Welcome to my Blog!
I hope to share here my irrepressible thoughts on news, music, books, arts, history, cultural events and such like.
In general these will be items, events and issues which I feel have no place on my website (which focusses on aviation history and my travel photography).

The item immediately below this would be the latest posting.

"Anybody, providing he knows how to be amusing, has the right to talk about himself. - Charles Baudelaire
Esse est percipi (To be is to be perceived)" ¬Bishop George Berkeley

"Not even I understand everything I am" ¬Aurelius Augustinus of Hippo

"I'm only myself in front of my typewriter" ¬Joan Didion (I'd replace 'typewriter' by 'desktop PC'..)

In 2013 I started a series of photo albums on Blurb.com, named '36Exp' (a subject adressed in 36 exposures, a reference to the exposures on most common rolls of 35 mm film: 12, 24 & 36.) back in the day.
The books can be ordered directly from the Blurb.com or Amazon.
www.blurb.com/user/ruudleeuw

CURRENT BLOG

In the book 'No Time – Change now, before the climate changes everything' by Naomi Klein, there's more than 600 pages explaining why the current course of life and coexistence is destructive for the earth.
'Extraction' is the industry that kills Planet Earth and it isn't a painless death for its habitants.
Greed and the attitude that this planet is something to exploit and make money from is like a cancer we should fight.
Now the question of what kind of change is needed to solve the climate issue. Naomi Klein shows where things go wrong but also where there's progress to turn events around and more solutions to be found.

Climate change has been a hotly debated topic for a long time. On one side are environmentalists who are trying to warn the world about the consequences of rising temperatures, while on the other side there are voices that deny these statements.
As in her major bestsellers 'No Logo' and 'The Shock Doctrine', successful author and world-famous activist Naomi Klein succeeds in opening our eyes with astonishing stories, thorough research and merciless analyses: we need to change course. ASAP!
A better environment doesn't just start with you – in a world revolved around capitalism, the underlying social, economic and political ideologies must first change before we can save nature.
Naomi Klein sees climate change as a catalyst for change and a better world.

Naomi Klein (Canadian, b.1970-) is a journalist (The Nation, The Guardian), writer and figurehead of the alterglobalists.
Her first worldwide bestseller was 'No Logo' (2001). In 2009, De Geus published 'The Shock Doctrine'. This critically acclaimed book (again published by De Geus [2014], 524 pages + 80 pages of 'Notes' + and an index in a seperate supplement) sold more than a million copies worldwide. It has been translated into more than 30 languages.
'No Time' was published at the same time in Canada, US, England and The Netherlands.
The Dutch edition was translated by Ineke van den Elskamp, Marianne Gaasbeek, Onno Voorhoeve and Annemie de Vries.

Reading this book 10 years after its publication I 'see' progress but not enough to avert the total destruction and much global suffering.

en.wikipedia.org:_Naomi_Klein

Follett's fans, and I consider myself one of them, will enjoy this jaunt through the days before England was merry. This prequel to The Pillars of the Earth (1989) and subsequent follow ups (which I've all read), goes back to The Dark Ages (Dreng's Ferry is later in the book renamed as King's Bridge).

A Viking raid in 997 C.E. (an alternative term to Anno Domini (AD)) kills Edgar’s one true love, Sungifu, and he vows never to love another—but he’s only 18. He has been trained by his father to be a boat builder but he finds himself qualified for much more than working with wood.
The Vikings destroy the town of Combe and the family's boat building business. His father dies as many others do, destitute Edgar travels with his mother and 2 older brothers to Dreng's Ferry and lead a hand-to-mouth existence.
A French Royal party from Cherbourg travel through their hamlet: Lady Ragna is to be married to Wilwulf, a chieftain in the area. Wilwulf has 2 brothers, one a bishop, and between them they rule the region.
Edgar manages to improve conditions at Dreng's Ferry, also through his contacts with Lady Ragna and a monk, Aldred. The latter has a dispute with bishop Wynstan and he is banned from Shiring to Dreng's Ferry. In spite of sabotage by Wynstan, both Edgar and Aldred grow in importance and spread economic improvements.

