Eliot Porters Antartica

Rating:
Summary: Great photos, maybe too much text.
Review: As a big fan of Eliot Porter's color nature photography (so real it's surreal), I bought this book for his unique take on the strangest continent on the planet. That Porter was nearing 75 years of age when he went to Antarctica on this NSF sponsored venture makes his accomplishment all the more amazing. This is some of his best work. One only wishes, now that he's a decade gone, that there were 50% more pictures...

The travelogue/diary style text dragged at times for me, though especially those who share Porter's interest in bird behavior will maybe find some useful information in it. There's a little bit of interesting history, as well as some geology, but few insights into how these remarkable photos were made or the deeper thoughts of the man who made them. This is probably good, because if Porter had spent his time being a great writer we probably wouldn't have as much extraordinary photography.

Rating:
Summary: Great photos, maybe too much text.
Review: As a big fan of Eliot Porter's color nature photography (so real it's surreal), I bought this book for his unique take on the strangest continent on the planet. That Porter was nearing 75 years of age when he went to Antarctica on this NSF sponsored venture makes his accomplishment all the more amazing. This is some of his best work. One only wishes, now that he's a decade gone, that there were 50% more pictures...

The travelogue/diary style text dragged at times for me, though especially those who share Porter's interest in bird behavior will maybe find some useful information in it. There's a little bit of interesting history, as well as some geology, but few insights into how these remarkable photos were made or the deeper thoughts of the man who made them. This is probably good, because if Porter had spent his time being a great writer we probably wouldn't have as much extraordinary photography.

Rating:
Summary: Amazingly unigue in illustration and writing.
Review: This will surely become a keeper "coffee table" book fo any mildly interested reader. Photography is unique and extremely well presented, and the writing is equally acceptable. Enjoy if you can find a copy!