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Trevor Crone
1st March 2009, 11:37 AM
I'm a great admirer of Sternfeld's work and his latest publication is Oxbow Archive. 68 large format colour photographs from the east meadow along the Connecticut river. There is just one image to a double page spred (just as it should be) and the quality of reproduction is superb.

There are also two full page colour maps of the area, one has location markers, indicating direction of viewpoint where Sternfeld took some of the photographs.

A full page reproduction of Thomas Cole's 1836 painting of The Oxbow sets the scene.

The only text other then publishers details etc., is this by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 'To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again'. Just beautiful.

This is a large, heavy book, 13" x 11.5" and is published by Steidl, ISBN 978-3-86521-786-8.

Amazon price is £40 including free delivery, however I bought it from an Ebay dealer, new for just over £34 including delivery.

When I look at some of these photographs by Sternfeld, I ask myself, 'what is he seeing that I'm not?' And when I ask myself these sorts of questions I realise money has been well spent:)

Roy_H
8th March 2009, 12:27 AM
I already have this on my wish list and was just tonight reading about it over on Conscientious (http://www.jmcolberg.com/weblog/2009/03/review_oxbow_archive_by_joel_s_1.html) where Sternfeld is favourably compared with our own Jem Southam.

Normally somewhat wary of photographs that are considered best displayed at mural proportions, I do think that in this case the size is justifiable, as with Southam's work.
There's a selection of pictures from it on Sternfeld's site (http://www.joelsternfeld.com/Oxbow.html).

It reinforces that age-old advice that one should always photograph what is closest to you, the territory you are most familiar with.

Daud
8th March 2009, 06:06 PM
Trevor – I can see why.

Roy – this is going to cost me!

It was so easy before, my wife and I would go into a book shop: she would go one way and me the other. When we met again, it was with only what we could carry in our arms, now it just needs a press on the enter key……

David.