The plot at its core is boy meets girl and a whole lot of trouble stands in the way of their happiness. Both are attractive and sympathetic protagonists. Ken Follett is a powerful storyteller who will hold the reader's attention with many historic details (e.g. living conditions, the rule of rulers, scheming & plotting, et cetera).
Enjoy your read, going back to the dark days of the 11th century, even if the 897 pages (my paperback) seems a daunting endeavour.

www.kirkusreviews.com/ - /ken-follett/evening-and-morning/
en.wikipedia.org:_Ken_Follett

This exhibition is a tribute to Chris Killip, a celebrated photographer who remains relatively unknown to the general public.
With more than a hundred works, this retrospective at Fotomuseum Den Haag (The Hague) is the most comprehensive survey of his work to date, including previously unseen photographs.

With his empathetic, but above all honest documentary eye, Chris Killip (UK, 1946-2020) is regarded as one of the most influential post-war British photographers.
He spent long periods in the North of England in the 1970s and 1980s, a turbulent period for this region, with one large factory after another being forced to close, leading to massive unemployment and poverty. Killip captured the impact of economic decline like no other, turning his camera (and his heart) on the working class, the people hardest hit by the economic upheaval.

Christopher David Killip (b.11Jul1946 – d.13Oct2020) was a Manx photographer who worked at Harvard University from 1991 to 2017, as a Professor of Visual and Environmental Studies.
He is known for his black and white images of people and places especially of Tyneside during the 1980s.
He received the Henri Cartier-Bresson Award 'In Flagrante' and was shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.
Killip exhibited all over the world, wrote extensively, appeared on radio and television, and curated many exhibitions.

www.flickr.com/photos/ for more photos of this visit
www.fotomuseumdenhaag.nl/ - /chris-killip-retrospective
en.wikipedia.org:_Chris_Killip

In the run-up to the elections, Marieke de Vries looks back on several major events that dominated the news: the death of George Floyd, the storming of the Capitol, the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, his arrest, the televised debate between him and Joe Biden on 27Jun2024, the assassination attempt on one and the withdrawal from the race of the other presidential candidate.

Marieke also talks candidly about her all-American family by marriage: hard-working coal miners who have changed from democratic union members to fanatical Trump supporters in the foreseeable future.
Comparing this book with the ones I recently read by Michiel Vos and Charles Groenhuijsen, about the USA, I liked this one best, esspecially because she shares the views by her family in West Virginia (Trump fans!).
The living conditions and their background explain how they migrated from from the Democrats to the Republicans; they share where it went wrong for them for the Democratic Party and explains some of the Presidential 2024 Elections results...

America America offers both a glimpse into the unusual life of a foreign reporter and an insider's look at America in the run-up to the presidential election on 05Nov2024.
Moreover, this book shows the person behind the liberal and conservative voters in the deeply divided land of unlimited possibilities.

Marieke de Vries (b. 05Jul1972-) is a Dutch journalist. She currently works as a reporter in the United States for the NOS News.
During her studies, she did an internship at the KRO and at Stads-TV Rotterdam, the predecessor of RTV Rijnmond.
After completing her education in 1996, she started working as a freelancer at Stads-TV Rotterdam and later joined SBS Productions. Here she worked as a reporter for Hart van Nederland.
Since 2004, De Vries has been associated with the NOS, where she works as a reporter for the NOS News. Her specialty was reporting on the Royal Family of The Netherlands at first.
In the summer of 2012, De Vries became a correspondent in China, succeeding Wouter Zwart. In November 2018, De Vries succeeded Zwart again on 01Apr2019, this time as correspondent in the United States.
A line in the last chapter in her book Amerika Amerika suggests she is in het last year as a USA correspondent for the NOS.

libris.nl/ - /marieke-de-vries/amerika-amerika/ (NL)
NL.wikipedia.org:_Marieke_de_Vries (NL)

De Verdeelde Staten van America - Charles Groenhuijsen
Atlas Contact, 2024

America will elect another president in 2024... In fact today is the last day to cast the votes: Kamala Harris or Donald J. Trump as the next President of the United States!
In his new book The Divided States of America, Charles Groenhuijsen explains how so-called culture wars play a role in the American political debate. On the one hand, the author sees a right-wing revolution of the Republicans and Donald Trump, with a flight to extremism.
And on the other hand, a revolution of the young generation: it advocates more tolerance and less influence of religion.

