Welcome to the Curious Eye
I love photography and I love thoughtful writing on photography.
I’ve spent a lifetime in communications, but as I transition from working for others to working to please myself, I intend to use this site to share my thoughts and my photographs.
These are personal pictures. Most have no commercial value. I hope that a handful have artistic value, but at a minimum I hope they are interesting to look at.
Photography Book Archive
I am gradually trying to build an archive of brief summaries and reviews of photography books that others can use if they are curious about the art of photography.
If you are looking for “how to” books, you won’t find many here. But, if you are interested in the history of photography as a means of personal expression, and the criticism of such, there is a good chance you will find this interesting.
Book Reviews and Posts
Things as They Are: Photojournalism in Context Since 1955
For anyone who is interested in the history of photojournalism “Things as They Are: Photojournalism in Context Since 1965,” is an indispensable book.
As the title suggests, the this is not simply one more portfolio of great press photographs, but actually reproduces the photographs as they originally appeared when published in magazines from 1955 until 2005.
Andreas Gursky
Andreas Gursky is one of the most significant and influential photographers of the late 20th and early 21st Century. This book contains excellent reproductions of his best-known works as well as an interview with Gursky and commentary on his significance.
Bystander: A History of Street Photography
Bystander: A History of Street Photography is a thoughtful text that is surprisingly readable and accessible despite its substantial length. It has a style that is encyclopedic, while remaining engaging and free of stilted language.
Photography: Two Centuries of History and Images
Walter Guadagnini has undertaken the task of not only documenting the history of photography, but also of placing photography into the social context across two centuries.
Guadagnini concentrates on trends in photography and in society, offering illuminating and understandable explanations of how photography influenced the world and how the world has influenced photography.
