Rating: 
Summary: A significant, beautiful work
Review: This is a beautiful body of work that I am proud to have in my book collection. Beyond the fact that they are expertly executed, Sturges' photographs are intimate, direct, and above all, honest. They hide nothing, and in fact reveal much - about the subject, photographer, and the viewer. They reveal a level of trust and understanding between photographer and subject that I challenge anyone to find anywhere else. And this is a critical aspect of Sturges work. He does not haphazardly choose subjects, moving from place to place with no long-term interest in the people he photographs. Rather, he will photograph the same people in the same places year after year, photographing the same individuals summer after summer, essentially creating an intimate photographic chronology of a person that may span decades. He is close to his subjects. And unlike so many other photographers, he is truly interested in the lives of these people, and more importantly, the people themselves. I find it unfortunate at best that Mr Sturges' work has so often been met with such hateful and often irrational opposition as it has. In my opinion, the controversy surrounding his photographs is wholly unwarranted. More often than not, the most violent objections come from (what I would call) religious extremists who claim to be speaking up in defense of his subjects, who they apparently feel have been exploited. A lot of the problem seems to stem directly from a willful refusal to distinguish between what is sexual and what is erotic. Sturges' work is sexual, yes, but it is not erotic. Sexuality is an inherent aspect of the human experience that can hardly be excluded in an honest image of a person. We are sexual from birth. And to find fault with Sturges' work because it doesn't deny this detail of humanity is a rather backwards way of looking at things. But regardless of what minor sexual element may be contained in his images, it is important to note that these images are not erotic. They are neither meant to be sexually arousing nor do they have that effect. If the contrary were the case, then maybe his biggest detractors might have a point, but in fact this is not how it is. Sturges work is significant. And if you are willing to approach this or any other volume of his photographs with an open mind, I think you'll understand. The photographs and words contained herein are luminous and not likely to grow old with many goings-over. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: A significant, beautiful work
Review: This is a beautiful body of work that I am proud to have in my book collection. Beyond the fact that they are expertly executed, Sturges' photographs are intimate, direct, and above all, honest. They hide nothing, and in fact reveal much - about the subject, photographer, and the viewer. They reveal a level of trust and understanding between photographer and subject that I challenge anyone to find anywhere else. And this is a critical aspect of Sturges work. He does not haphazardly choose subjects, moving from place to place with no long-term interest in the people he photographs. Rather, he will photograph the same people in the same places year after year, photographing the same individuals summer after summer, essentially creating an intimate photographic chronology of a person that may span decades. He is close to his subjects. And unlike so many other photographers, he is truly interested in the lives of these people, and more importantly, the people themselves. I find it unfortunate at best that Mr Sturges' work has so often been met with such hateful and often irrational opposition as it has. In my opinion, the controversy surrounding his photographs is wholly unwarranted. More often than not, the most violent objections come from (what I would call) religious extremists who claim to be speaking up in defense of his subjects, who they apparently feel have been exploited. A lot of the problem seems to stem directly from a willful refusal to distinguish between what is sexual and what is erotic. Sturges' work is sexual, yes, but it is not erotic. Sexuality is an inherent aspect of the human experience that can hardly be excluded in an honest image of a person. We are sexual from birth. And to find fault with Sturges' work because it doesn't deny this detail of humanity is a rather backwards way of looking at things. But regardless of what minor sexual element may be contained in his images, it is important to note that these images are not erotic. They are neither meant to be sexually arousing nor do they have that effect. If the contrary were the case, then maybe his biggest detractors might have a point, but in fact this is not how it is. Sturges work is significant. And if you are willing to approach this or any other volume of his photographs with an open mind, I think you'll understand. The photographs and words contained herein are luminous and not likely to grow old with many goings-over. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: natural, timeless, time-lapse family images of mutable youth