Groenhuijsen was never my favourite expert on the USA, but in this book (the first I've read by him) he clearly lists the facts and and analyses the shifts in cultures, identities and emotions increasingly playing a role in the US (as well as world wide).
Every chapter ends with a list of statistics in percentages, good and bad.

Over the past 50 years, we have seen a whole series of 'Culture Wars', a battle of directions in which conservatives try to restore traditional values and norms from the past. Invariable in all this political turmoil is the fierce and emotional polarization between Republicans and Democrats.

And there is another constant: it is not about cold facts, but mainly about heated ideologies.
A recurring phenomenon is the cultivation of fear of an imaginary danger...
In the 1950s, US voters fell open-eyed into the political trap of right-wing talkers with their doomsday scenarios about communist infiltrators, the unstoppable advance of the Soviet Union and the imminent demise of the Free West. The Vietnam War was intended to counter the advance of communism. Did it really threaten America? No, not really. These days we have the fear (in the US) "from within..".

Groenhuijsen was initially a general reporter at the Dutch tv (NOS), but in 1986 he left for the United States where he became America correspondent for the NOS News.
He returned in 1989 to The Netherlands and worked as a presenter and programme maker for 'NOS-Laat' (together with Maartje van Weegen) and NOVA.
Groenhuijsen returned to the United States in 1996. As a freelance journalist, he was 'America correspondent' for the NOS Journaal, NOVA, Vrij Nederland and Intermediair. On 1 February 2005 he was succeeded as NOS correspondent by Wouter Kurpershoek.
In the course of the 2010s, Groenhuijzen regularly appeared as a commentator on Dutch talk shows. From the beginning of 2020 to June 2024, he was, together with the journalist Carrie ten Napel, the weekly host of the new talk show Op1 at the NPO on Wednesdays.
In addition, Groenhuijsen has started his own podcast about America and positive thinking.

historiek.net/de-verdeelde-staten-van-amerika (NL)
NL.wikipedia.org:_Charles_Groenhuijsen

Having photographed some of the most luxurious homes in the world, this renowned photographer,
Craig Fraser has found true inspiration in some of the poorest dwellings in the world...
Using only available light, Fraser left the interiors unstyled to capture their ‘true beauty’.
This book celebrates a decorating spirit that renews and colours South Africa’s urban landscape.

At first glance, it has something uncomfortable and voyeuristic, a coffee table book with interiors from the slums of South Africa. And that is reinforced by the title: Shack chic. As the preface says: 'The concepts of chic and shack are so far apart that the idea that they could coincide is almost shocking.'
But Shack chic is an inspiring, respectful and beautiful book.
No matter how few resources they have, the residents have made something of their houses. And they are, judging by the photos and quotes, proud of it.
Walls are decorated with packaging materials - the pink wall in the pictured photo consists of wrappers for cans of dog food - scarce objects are arranged and displayed with care, the bright colors precisely matched.

Some of the most well-known improvised townships in Cape Town are Marconi Beam, Barcelona, KTC, Phola Park/Waterfront, Sweet Home, Tambo Square, Boys Town, Brown's Farm, Joe Slovo Park, New Rest, Vietnam, Lwandle, Oostenberg, Happy Valley, Spandau, Bermuda, Victoria Myenge and Trevor Vilakazi...
The shantytowns date from the goldrush at the start of the 20th century, when migrant workers found shelter in camps. Later people looking for work in the cities joined, esspecially around Gauteng and Johannesburg.
Ca. 1950 South Africa numbered twenty shantytowns. People were looking for work in the cities, in the fast growing industries, wineries and fisheries.
Opposition worked against these shantytowns, sometimes leading to destruction and removal, for they also spread diseases (e.g. cholera) but these 'townships' grew in numbers and in size.
By 1960 the population of the townships had doubled. Unemployment grew too.
By the mid-1980s the government took a less opposing attitude and thus the townships increased further and by 1994 the townships were inundated by migrant workers from rural areas to seek their fortune in the cities with help of their relatives or friends.

