The average 35mmc reader perhaps needs no introduction either to Magnum, or to the concept of contact sheets. Did it emerge from a diligently worked sequence, or was the right shot down to pure serendipity a matter of being in the right place at the right time? I hoped that somebody would take care of me and take me away … there were three of us photographers present.

This is a fascinating book, but overall the photographs selected for discussion create a dismal view of humanity. In this way, my ‘channel-surfing’ approach finds unexpected and unintended connections and contradictions. By presenting the unpublished contact sheets behind the world's most iconic photos - including the D-Day landings, the Blitz, Malcolm X and Che Guevara - every compelling page gives us an intimate and exciting sense of walking alongside the photographer.Little did I realise at the time that they would also be useful for scanning old negs onto a computer! Imagine my confusion as I picked up the package from my doorstep, wondering what on earth could be inside such a heavy box. No longer an active working tool for most photographers, the contact sheet is relegated to the archive, of interest as a historic document. You can see whether it took the photographer one shot or the entire roll to get that perfect image, if it took them a few frames or a whole roll you can see how they experimented with angles, framing, composition, etc… (I concede that there are instances where a contact sheet lies, even in this book there are examples of using contact sheets to tell a narrative, but broadly speaking the contact sheet is far more truthful than a single image). This book is a fantastic look into the world of some of the most incredible photographers there has ever been - some of the most amazing photographs ever taken, a true insight into the photographers' processes of creating an image, set-aside the wonderful, and sometimes touching, stories behind the photos themselves.

While these systems [digital] may be highly functional for the short-term trafficking of images, it remains to be seen how enduring they will be. And at the end, I add my own less organised musings, somewhat mimicking my more random, lucky-dip style of interacting with the book. We hope you enjoyed this review; if you’re interested in reading about photography, you’re welcome to join our Facebook group, Photography Books and Theory. Further insight into each contact sheet is provided by texts written by the photographers themselves or by experts chosen by members' estates.A contact sheet is a sequence of negatives printed directly onto photographic paper (I recently wrote a post about making contact sheets, if you’re interested). An unauthorized biography of the agency, it will open your eyes to the personalities behind the iconic images. i saw an exhibition of these contact sheets at FOAM in Amsterdam and I think it's an excellent and interesting way into how other people see things, how we edit in the moment and later. In the middle-distance, a woman in a bikini is sunbathing on a white tiled floor which gleams so bright it almost makes you squint. I’ve mentioned before how, for me, the photographers’ reflections add immeasurably to the value of book.

It was a much anticipated birthday present which, due to covid, was posted rather than handed to me. You'll flip the pages and read the details and you will "get it" and be happy you digested this brick of a book. Any photographer, whether you're new or a veteran, should have magnum contact sheets on their bookshelf. Es increíble poder ver el proceso de selección del autor de una fotografía famosa, y leer o bien el comentario del mismo autor o de especialistas de la época.For those worried about the new edition lacking some of the content of the first book - have no fear. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Two shots just of him and his shadow, but then she recomposes to include the figures in the background.

This special and important photography book presents, for the first time, the very best contact sheets created by Magnum photographers. Its value there may yet prove even greater than its original workaday function; an enduringly accessible record of what and how photographers saw for nearly a century. an amazing time capsule of photographic thought: a compelling journey through the picture-taking process. The contact sheet shows a series of 5 or 6 photos on the same roll with the Teddy Boy at various stages of carrying out this action.He took several pictures of me down, then he and a black guy took me to a nearby square … I have often thought about that photographer’s reflex and asked myself what I would have done. This book is on my list of 13 - one of 13 books I'd take with me to keep if I had to sell my entire collection. Whether George Rodgers photographs of the Blitz in 1940, Philippe Halsmans memorably surreal image of a leaping Salvador Dalí, Burt Glinn capturing the end of segregation in 1950s Arkansas, David Hurn photographing the Beatles in 1964, Joseph Koudelkas extraordinary images of the invasion of Prague, Susan Meiselas in Nicaragua in the 1970s, Raymond Depardon at the fall of the Berlin Wall, Larry Towell in El Salvador, Bruce Gilden photographing classic New York scenes or Jim Goldberg creating his remarkable, experimental artworks, the contact sheets and images in this book constitute an extraordinary record of great images being captured and edited. Addressing key questions of photographic practice - was the final image a set-up, or a serendipitous encounter; did the photographer work diligently to extract the potential from a situation, or was the fabled 'decisive moment' at play?