Schaub.

The book is a compilation of interviews and essays that cover a broad range of photographers and their various disciplines. Each artist profiled built their career by concentrating on a certain aspect of their craft. This sharp focus allowed them to reach new heights and become recognized for more than the type of images that they were know to create. Each artist developed a distinct style to their work and a clear dedication to the craft as well as a point of view about themselves and the world around them.

The interviews were conducted during the transition from film photography to digital and from print reproduction to rapid global distribution via the Internet. Their iconic images inspire new generations of photographers and now their words will also serve as a vital reference for the future because the special wisdom found in this collection transcends both time and technology.

The book features interviews with many noted photographers including: Mary Ellen Mark, Galen Rowell, Carl Mydans, O. Winston Link, Jodi Cobb, Arnold Newman, Gordon Parks, Martha Casanave, Joyce Tenneson and more. Their works spans a very wide range of fields such as photojournalism, fine art and fashion.

Grace Schaub was a photographer, writer and artist who interviewed many of the most influential photographers of our time for various publications including: Photo Pro, Photographer's Forum, Camera Arts and View Camera magazine. She was also a faculty member in the photographic department at the New School University in NYC. Photographer and writer George Schaub is currently the Editor-at-Large at Shutterbug magazine and is an associate professor at the Parsons School of Design in New York City.

Twentieth Century Photographers: Interviews On The Craft, Purpose, And The Passion Of Photography; by Grace Schaub, edited by George Schaub; Focal Press; $34.95; (ISBN: 978-1138840959)

More info on Twentieth Century Photographers: Interviews on the Craft, Purpose, and the Passion of Photography here.