Discoveries of a Lifetime Book Review
By Hermann Groeneveld / SilvergrainClassics
Silvergrain Publishing is proud to offer Bruce Barnbaum’s latest book, Discoveries of a Lifetime.
Meticulously Crafted Black and White Images from the Darkroom
Bruce Barnbaum is an internationally acclaimed photographer, bestselling author, teacher, and master of the darkroom. His passion for photography and his great didactic talent fill his numerous photo books, which are also valuable textbooks. The Art of Photography is one of the best-selling books on photography in the world. With Discoveries of a Lifetime, Barnbaum now presents what he describes as his “Magnum Opus”.
A successful Kickstarter project financed this special, small print run edition. Marwan El Mozayen of Silvergrain Publishing states,”258 supporters contributed €32,646 to realize this project.”
No one can tell you better than Bruce Barnbaum himself how this collaboration came about.
“When I began searching for a publisher for my idea of a book featuring images that had never been published, Charys Schuler of Silvergrain Publishing stepped forward, saying that they would love to publish the book. This was an unexpected gift to me, even though I had been contributing regularly to SilvergrainClassics magazine since its inception. With that, we began collaborating on a book. We proceeded on the basis of pure friendship and trust; we never drew up a contract. We never involved lawyers. We worked together for more than two years, slowly cobbling together a book that we’re both proud of today.“
As soon as you leaf through the book, it becomes clear that Bruce Barnbaum is working in the world of analog images: meticulously crafted black and white images of subtle grey tones from a master of darkroom printing. You have to look closely, very closely, and preferably in daylight. You need good light and plenty of time to discover the handcrafted quality of the pictures with their fine tonal gradations. In doing so, I became aware that I have sometimes been dazzled by the bright colors and high contrasts of the digital image world, viewed on high-end displays. I had, to some extent, neglected my sensitivity to reproductions of subtle images on printed paper. Thankfully, Bruce Barnbaum took me back to this way of seeing.
“Of course, technically perfect photography is essential for the effect of the image,” Barnbaum states. “However, my main focus is always on the content of the image and its composition. All aspects of the photographic process are important, and the most important of all are the twin aspects of seeing and imagination.
Barnbaum has also remained true to his didactic approach in this work. The focus is less on the technical aspects of photography. In a relaxed narrative style, he takes the reader on a journey of personal experiences and emotions that are connected to his pictures and photography. He encourages the discerning photographer to discover and promote their own photographic identity and the path to a personal visual language. This is supported by the generous, deliberately conservative layout: each picture stands alone on the right-hand page of the book, with the accompanying text on the left. Only in his architectural photographs does Barnbaum use the double-page spread for images that complement each other well, and sometimes even contradict each other. He dispenses with texts here, creating interesting tensions and interactions.
Between thematically organized photo series are detailed essays in which Barnbaum expands on his thoughts about his photographic work. This book cannot be read in one go. Rather, you pick up individual themes, work through them, immerse yourself in them, get sucked into the images and texts. And then put the book down again for a while. This is a work that photo enthusiasts and practitioners will enjoy again and again.
Discoveries of a Lifetime can confidently be regarded as Barnbaum’s most personal and haunting work, containing only previously unpublished images. “The images represent a cross-section of my photographic interests over the course of my career,” says Barnbaum, summarizing the variety of themes in the volume. Landscapes and architecture are his favorite subjects. He often delves into very close details of larger motifs — sometimes even to the point where the origin is unrecognizable. The viewer may be puzzled as to what Barnbaum has photographed; completely new worlds are created through skillful abstraction, inviting the viewer’s creativity and imagination.
Bruce Barnbaum’s work is filled with love and respect for what has been created by human hands and spirit, but also for Nature. He inspires people all over the world to stand up for our environment and our culture, for conservation. This permeates all of Barnbaum’s work, both images and writing. He concludes his Magnum Opus with a look into his personal photographic future: “I’m looking forward to new imagery with great enthusiasm, to wordly changes with great trepidation.”
Discoveries of a Lifetime can be purchased here.
Information about the book:
Author: Bruce Barnbaum
Title: Discoveries of a Lifetime
Format: 30,5 x 30,5 cm
Weight: 2,8 kg
Scope: 350 pages • 157 s/w picture panels
Execution: Hardcover cloth binding
Publication: April 2024
ISBN: 978-3-00078435-4
Print: Heidelberg Speedmaster
Price: 110 EUR
Publisher: Silvergrain Publishing UG • Bahnhofsallee 5 • 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany
Editor: Charys Schuler
Art director: Michael Spengler
Print shop: D+L Printpartner GmbH • Schlavenhorst 10 • 46395 Bocholt, Germany
Note: Unfortunately, signed copies of Discoveries of a Lifetime are no longer available.
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