Dan Winters' imposing 700-page tome Road to Seeing is finally shipping from Amazon, after being breathlessly awaited in numerous corners of the Web. Rather than try to cadge a few sales for myself by linking to it here (that's how we all survive, by linking to products), I'll refer you to Strobist, where David has been covering the book responsibly and well. You ought to order that one through his link, if you're going to*.
Mike
*I am not a good capitalist, when it comes right down to it.
Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Paul Bass: "Maybe not, but you're my kind of capitalist."
Michael Perini: "A classy and rare gesture to David Hobby's Site. Nice.
"Not sure what happened, but I've had my copy for over a month and it is a very impressive book. Part history of photography and process 'as told by' Mr. Winters, part photographic biography, as well as a biographic sketch of how a style comes to be. All done in typical Dan Winters style—meaning the amount of thought and the amount of work done is imposing, and evident on every page.
"I read the book cover to cover over the course of just a few days. This is very rare for me, and was not my intention, but I couldn't put it down. To say I admire the level of craft that Mr. Winters brings to everything he does would be an understatement. All excuses melt away in the heat of the laser-like focus he brings to his work. He seems to treat every project, big or small with the same respect and intensity. To see that demonstrated over and over is a very valuable part of the book.
"Mr. Winter's work which can be utterly wonderful but for this viewer, not homogeneously so. There is work that I will simply say I don't 'get' (I've never been a personal fan of the famous Laura Dern portrait for example) But for the most part, I feel drawn to his work, I like looking at it and the way he solves the issues of doing commissioned work, and makes it his own.
"It is a book I will re-read in my more usual piecemeal manner and it is a book I have learned from and will continue to learn from. One of those books that you are happy to own. A very impressive work, on his part, and on the parts of his editors and publisher. I wondered more than once while reading, 'how did he get this done?' I'm glad he did."
D B: "I'm curious—do Dan's pictures appeal to you? Are you considering spending Own Money on the book?"
Mike replies: Not really, and no, I've decided against it. Nothing personal, and no judgment implied—we can't all engage with everybody, and DW is just a bit far from my personal taste. (This is the flip side of the "touchstones' point I made recently.)
by Phaidon."
