By Sam Abell
Published by Focal Point – National Geographic, 2008 – Donation from the Craftsbury Public Library, Vermont, USA –
Location: Studio Sakse – Chiang Mai, Thailand
In The Life of a Photograph Sam Abell, one of the foremost photographers of our time brings together the images that most powerfully speak for him. He accompanies these photographs with his own recollections, revealing the evolution – picture by picture and thought by thought – of some of the world’s most interesting and recognised photographs.
Sam Abell’s wide-ranging work, here richly represented, includes his notable photographs for National Geographic magazine and books. In addition, Abell presents photographs from his personal body of work for the first time.
The Life of a Photograph is organised around Abell’s original perspectives on landscape, still life, street scenes and the photography of daily life. Selections
cover geography and wildlife from the Arctic to the Amazon, and cultures from Australia to the American West. Through it all there is the unifying power of Abell’s singular style.
People from many walks of life are depicted in portraits of uncommon vitality, emotion and depth. Nature photography takes on new dimensions through Abell’s philosophy of approaching animals “as a person with a camera, not as a wildlife specialist.”
With each intriguing image, Abell presents a master class in photographic thinking. The book displays side-by-side images, pointing out how subtle differences in point of view, framing, timing and perspective lead to significant photographs.
By presenting alternative images and a clear, compelling text, Abell describes the act of seeking the picture – “A process with no absolute ending, as time and thought to continue to shape the life of a photograph.”
