Colorado 24/7

Rating:
Summary: Nice Little Tribute...
Review: ...to the American way of life in but one state of the union. The prior 'reviewer' sounds more like someone who got snubbed and didn't get their pictures in the book. I think this series is an interesting snapshot of American life during one week of 2003. Each image tells a different story, and although I can't presume to know how they chose the images, the fact that the images were shot by amateurs who weren't paid royalties is mostly irrelevant. How many family snapshots have you ever sold to a publisher for a coffee table photography book? None! Take it for what it's worth: it's a collection of images shot by a collection of average Americans who are not priveleged enough to be paid as photographers. The fact that most of them are not professional does not in the least detract from the imagery in the books, despite whatever advertising may be contained in the last page.

Rating:
Summary: See Colorado through a native lens
Review: Colorado 24/7 is a delightful glimpse of a beautiful state through the lenses of some of the best shooters the state can offer. And the foreword by Pete Chronis of the Denver Post is as lucid a word-picture as you are to find. I'm proud to say I know several of the photographers who were behind the camera in this marvelous project, and even more proud to see one of my most-loved western states shown so colorfully and beautifully by people who live there, and didn't just parachute in to cop a quick feel. It's a heartfelt collection. Beautiful work.

Rating:
Summary: All Gimmick, No Substance
Review: If you're looking to buy this book in order to get your picture on the cover, first read some of the reviews of America 24/7. You will find that the dust jacket will likely arrive very late if it arrives at all. On top of this, the customer service is essentially non-existent. And even if you are lucky enough to get your custom cover sent to you, you will find (once the novelty of having your picture on the cover wears off) that you have paid good money for a lousy book. The creators of this book have used marginal photos taken by amateur photographers in order to avoid having to pay any royalties on the images. They've further saved money by printing low-quality reproductions on low-quality paper. As if this weren't bad enough, the publisher had the gall to put advertisements at the back of the book. Unlike virtually every other form of media, books are not tainted by a constant blitz of advertisements. The 24/7 series is setting an awful precedent by placing large, conspicuous advertisments in this book.

So don't be fooled by this latest gimmick. The 24/7 series purports to be displaying all that is good about America. In reality, it represents much of what is bad about America: corporate greed, unfulfilled promises, and the use of gimmicks as a substitute for good, quality products. Instead of buying this book, buy a good book that you will enjoy for many years to come. A few that come to mind are Colorado: Moments in Time, Colorado II, Mountains of Colorado, and Colorado: Yesterday & Today.

Rating:
Summary: It's About Time!
Review: It's about time someone put together a book about Colorado that portrays the contemporary life of this state. This book tells the tale of today's Colorado like it is- from downtown Denver with a pic of a barber on Colfax, to a kid sand-boarding on the dunes in Mosca, to a memorial service at Camp Amache in Granada. The book represents the different cultures of our state, the intense and magical geography, and the reasons why Colorado is such a beautiful place. It's not all smiles, but it's not depressing either. It's a mirror image of our state by great local photogtraphers. I would highly recommend it. This is something your children will learn from and that you'll enjoy for the rest of your life.