Photographer Craig Fraser has an impressive background in photojournalism, hard news and commercial interiors. His work has appeared in ELLE Decoration UK and France, Swedish Gourmet and Habitat, as well as local publications like House and Leisure, Femina and Fair Lady.
While one might wonder why someone would depart from such a résumé, there came a time when Craig wanted to explore more authentic cultural pursuits. Even though his work has paired him with some of the world’s top designers and stylists, his heart remains rooted in Africa.
As managing director of Quivertree Publications, Craig now focuses on showcasing niche subjects with a uniquely South African character. He is passionate about local design and culture and delights in the endless source of inspiration right on his doorstep!

It's a wonderful book full of hope, strong colours and welcoming smiles!
Size 230 x 230 mm • Pages 192

www.quivertreepublications.com/books/shack-chic/
www.volkskrant.nl/voorpagina/de-schoonheid-van-armoede~NL

The work of Ed van der Elsken, Bertien van Manen, Ata Kandó, Maya Pejic and dozens of other documentary photographers depict a unique look at a turbulent period of 20 years, in which the city of Amsterdam underwent radical changes.

How the lives of ordinary people of Amsterdam ('Amsterdammers') slowly changed. And how the economic crisis and urban renewal created a new Amsterdam. From Ajax winning the European Cup to the Nieuwmarkt riots, the construction of the Bijlmer, squatters, punks and the inauguration of Queen Beatrix and the Coronation riots.
Really enjoyed this, but a pity there was no catalogue !

www.amsterdam.nl/ - /amsterdam-city-archives/

BredaPhoto Festival 'JOURNEYS' ran 13Sept. - 03Nov2024.
The journey as a metaphor for life-changing development. Whether it is a psychological quest for one’s own identity and a meaningful life, or an intensely physical journey in search of freedom and simply survival, it is these and other stories that fill out the eleventh edition of BredaPhoto.

It was probably 12-14 years ago I first visited it and this was my 2nd visit to this photo event. It was a disappointing experience this time... It was smaller in total exhibitions, exhibitions seemed more modest too. The map was confusing as it also mentioned café and restaurants while they had nothing to do with photographs on display. Trying to make it seem bigger than it actually was?
I thought I could also go by the 'BredaPhoto' flags at shops but soon found out these shops had nothing to do with photos on display. It did look festive but obscured the larger flags marking entrances.
I first went for 'BredaPhoto Office' on Google Maps, thinking I could buy tickets there and obtain a map, but there was no one there, nobody answered the bell.
There was no central bookstore to buy something of the artists on display, there was one on our previous visit.
There were 2 displays at 't Zoet, recommended by 2 exhibitions but these weren't signposted. When I asked passers by while driving around in our car, they confirmed one can't get to them by car (!) and where one should park the car isn't signposted either... "Yes, we noticed a lot of people searching.."
We'd driven the route they described but hadn't seen a single BredaPhoto poster.
There's no place to park the car at 't Zoet Park, we drove as far as we could, but saw no poster or signs.
Disgusted we turned around and headed home.
I doubt if I ever will visit this event again: it is badly organized and had not a single 'pulling name'... It is nowhere as good as the photo exhibitions organized at one time at Naarden-Vesting

bredaphoto.nl/festival/bredaphoto-festival-2024/
www.flickr.com/photos/

Ad van Denderen visited Israel and the occupied territories several times, and succeeded in gaining access to factions which have influenced both Israeli and Palestinian progress in the peace process.
This access enabled Van Denderen to make a visual report about a world in which people are confronted with ‘the situation’ every day of their lives. Through being present at crucial moments in the conflct, Van Denderen has been able to record them.
Peace in the Holy Land documents political developments in a part of the world which constantly begs our attention. At the same time, it shows us how people manage to survive under explosive
circumstances.

Ad van Denderen has been following daily life in Israel and the Palestinian territories with his camera for almost 25 years. Initially, he photographed in black and white, in a classic, direct reportage style. About 15 years ago, black and white gave way to colour and since then Van Denderen has used a monumental, more detached style of photography.
This book, published in 1997 by De Geus, is entirely in B&W. It has 3 fine essays by Joop van Tijn, Amos Oz and Ehud Ya'ari. Such a pity that the hope they expressed for Israel and Palestina being on the road to peace was hammered into the ground this year..

