The Shipping News
Brooklyn has long been a magnet for writers and artists. The hip ones, anyway, and recently, certain grumpy and misanthropic British ones. And it’s fast becoming the go-to destination for … Continue reading
Making War Personal
In the past ten years, photojournalist Kate Brooks has been in almost every conflict zone in the Greater Middle East. The second intifada in Israel? Check. Cairo’s Tahrir Square during … Continue reading
Love on the Front Line
A couple of months ago, I wrote a post about master printer Pablo Inirio and Magnum Photos in which I promised to review the new novel Waiting for Robert Capa. … Continue reading
Five Broken Cameras
How do you make people actually get interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? At this point, the whole thing seems so intractable, the lines in the sand so deeply dug, that … Continue reading
Is it art? Documentary photography at the New York Photo Festival
The question of whether photography can be art was settled a long time ago. Most major museums now have thriving photography departments, and photographs fetch pretty hefty prices at auction. … Continue reading
Diane Arbus the Writer
Some people express themselves well visually, others are great writers, and a lucky few are talented in both areas. Diane Arbus was one of the few who could do both. … Continue reading
Living with Books
“Are libraries obsolete now?” my husband asked a few months ago. We were staring up at the main branch of the New York Public Library—the magnificent Beaux-Arts building designed by … Continue reading
John Isaac’s untaken photographs
Last week’s post about the new book Photographs Not Taken made me think about my good friend John Isaac, retired head of photography at the United Nations. John often talks … Continue reading
Photographs Not Taken
A sentence can be rewritten, a painting repainted — but a photograph, once missed, can rarely be retaken. This evanescence, the delicacy of transient light, movement and atmosphere, gives photography … Continue reading
