Rating: 
Summary: STUNNING book
Review: "The Last Day of Summer" is a MAGNIFICENT work. Sturges' photographic style is breath-taking and hypnotizing. I've owned this book for several years and still find myself completely and totally enraptured by these portraits. (...)
Rating: 
Summary: Superb artist, not quite so superb book
Review: A slightly less than perfect monograph by one of my favorite artists.Regarding the work itself, i've not seen any work that surpasses, and little enough that matches, the beauty Sturges portrays. His models are not chosen because they are exemplars of some cultural standard of beauty. They are not high-fashion, trendy, or striking in the ways most people are used to seeing. They are simply ordinary people. The girls are unenhanced, average girls. No different from any other you may know. But therein lies their beauty. Sturges shows them with a warmth and intimacy borne of long aquaintance; capturing the inner beauty present in all (though hidden in most). His models are comfortable with themselves and their surroundings; and show that comfort in their unashamed attitudes. They look at the camera, as they would look at one another, not hiding or embarrased; just being who they are. He shows them as humans beings, with their friends and families; rather than the iconic or archetypal abstractions that most photographers portray. The images themselves are exquisite. There is a gradual smoothness to the tones that echoes the bodies of the models themselves. Lighting and contrast reproduce in the sand and water of the beach scenes the skin tones of the models -- so much so that the girls almost seem to meld with their environment. Both seem to glow in the early morning and late afternoon sun. Unfortunately, my praise for the book is more reserved. The quality of the printing is excellent. Having seen the original prints in several gallery showings, the duotones in the book do a very good job of capturing the feel of the originals. A few quibbles, however. The arrangement of the photographs in the book are not in the chronological order that Sturges originally intended; so the progression of his models from youth to adulthood is lost. Many of the images are spread across two pages, instead of being printed on one; which is results in a degradation of the quality of the image. Sturges himself was not happy with the Aperture monographs (_Last Days of Summer_, _Radiant Identities_) for just this reason (as well as some other problems with the Aperture staff); and has re-released most of these images through Scalo. Unfortunately, there are some images in this book and the other Aperture monograph which are not available in the Scalo release. I would recommend buying the Scalo book, titled _Jock Sturges_, to see the images as the artist intended; and the Aperture books for the additional images.
Rating:
Summary: Top class photo-book about true freedom!
Review: An absolutely beautiful book, with stunning photography. However, what is with all the hubbub about eroticism (Yes/No/Maybe)? After all, Sturges' approach is very different from Hamilton. No staged 'sweeter than honey' pictures here, but true life. Nothing bad said about Hamilton's work, but that is something completely different.
Sure, there are pictures of nude young people and children. So what? If you get 'turned on' by that, that is something inside your mind. Some people might be turned on by sunflowers for all I care.
This book is truly about freedom: spiritual and physical freedom. It's about being at ease with oneself and one's environment. Jock Sturges has captured that in its most pure form, by depicting the bare innocence of unspoiled youth. Therefore, their nudity is self-explanatory.
If you understand that, buy the book, you'll love it! If you don't understand it, buy it anyway, and maybe you will learn a valuable lesson, if you can grasp the true essence of freedom and purity depicted here.
Or, if you will, leave all the psychology for what it is, and just enjoy the fabulous photography!
A must have!
Rating:
Summary: Top class photo-book about true freedom!
Review: An absolutely beautiful book, with stunning photography. However, what is with all the hubbub about eroticism (Yes/No/Maybe)? After all, Sturges' approach is very different from Hamilton. No staged `sweeter than honey' pictures here, but true life. Nothing bad said about Hamilton's work, but that is something completely different.
Sure, there are pictures of nude young people and children. So what? If you get 'turned on' by that, that is something inside your mind. Some people might be turned on by sunflowers for all I care.
This book is truly about freedom: spiritual and physical freedom. It's about being at ease with oneself and one's environment. Jock Sturges has captured that in its most pure form, by depicting the bare innocence of unspoiled youth. Therefore, their nudity is self-explanatory.
If you understand that, buy the book, you'll love it! If you don't understand it, buy it anyway, and maybe you will learn a valuable lesson, if you can grasp the true essence of freedom and purity depicted here.
Or, if you will, leave all the psychology for what it is, and just enjoy the fabulous photography!
A must have!
Rating:
Summary: astounding!!
Review: I came across this book in the book store and it knocked me off my feet! I was utterly blown away!. Photography is my bag and I've seen hundreds of photo books, none affected me like this. so beautiful,so unique.like an opiate for your eyes and soul.What else can I say?.
Rating:
Summary: Full but hungry, clean views still leave mystery.
Review: I was able to view this book at a time when I had just began my own photography and did not understand why so much of photo art was A: Nude, and B: Black and white. As I developed my first set of prints I realized that A: any clothed pose simply becomes a fashion show and B: color evokes a simple snapshot- black and white freezes moments of life into art. Nothing could better describe this book. A wonderfull and experienced look at beautiful forms by an artist who truly understands how to set aside the lens, the clothes, the film, and filters- and let the natural beauty of these subjects pour through. I felt only two points of contention. The first was a hunger left by the excruciating clean forms of these images. I felt as if, though sated, I kept peeking behind the plate for perhaps one more sliced carrot. This is, though, also one of it's magnificent qualities. The other minor complaint being the tonality of the photographs. For the very distinguishing eye,! the photos are slightly darker and less contrasting than in other works where some of these images are also contained. However- this is offset by the size and availability of this collection. It simply wouldn't be possible to collect these images any other way. Overall, an excellent book. One of the best in the field.
Rating:
Summary: Erotic
Review: If there is one word I can use to describe these photographs, it would have to be erotic. Sure, they are artistic. But for me, the main attraction and the main reason for buying this book is to look at nude pictures of beautiful people. Inside the book, you will find nude pictures of men, women, teens, and children. Please keep in mind that this may not be the book for you if you are mainly interested in looking at nude pictures of women who look like playmates, models, and cover girls. Jock Sturges, to his credit, chose to photograph average-looking people.
If you are a fan of this type of art photography, then let me recommend that you also take a look at Radiant Identities and Immediate Family. Both are excellent photography books also. I also recommend the works of David Hamilton.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Collection of Photographs
Review: Jock Sturges creates images, not of nude adolescence, but of emotion, power, and beauty. He has captured generations with his camera, showing images from childhood to adulthood. More so, Jock has achieved what many photographers and arts cannot. He has attained that trust and opened up the emotion of his subjects. If one looks his subjects eyes and face, rather then just shallowly looking a "young nude child," you can see the real power of Jock's work
Rating:
Summary: Young Nudes at the Beach
Review: Most of the photographs displayed in this book were entirely taken on a nude beach. Jock Sturges may be a good photographer, but his models are often ordinary and plain-looking. And that in a way makes his style of photography unique. Like his other books, this one contain nude photographs of children and teenagers. A few photos show the warmth between these children and their parents. Some of the best photos in this book display his models in relation to the scenery at the beach. As usual, all of his photos are not in full colour but in sepia or grey-tone. Some of the photos in this book provides a good study on photography of children and can hardly be considered erotic.
Rating:
Summary: More beautiful photography
Review: These are some of the most beautiful photos I have ever seen. Sturges has an incredible way of capturing his subjects. Not subjects, really, but collaborators, they are the people in front of the camera who help him make pictures. The scenes with two or more people are the ones that hold my interest most closely. Parent and child, siblings or friends - there is so much more at work when I see the people together. There is contrast, or affection, or the young woman's later life shown in her mother. Some of the subjects themselves seem to evoke both the children they were and the adults that they will become. I just have to say it again: these are incredibly beautiful pictures.
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