'Peace in the Holy Land' is the result of a project that began in 1993, when he had the opportunity to spend a year photographing in Israel and the Palestinian territories. In the end, it turned out to be four years because the situation was difficult to visualize.
Van Denderen saw that every party in the conflict was right somewhere. That made choosing a position a perilous business.
In 1966, Van Denderen was in Israel for the first time, when he spent 6 months in a small agricultural cooperative. There he witnessed a thriving community where Jews and Arabs worked the land together. The future was viewed with optimism..
The Six-Day War (5-10 June 1967) shattered that idyllic and idealistic image.
When Van Denderen returned in 1993, he found a society where solidarity was hard to find. In 'Peace in the Holy Land', the focus was on the daily lives of the Palestinians and, to a lesser extent, the settlers.
The photos offer a counterbalance to press photos that give an all too one-sided picture of the conflict. Since this book published in 1997, Ad van Denderen continued going back on a regular basis.

More of his work on a recent retrospective (where I bought this book) further down this page.

www.advandenderen.nl
fotoexpositie.nl/exposities/jerusalem_stone (2017)

'The Age of Kali' has been hidden for many years in my backlog of books to read: I've bought it secondhand in Bangkok (has a stamp in it of DasaBookCafe.com Bangkok) and goes well with my interest in India (which I visited in 2009 - for Bangkok and India see my Travel Index page).

'The Age of Kali' is a 1998 travel book by William Dalrymple. The book's theme is trouble in the Indian subcontinent and the Hindu belief in a time called the Kali Yuga when many problems will come to exist in the world.
The book gives an overview of many of the top controversies in the region at the time of publication, including interviews with players in those events. In fact it is a collection of essays collected through almost a decade of travel around the Indian subcontinent.

William Dalrymple has proved himself to be one of the most perceptive and enjoyable travel writers of the 1990s.
His first book, 'In Xanadu', became an instant backpacker's classic, winning a stream of literary prizes. 'City of Djinns' and 'From the Holy Mountain' soon followed, to universal critical praise. Yet it is India that Dalrymple continues to return to in his travels, and his 4th book, 'The Age of Kali', has a more reflective character.
The result of 10 year's living and traveling throughout the Indian subcontinent, 'The Age of Kal'i emerges from Dalrymple's uneasy sense that the region is slipping into the most fearsome of all epochs in ancient Hindu cosmology: "the Kali Yug, the Age of Kali, the lowest possible throw, an epoch of strife, corruption, darkness, and disintegration."

The scope of the book is particularly impressive, from the vivid opening chapters portraying the lawless caste violence of Bihar, to interviews with the drug barons on the North-West Frontier, and Dalrymple's extraordinary encounter with the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
Some of the most fascinating sections of the book are Dalrymple's interviews with Imran Khan and Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan.

William Benedict Hamilton-Dalrymple CBE FRAS FRSL FRGS FRSE FRHistS (b.20Mar1965 -) is an India-based Scottish historian and art historian, as well as a curator, broadcaster and critic.
He is also one of the co-founders and co-directors of the world's largest writers' festival, the annual Jaipur Literature Festival.

It won't be the last book I'll read by him! It's the best travel writing I've enjoyed for many years!

en.wikipedia.org:_The_Age_of_Kali
www.goodreads.com/ - / The_Age_of_Kali
en.wikipedia.org:_William_Dalrymple

I did a double feature, after the Ad van Denderen visit I went to the nearby National Military Museum in Park Soesterberg (former air base where I have some history too - Soesterberg Remembered) for Eddy van Wessel's humongous display of some of his Ukraine photos.

Eddy: "It's more than an exhibition. I want to take people on a trip to Ukraine."
What does it mean to live in a war zone? To fight at the front? To be forced to leave loved one behind whilst you flee to a safe country, such as The Netherlands?
'War Stories | Ukraine Up Close' shows the lives of servicemen and civilians seperated from each other, the immense destruction and suffering in Ukraine.
Eddy: "I hope that people will mentally travel to Ukraine and start thinking what the fuck is happening there? And that eventually they will come to understand how a war impacts someone!"

Carla Marcus of the National Military Museum says this exhibit is unique to the museum.
"Before this, we only had photo exhibitions that had to do with the museum or with military history.
This is the first time that we organize a different exhibition. Given the situation in the world, we think this is important."

