All about photo.com: photo contests, photography exhibitions, galleries, photographers, books, schools and venues.
Win a Solo Exhibition in July 2026 + An Exclusive Interview!
Win a Solo Exhibition in July 2026 + An Exclusive Interview!

Photo Book

Share
Photographer: Bruce Davidson
Publisher: Steidl
Publication date: June 2026
Print length: 104 pages
Language: English
Price Range:
Reviews:
Bruce Davidson: Circus revisits one of the most compelling early chapters in the career of Bruce Davidson, offering a vivid journey into the world beneath the big top. Known for his deeply human approach to documentary photography and his long association with Magnum Photos, Davidson turns his lens here toward the circus, capturing not only spectacle but also the fragile, often overlooked lives that sustain it. Spanning work made between 1958 and 1967, the book gathers images that move between performance and private ritual, many of them published for the first time.

Davidson first entered this world in 1958, photographing a three-ring circus where famous performers such as lion tamer Clyde Beatty and human cannonball Hugo Zacchini dominated public attention. Yet his real interest lay away from the spotlight. He followed roustabouts, riggers, animal handlers, and performers in quieter moments—between rehearsals, in dressing rooms, and in the improvised domestic spaces of circus life. Among the most intimate sequences is his portrait of a dwarf clown, rendered with remarkable tenderness and psychological depth, far removed from caricature or spectacle.

As the project continued into the mid-1960s, Davidson’s perspective shifted. In a large coliseum circus staged within a steel-and-concrete arena, the romance of the traditional tent gave way to something more mechanical and unsettling. His photographs became sharper, at times surreal, observing how spectacle changed when transplanted into a more industrial environment. By 1967, in contrast, his work with a one-ring Irish circus returned to a sense of intimacy and elegance, where performers and audience remained closely bound and the gestures of performance felt immediate and human.

What emerges across these years is not simply a portrait of a disappearing entertainment form, but a broader reflection on performance itself. Davidson’s photographs suggest that the circus mirrors larger human dramas—ambition, vulnerability, endurance, and reinvention. The book stands as both historical record and poetic study, preserving a world already fading even as he photographed it. In Circus, Bruce Davidson reveals not just the spectacle of the ring, but the emotional architecture that exists behind the curtain.

Our printed edition showcases the winners of AAP Magazine call of entries
All About Photo Magazine
Issue #57

Photography Books from the same artist

Call for Entries
AAP Magazine #59 Shapes
Publish your work in our printed magazine and win $1,000 cash prizes

Selected Books

Advertisement
AAP Magazine #59 Shapes
Win a Solo Exhibition in July
AAP Magazine #59 Shapes

Latest Interviews

Exclusive Interview with Susan Anthony
American photographer Susan Anthony brings a painter’s eye to documentary photography, creating nuanced portraits of people and places shaped by time, community, and tradition. Her work is rooted in observation, empathy, and a deep curiosity about the lives of others. Through long-term projects, she explores the relationship between individuals and the environments they inhabit, revealing the stories that connect people to a place and to one another.
Exclusive Interview with Carole Mills Noronha
Carole Mills Noronha is an Australian photographer whose deeply personal work explores memory, family, loss, and the fragile nature of identity. Living with epilepsy and a lifelong sensitivity to light, she has developed a distinctive photographic language rooted in observation, empathy, and emotional connection. Her images are shaped by lived experience, revealing intimate stories with remarkable honesty and tenderness.
Exclusive Interview with Trevor Cole: Pastoral Peoples and Practices
For this interview, we wanted to focus specifically on The Face of the Mundari and the wider Pastoral Peoples and Practices series. We spoke with Trevor about his long-term work among the Mundari, what continues to draw him back to their cattle camps, and the experience of documenting a culture whose identity remains deeply connected to livestock, tradition, and the natural environment.
Exclusive Interview with Frank Meo
In our latest exclusive feature for All About Photo, I speak with veteran photography representative Frank Meo about what it truly takes to build a sustainable creative career today. Frank brings decades of experience working with Fortune 500 companies, major agencies, and documentary photographers to the table. We dive into the critical business skills often left out of art school curriculums, the power of mentorship, and the inspiring evolution of PROJECTIONS—his international salon platform for visual storytellers. It’s an essential read for anyone navigating the commercial or editorial photography landscape today.
Exclusive Interview with Carolyn Moore
American photographer Carolyn Moore explores the inner landscape of emotion, memory, and personal transformation through a deeply intuitive photographic practice. Her work unfolds as a quiet dialogue between artist and viewer, where images become a space for reflection, vulnerability, and connection.
Exclusive Interview with Luca Desienna and Laura Estelle Barmwoldt
For over seven years, Of Lilies and Remains has explored the depths of the goth and darkwave underground, unfolding in Leipzig—a city long associated with a vibrant and enduring subcultural scene. Moving between iconic gatherings such as Wave-Gotik-Treffen and more intimate moments on the fringes, the project offers a rare and immersive glimpse into a world often misunderstood, yet rich in expression and community. Created by Luca in collaboration with Laura Estelle Barmwoldt, the work embraces a cinematic and deeply personal approach. Rather than documenting from a distance, it moves within the scene itself, capturing its atmosphere, its codes, and its quiet contradictions. The title Of Lilies and Remains hints at this duality—where beauty and darkness, fragility and strength coexist. As the book prepares for its release, we spoke with both artists about the origins of the project, their process, and what it means to document a subculture that continues to evolve while remaining true to its spirit.
Exclusive Interview with Matthew Finley
American photographer Matthew Finley turns inward, using photography as a way to explore identity, memory, and emotional truth. Based in Los Angeles, his practice moves between performance, gesture, and found imagery, creating a visual language that is both intimate and deeply personal
Exclusive Interview with Jan Janssen
Dutch photographer Jan Janssen explores universal human experiences through his long-term project It Matters, winner of the May 2025 Solo Exhibition. Begun in 2016, the series captures intimate moments of everyday life—love, loss, connection, and belonging—across Central and Eastern Europe. Working in countries such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, Janssen spends extended time within communities, building relationships based on trust and respect. His approach allows him to move beyond observation, revealing deeply human and authentic moments. Rooted in travel and personal discovery, It Matters reflects Janssen’s search for what connects us all in an increasingly divided world. The project is ongoing and will culminate in a photobook scheduled for publication in 2026.
Exclusive Interview with Henk Kosche
German photographer Henk Kosche turns his lens toward the streets of Halle an der Saale, capturing everyday life in the late years of the former German Democratic Republic. At the time, Kosche was studying design and exploring the city with his camera, drawn to the atmosphere of its industrial landscape and the quiet rhythms of daily life. His series Street Photography at the End of the 80s, selected as the Solo Exhibition for July 2025, revisits a body of work created just before a period of profound change. Rediscovered decades later in a small box of 35mm negatives, these photographs offer glimpses of a city and its people at a moment suspended between the familiar and the unknown.
Call for Entries
Win A Solo Exhibition in July
Get International Exposure and Connect with Industry Insiders