i had a copy of Along the Divide waiting in the mail box when i got home on Monday. i finally had a chance to spend some time with it tonight, and it hit the spot. the photos are beautifully rendered (but left me wanting more). also, after buying some questionable books in regards to print quality last year, i'm happy to see such a tight book.
my project up the Haul Road couldn't be more removed from Wolke's views of the behemoth that is the Dan Ryan Expressway, but there are similar threads here. the road is as important to photography as film it seems sometimes. but, without heavy hands, Wolke has produced something truly his own. original and thoughtful.
also, his deft use of two formats within the project is of significant interest to me. i've been experimenting with something similar lately, but haven't cracked it yet. he's using the tools at hand with great precision, utilizing their strengths, and making striking images.
books are my outlet. they are my release, education, addiction, and sometimes my undoing. i know i will be going back to this book often as i push on.
2 comments:
I agree with you that Wolke's series leaves a little to be desired. I think though it is interesting that the work was made (mostly) in the early 80's. It is hard to think about a photographer working on a project almost 30 years ago, that fits in with a certain photographic motif that we find everywhere today. Insert the Mississippi for the Dan Ryan and you have Alec Soth. Wolke's work is not quite as alluring and realized as Soth's but to think that Wolke was exploring this mode of photographing very early on is striking. I mean who did he really have as a guide in terms of this approach to both photography and color, Shore is all I can think of.
Hope you are doing well, can't wait to see more of your explorations.
Justin,
you are absolutely right. it seems so much more relavent today.
i'm really interested to know more about the time gap between when is was published (2004 ) and then. what the reaction was like then, and how the final edit might have been different. the work conjures a lot of questions with me.
maybe i'll email him..
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