Eddy van Wessel (b,14Mar1965 -) is a Dutch photographer. He works as a photographer in conflict and disaster areas.
His photographs have been published internationally in magazines such as Stern, Paris Match,
LeMonde2 and The Washington Post Magazine.
Since 1992 he has been an independent photographer who often works for the (Dutch) daily newspapers Trouw and Vrij Nederland. In the early years, he worked a lot for Médecins Sans Frontières.
Between 1994 and 2004 he followed the wars in Chechnya, followed by years in the Middle East (e.g. Iraq).
Since the past few years he visited Ukraine many times to photograph the Russian invasion.
He was awarded the Silver Camera in The Netherlands four times (2012, 2015, 2019, 2022) for his war photography.

NL.wikipedia.org:_Eddy_van_Wessel
www.nmm.nl/en/

There was recently a retrospective exhibition in Rotterdam's Fotomuseum ('En Route'; MyBlog-2024Q1) on Ad van Denderen's photography and his many travels since 1960s. But I read about another Retrospective of his work and on certain dates he would do a talk!
And I lived nearby from the age of 10 until 20 but had never visited Slot Zeist (actually still haven't been inside the actual 'castle').
I had to go and yesterday I found the talk was even better than I'd expected.

We talked a little before he started his talk (I was early!) as I feared he would do a talk from a corner in the room, a brief biography and answer questions. But found he walked his audience through the photos on display, talking about where / when / why, while sometimes detailing some 'adventurous' background details. He didn't seem a person easily fazed.
And he answered questions, as for some of the visitors the world 20+ years ago was very different from now.

Besides his social documentary projects and assignments his career developed through abstract projects such as 'Stone' (about the conflict between Israel and Palestina) and 'Blue on Blue'.
His last major assignment and travel is some 8 years behind him now, at present he's busy transferring his archive (ca. 100.000 photos he said, a major project sorting and doing administration) to the Dutch Fotomuseum (Rotterdam) and he's just finished with an exhibition in France and soon starts work on an exhibition in South Africa.

It was a new experience for me to witness a photographer speak in person about his work and I found it very impressive!

NL.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_van_Denderen (NL)

Alex Webb is an American photographer who had exhibitions at museums worldwide. He has been member of Magnum Photos since 1979 and has published numerous photobooks.
Alex Webb is known for his vibrant colour photographs, which this book is full of. I would like to add that his photography is complex, involving multiple background with the foreground out of focus or black silhouettes. It is best to look at the photographs in detail, there can be hidden gems...

Even though Webb was a part of the second generation of American photographers working in colour, he is said to be a pioneer of American color photography.

The Suffering of Light is a photography book (115 photos!) published by Thames & Hudson (2021), but is actually a reprint from Aperture's 2011 publication (reprints 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020).
It is the first comprehensive monograph charting the career of this acclaimed American photographer, gathering some of his most iconic colour images he had been taking since 1978.
If I would define his work in four words it would be intense colors and brilliant, often complex composition. Amazing how he manages to see and create layers in his compositions!

The book presents street photography and photojournalism in a form of fine art.
What is interesting about this book is that it is organised chronologically. It is the only book that focuses on Webb’s work chronologically and not thematically. His other books focus on places he photographed.
I hope to be able to collect more of his work (but I wouldn't mind if those books are of smaller size, for this Thames & Hudson edition is almost too grand!).

Alex Webb (b.05May1952 -) is a photographer who makes vibrant and complex color photographs.
He has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1979.
Webb's books include Hot Light/Half-Made Worlds (1986), Under a Grudging Sun (1989), From The Sunshine State (1996), Amazon (1997), Crossings (2003), Istanbul (2007), The Suffering of Light (2011), La Calle (2016), as well as with photographer Rebecca Norris Webb , his wife and creative partner
—Violet Isle (2009), Memory City (2014), Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb on Street Photography and the Poetic Image (2014), Slant Rhymes (2017), and Brooklyn: The City Within (2019).

