Book Review: Baghdad Calling

Book Review: Baghdad Calling

Geert Van Kesteren

ISBN 9789059730830

Much of the talk during the presentations at The Eye festival this year was centered around the future of photo-journalism.  This book is a great example of many of the professionals fears - that the 'citizen reporter' will soon overtake the paid veteran.  

This book has been printed on two different types of paper.  The bulk of the book has been printed on what looks and feels like newspaper.  The colours are subdued and the image quality is low.  This is obviously a deliberate choice by the publishers to make the book feel like a collection of cut-outs from contemporary newspapers at the time of the trouble sin Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.  The images were all collected by Kesteren and his team to give an exclusive insight into the lives of everyday citizens.  By using these images, many taken on mobile phones, he is able to present pictures from locations and situations that a professional journalism would never have access to.  Many of the images seem mundane, a wedding, men in a public park, a market place but dispersed amongst these shots are scenes of dead bodies in the street, bullet riddled buildings and the aftermath of suicide bombings.  These images are not exceptionally graphic but there placement amongst the 'banal' serves to shock the viewer as they skim the pages.

In addition to the collected images is a photo essay by Kesteren.  His images are presented on a higher quality a paper on pages that are slightly smaller than the rest of the book.  The difference in quality is huge, both  of the print and the actual photographic skill.  Kesteren is clearly fighting the case for the professional journalist.  The level of access he has is less than that of the amateurs but his use of light, framing and composition add a level of beauty to his images.  

Each chapter is a compilation of images from one 'hotspot'.  At the start of every chapter is a few pages of text, extracts from diaries or eye witness accounts from people who lived through the troubles.  Much like the book 'It's All Good' these stories really add to the book.  This is a device I will need to consider for any future work I may be attempting. 

For me both sets of images are equally important and are strengthened by being shown together in one book.  Photo journalism is close to a tipping point and the future is unclear.  Books like Baghdad Calling show how the amateur and professional could work together.  The amateur images give a greater level of access but the sheer volume of images produced during any event requires strict filtering to capture the essence of the moment.  This can then supported by the images from a professional who is able to pick specific topics to represent and, in a way, act as a figurehead for the massed images.  Without Kesteren many of these images may have been lost forever and that would be a terrible shame.

Baghdad Calling can be bought on Amazon HERE

Book Review: Questions without Answers

Book Review: Questions without Answers
The World in Pictures by the Photographers of VII

This book contains over 50 different photographic series from 11 of the major photographers from the agency VII.  The book contains 368 pages and is sized slightly larger than A4.  Although many of the images are in black and white those that are shot in colour are gloriously presented.  The paper seems to vary in weight and in several instances I thought that two pages had stuck together such was the quality.  Each of the photographers has their own chapter and the chapters commence with a brightly coloured insert.  In addition to the photo work there is an introductory essay by David Friend.

If you were as quick off the mark as I was, you may be able to get hold of a special edition that has been signed by 7 of the photographers - see the photo and imagine my grinning face being very happy at my purchase!

As for the book itself I totally love it.  I used to think of the Magnum agency as the best photo agency but after a chat with a photography lecturer at the University of Wales, Newport was introduced to the works of VII.  As the book is a compilation piece the variety of images means that there is something in there to please any viewer.


My favourite works from the book are:

Ageing in America by Ed Kashi.  This is a powerful series that challenges the common perception of the elderly population.  The series opens with an elderly man lifting weights and moves onto a marriage between a couple in their eighties.  The series turns darker and covers death and the impact and loneliness it has on surviving friends and relatives.  I'm impressed by the bravery of the subjects at letting Kashi into their lives at such a sensitive moment.  The use of black and white enhances the emotion of the images and removes the distraction of colour.  I would have liked to have seen some of the shots in colour for a more contemporary feel but I can understand why Kashi chose his route.

Lost Lives by John Stanmeyer.  This is a series that investigates appalling mental health care in the growing economies  in China and Indonesia.  I don't think that the facilities shown can be blamed for the huge overcrowding and squalid conditions and Stanmeyer seems to be pointing the finger at the respective governments.  The use of colour in these shots is very bold and the framing and lighting of each image is deliberately stark.  Taken in 2003 the conditions feel reminiscent of Victorian Britain and it would be interesting if he went back and recorded if any changes had occurred as a result of his work.



If it's still in stock you can buy the signed version of the book HERE, the site contains more shots of the pages and further information about VII and the photographers involved.