Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography Since the Sixties - Hardcover

Abbott, Brett

4.05

22 ratings by Goodreads

9781606060223: Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography Since the Sixties

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1606060228 ISBN 13: 9781606060223

Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2010

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In the decades following World War II, an independently minded, critically engaged form of photojournalism began to flourish. It was not destined for the morning papers or exclusively for newsmagazines, and it did not attempt to be neutral. This kind of photojournalism was self-assigned. It declared its independence from the mainstream media's editorial control, and it was disseminated to the public through books, exhibitions, articles, and, more recently, the Web.
Engaged Observers focuses on nine photographers who have participated in the development of this documentary approach. Surveyed are Leonard Freed (Black in White America), Philip Jones Griffiths (Vietnam Inc.), W. Eugene Smith (Minamata), Susan Meiselas (Nicaragua: June 1978-July 1979), Mary Ellen Mark (Streetwise), Larry Towell (The Mennonites), Sebastiao Salgado (Migrations), Lauren Greenfield (Girl Culture), and James Nachtwey ("The Sacrifice"). Each section opens with an introductory essay that sets the work in its evolving historical context.

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About the Author:

Brett Abbott is associate curator in the Department of Photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum. He is the editor of Edward Weston's Book of Nudes and the author of In Focus: Edward Weston.

Review:

“The camera’s might as the teller of history and societal critic is in full vigor in this remarkable collection. Anyone with a taste for this brand of photography will be richly rewarded. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal

“These documentarians have tackled subjects that range from race relations and war to eating disorders and mass migrations. Departing from the confines of traditional photojournalism, they have combined their skills as reporters with their personal vision as artists.”—Montreal Gazette

“Showing the past and its hardships, these evocative photos surely transcend the realm of traditional photojournalism.”—Photo Review

“Some of the best documentary photography of the twentieth century.”—Seattle Times

“The nine preeminent photographers presented in this book have changed the course of both history and photographic history by blurring the lines between objectivity and subjectivity in photography. They have redefined the very idea of what documentary photography is.”—Choice

A superb compilation . . . [that] includes images taken in remote and often dangerous locations by famous photographers such as Robert Kappa, Walker Evans, W. Eugene Smith, and many more.” Snap Shots

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