By tracing the history of manipulated photography from the earliest days of the medium to the release of Photoshop 1.0 in 1990, Mia Fineman offers a corrective to the dominant narrative of photography’s development, in which champions of photographic “purity,” such as Paul Strand, Edward Weston, and Henri Cartier-Bresson, get all the glory, while devotees of manipulation, including Henry Peach Robinson, Edward Steichen, and John Heartfield, are treated as conspicuous anomalies. Among the techniques discussed on these pages—abundantly illustrated with works from an international array of public and private collections—are multiple exposure, combination printing, photomontage, composite portraiture, over-painting, hand coloring, and retouching. The resulting images are as diverse in style and motivation as they are in technique. Taking her argument beyond fine art into the realms of politics, journalism, fashion, entertainment, and advertising, Fineman demonstrates that the old adage “the camera does not lie” is one of photography’s great fictions.
In the ongoing evolution of my artistic journey, I find myself engaged in a profound process of self-examination, mental health and sadness - using the camera to explore the essence of who I am and my connection to the art of photography. My roots lie in a small town. Within this space, I grappled with a pervasive sense of loneliness that transcended both the physical boundaries and the emotional confines of my surroundings. Even in the company of others, I felt a profound solitude that echoed within and beyond those walls.
'Work in Progress' is a powerful exploration of Peter Essick's four-year journey capturing aerial photographs of construction sites across the Atlanta Metro area. This body of work offers a dynamic portrayal of human-altered landscapes, where the clash between nature and man-made structures creates a stunning visual narrative. Essick's unique perspective, gained through low-level drone flights, has revealed the ever-changing beauty of construction sites—spaces that are often overlooked or dismissed as mundane.
Aperture announces the release of Robert Frank:
The Americans, marking the centennial of Frank’s birth, and concurrent with a major
exhibition of his work at the Museum of Modern Art this fall. First published in
France in 1958 and then in the US in 1959, Robert Frank: The Americans is one of the
most influential and enduring works of American photography.
When Caroline Furneaux’s father Colin died suddenly in 2011, she discovered an archive of 35mm slides that he had shot during the 1960s. They were a beguiling series of beautiful women photographed in idyllic locations, mostly in Sweden, where he was working and living. It was during this time that he had first met Caroline’s Swedish mother, Barbro, yet hardly any of the photographs were of her.
'Glendalis' is a vivid narrative centered around the youngest daughter of a family, revealing intimate and universal human experiences and a poignant glimpse into the vibrant life of a lower-middle-class family, showcasing resilience, love, and the universal human experience. The photographs resonate deeply, portraying the spirit of Glendalis as she grows from a fierce child into a determined young woman.
Street Walker saunters stylishly with never-before-seen eye-popping photographs spiced with iconic classics from the ‘70s and ‘80s USA cultural hotspots: New York City, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Fire Island, Miami Beach, and more.
For over 25 years, New Yorker E.A. KAHANE has photographed the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from her third-floor apartment window on Central Park West at 64th Street. From this special vantage point, Kahane is able to capture with her camera an unrestricted view of the parade as it passes by her window. Her bold and beautiful images document every aspect of the festivities, including the clowns, Broadway stars, floats, marching bands, cheerleaders, cheering spectators, and the biggest stars of them all - the larger-than-life balloons of our favorite characters from TV and film.
In Orange Blossom Trail, American writer George Saunders and American photographer Joshua Lutz offer an alternately poetic and searing evocation of the cruelty and tender beauty of contemporary American life.
Lutz and Saunders first met on a magazine assignment, where they discovered a shared interest in both the psychological and material conditions of the laboring individual and the Buddhist teachings of attachment and the sacredness of existence.
Acclaimed photographer and Swarthmore College art professor Ron Tarver corrects the
American cowboy narrative with The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America (George F.
Thompson Publishing, 2024). From ranches to city streets, Tarver’s photographs reveal the
beauty, romance, and visual poetry of Black cowboys throughout the country.