Review: This is the best book I have seen for introducing and explaining Jock Sturges's work. Before going further, let me warn readers that this book contains many female and male nudes of young children that would fail an "R" rating if contained in a motion picture. If you do not know his work, Mr. Sturges works with an 8 X 10 camera outdoors (usually in nudist resorts) to capture the emotional, psychological, and physical development of his young subjects. They are usually filmed in the nude so that you can see more aspects of their development, and are usually accompanied by parents and siblings to express those familial relationships. By repeatedly photographing the same subjects, you capture a sense of the person which is constant, in the midst of the dramatic growth and transformation of a child into an adult. The images in this book are much less overtly nude than those in his more recent work, and are important foundations for comparison with photographs of the same models in their late teenage and early twenties years. I particularly liked the essay by Jayne Anne Phillips. For those who are new to Sturges, this essay is a must. She understands and explains his work very well. He sees "the selves that will live in these children all their lives . . . . " " . . . [W]e are animals and angels, approaching the light of redemption with an intrinsic fear of flame." "But we were never safe, not really . . . . " These insights are extended in the afterword by Jock Sturges in which he explains the origin and purposes of his work very well. "When I work, I try to interfere as little as possible." If models arrive clothed, he photographs them that way. If they arrive nude, he does the same. "As I come to know my subjects better, I learn more about myself." And the book's title is bound to this statement, "I make my best work with the last days of summer." There's not much time left, and his knowledge of the children and their families is at its peak at that moment. The work itself is very subtle and well reproduced. In some of the more playful images, the children are dressed in what could be either angel or fairy outfits . . . making them seem both very ethereal, yet impishly young. I especially liked the photograph of Misty Dawn in Northern California in 1989 that is of this sort. My favorites in this book included: Lisa C.; Northern California, 1981 Katherine; Montalivet, France, 1987 Fan Chen; Northern California, 1986 Marie-Claude et Valentin; Montalivet, France, 1987 Weist Family; Block Island, Rhode Island, 1984 Pete, Mike, and Christine; Northern California, 1987 Catherine and Angela; Block Island, Rhode Island, 1987 Gaelle, Marine, Valentin, et Marie-Claude; Montalivet, France, 1987 Minna; Northern California, 1980 You get a feeling of a great comfort with oneself, one's family, and one's surroundings from the photographs in this volume. After studying it, you might want to think about how you can shed the "unnatural" cares you have that interfere with the expression of your truly loving, and most natural self. I also suggest that you look at photographs of yourself and your own family over the years to see what is constant about each of you. Capture the best of what is lasting, before the leaves fall in October!
Rating: 
Summary: Lovely Work
Review: Well crafted photographs of naturalists, mostly in the seemingly obligatory beach milieu. Many of the subjects are living 'the last day of summer' -- that is, the particular halcyon moment of adolescence wherein anything is possible. Yes, they are predominantly nudes, but photographed with respect and compassion. A special few are among the finest portraits I have seen, truely bringing forth the soul of both photographer and subject. My only complaint is that some of the pictures in the book inexplicably cross the fold in the binding, disrupting the image. A slightly smaller format on just one page would have been prefered.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Uncharted Frontier: Wholesome Adolescent Nudity
Review: When The Last Day of Summer was released in 1993, many of us slapped our forehead and thought, why hadn't anyone thought of this before? (Maybe no one was capable--until now.) "This" being the tasteful and wholesome portrayal of female adolescent nudity in fine art photography. Prior efforts at nude photography of this segment of the population were at best, tasteless, and at worst, borderline illegal. Sturgis has ventured into that most vulnerable, yet often wronged age group and produced timeless images of youth that few will ever see first hand. That the subjects portrayed are, with their families, frequenters of the nude beach at Montalivet, France shows through in Sturgis' work; they are at home. No secret photo shoots here. The social context is the key. Many of the girls look transparently into the camera, revealing to us that even in their own nakedness, they are not afraid. Jock has shown us that girls are not mere objects, but rather living art molded by their Almighty Creator. Jock has earned his way into their lives, and for some readers, this candidness can be shocking. Combine this with his skill as a photographic craftsman, and this work stands above all others. Definitely a diamond in the rough.
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