Of especial interest to me was the work of Capa, a photographer who I have [rightly] admired since I picked up a camera. A retrospective of his work was the first photobook that I ever purchased and I have since obtained some of the original publications of his work (eg, the edition of Life magazine that published the images of the D-Day landings, one of which is shown above). There are hundreds of websites and blogs discussing Capa's work, so there is little point in adding to them with what would ultimately be inferior comments to what has already been written; but suffice it to say, the Barbican exhibition is worthy of the visit and helps to place the significance of Capa's work within the annals of war photography.
Of other worthy note (for me) is Geert van Kesteren's work, published in 2 books: 'Why Mister Why' and 'Baghdad Calling'; the former already a classic and the latter destined to become one. I constantly review images from both Iraq and Afghanistan (from those taken by both military and civilian sources) and van Kesteren's work has such an energy and honesty that it stands out above the rest. The influence that his 'fly on the wall' documentary style has had on my own work is huge; it gets to the very heart of its subject and is something I hope to emulate.
The Barbican are presenting a comprehensive series of talks over the coming months (until the end of Jan 09), which I hope to attend and comment upon. They will undoubtedly be a huge source of inspiration.
Of other worthy note (for me) is Geert van Kesteren's work, published in 2 books: 'Why Mister Why' and 'Baghdad Calling'; the former already a classic and the latter destined to become one. I constantly review images from both Iraq and Afghanistan (from those taken by both military and civilian sources) and van Kesteren's work has such an energy and honesty that it stands out above the rest. The influence that his 'fly on the wall' documentary style has had on my own work is huge; it gets to the very heart of its subject and is something I hope to emulate.
The Barbican are presenting a comprehensive series of talks over the coming months (until the end of Jan 09), which I hope to attend and comment upon. They will undoubtedly be a huge source of inspiration.