Born in San Francisco, Webb was raised in New England. He became interested in photography as a high school student. In 1972 attended the Apeiron Workshops in Millerton,NY, where he met Magnum photographers Bruce Davidson and Charles Harbutt.
Webb went on to study history and literature at Harvard University (graduating in 1974), but also studied photography at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts.
By 1974 he was working as a photojournalist and in 1976 became an associate member of Magnum Photos.

webbnorriswebb.co
aboutphotography.blog/ - - /the-suffering-of-light-by-alex-webb
en.wikipedia.org:_Alex_Webb_(photographer)
On MyBlog-2023Q2 I reviewed the couple's book On Street Photography and the Poetic Image

We visited the fleamarket in the Ontmoetingskerk in Dieren this morning. Had a nice browse. Proceeds
go to the maintenance of the church. This market is held once every 2 years.

The TASCHEN coffee table book 'A Gun for Hire' brings together a selection of Helmut Newton's work for fashion catalogues from the early 1960s to 2003.
I bought it a while ago when visiting the museum in Berlin on his work. I liked the retrospective purpose of this as well as Newton's 'I did it my way' attitude!
I also like the multilingual essays (English, French, German), something the French most of the time don't offer. I was told in a bookshop that bookshops can mail books for free if they are only in French, a governmental sponsorship to promote the French language... A joke, right?!

Helmut Newton did not distinguish compositionally or stylistically between his magazine work and assignments for commercial clients.
He ironically referred to himself as “a gun for hire.” That was also the title of June Newton's legendary book about his commercial photography, which is now (2024) available in a new edition revised by the Helmut Newton Foundation.

Today, German photographer Helmut Newton is remembered as one of fashion photography’s greatest legends. He pushed the boundaries of what makes a fashion photo pop, and elevated the sense of drama in each shot, so much—that many of his photos look like film noir stills.
His famous phrase “gun for hire” has been turned into a photobook. A new edition of his book A Gun For Hire was released with Taschen on February 6 (2023).

Helmut Newton (born Helmut Neustädter; 31Oct1920 – d.23Jan2004) was a German-Australian photographer.
The New York Times described him as a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications."
The increasingly oppressive restrictions placed on Jews under the Nuremberg laws, meant that his father lost control of the factory in which he manufactured buttons and buckles. He was briefly interned in
a concentration camp on Kristallnacht, 09Nov1938, which finally compelled the family to leave Germany.
Newton's parents fled to Argentina.
Newton was issued with a passport just after turning 18 and left Germany on 05Dec1938. At Trieste, he boarded the Conte Rosso, along with about 200 others escaping the Nazis, intending to journey to China. After arriving in Singapore, Newton found he was able to remain there, first briefly as a photographer
for the Straits Times and then as a portrait photographer.

www.taschen.com/en/ - /helmut-newton-a-gun-for-hire/
www.forbes.com/helmut-newtons-latest-taschen-book-gun-for-hire
en.wikipedia.org:_Helmut_Newton

One of my purchases recently in Paris, with Le Plac'Art Photo. As yet I had nothing By Leonard Freed in my (photo)book collection and was pleased to run into this retrospective! The essays are only in French, normally I wouldn't buy it but I was keen to have this book!

A fine compiler of still images without words, Leonard Freed uses the "universal language" that photography is for him. In the back is a list with where & when the photo was taken often including a brief caption.
He has selected 170 powerful images on a wide range of subjects, taken over more than 30 years of a career spent travelling to every continent, backpack and camera in hand.
He's been witness of wars and other catastrophes, police action but the important thing is not the 'disaster' that he has made his profession, but "life with all its emotions".

Leonard Freed (b.23Oct1929 – d.29Nov2006) was an American documentary photojournalist and longtime Magnum Photos member.
Freed had wanted to be a painter, but began taking photographs in the Netherlands (!) and discovered a new passion.
He traveled in Europe and Africa before returning to the United States where he attended The New School and studied with Alexey Brodovitch, the art director of Harper's Bazaar.
In 1958 he moved to Amsterdam to photograph its Jewish community. Through the 1960s he continued to work as a freelance photojournalist, traveling widely.
His career blossomed during the American civil rights movement, when he traveled the country with Martin Luther King Jr. in his celebrated march across the U.S. from Alabama to Washington.
In later years, Freed continued photographing in Italy, Turkey, Germany, Lebanon and the U.S. He also shot four films for Japanese, Dutch and Belgian television.

www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/leonard-freed
en.wikipedia.org:_Leonard_Freed

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