Gemma Padley - Look At This If You Love Great Photography

Gemma Padley

GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY

A critical curation of
100 essential images

When I was invited to write a book featuring one hundred photos that people must see, I couldnt wait to get started. One hundred photos of any genre, from any period in history? I didnt need to be asked twice. And then the enormity of the task sunk in; how on earth could I pick only a hundred photographs? What criteria should I choose? Lots of photography compendiums exist already, how could I make this book stand out from the rest?

It all started with the curation. The way the images would be grouped and ordered was paramount. A chronological approach is tried and tested but didnt, I felt, leave much room for creativity. Likewise, using a genre-first structure would work fine but who needs another book extolling the virtues of street photography, fashion and documentary in turn? I began thinking about the kinds of questions, thoughts and feelings looking at my favourite images elicited why has the person taking the picture photographed their subject like that? What is really going on in the picture? How does this image make me feel? I began to realize that my approach should not be to try and offer a guide to one hundred noteworthy images as I saw them, but to embrace the unanswered (and in many cases unanswerable) questions that photography opens up. Not just the hows, but the whys too.

As I began searching for images, certain themes started to appear. Drawn to images that were in many ways unconventional, that didnt fit the mould, I saw that a chapter on rule-breaking images was starting to take shape. Perhaps this would be a good place to start: to showcase images that arent what one expects photographs to be; photographs that shouldnt work but somehow do. And what better way to bring the collection to a close, to point to photographys uniqueness and agency, than by featuring images that reveal what the human eye on its own cannot see?

Over the following pages are photographs that readers will recognize by both famous visionaries and exciting young talents. A mixture of both the lesser known, and those that have become ingrained in our collective consciousness, such as the tragic image of toddler Alan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach. We are inundated with images but how often do we stop and really look at photographs and in doing so appreciate the enduring power of photography? This collection invites readers to pause and contemplate one hundred photographs made during the last 160 years that cut through the visual noise.

Please note: Some of the imagery in this book (especially ) is of a particularly sensitive nature. These photos dont make easy viewing, but serve as important reminders of what is happening in our world.

The chapters in this book have been uniquely curated to offer an intriguing juxtaposition of works; and every entry comes packed with extra recommendations to take your appreciation to the next level. Heres a breakdown of what you can expect.

The Links

+ GOOGLE THESE

Other great images by the same photographer; or on occasion, works with similar thematic links by other photographers.

+ DISCOVER THIS

An interesting fact about the photograph.

+ READ THIS

Books, biographies and articles to gaze upon and further your knowledge.

+ WATCH THIS

Movies, documentaries, online interviews or talks worth investigating.

+ LISTEN TO THIS

Podcasts and interviews to find out more about the photographer and their work.

+ LIKE THIS? TRY THESE

If you like what you see, look up these three other photographers with similar works or influences.

Breaking the Rules (1031)

The main subject might be obscured, the composition unusual or the image blurry, but this adds to rather than takes away from the strength of the photograph.

Photos That Make You Look Twice (3253)

This chapter features images that trigger a double-take reaction. At a glance they appear to be straightforward, easy to fathom, but all is not as it seems. A second look reveals there is more to these images than first appears.

A Punch in the Gut (5473)

These are images that spotlight terrible suffering caused by war, migration, racial inequality and poaching as seen through the lenses of photojournalists and documentary photographers across the world.

Reflecting on Who We Are (7495)

Neither a single image nor small selection of images such as this can answer the question what does it mean to be human? But what these images hope to do is provoke questions about the nature of human endeavour and the trials and tribulations of being alive.

Flirting with Other Art Forms (96115)

Photography does not exist in a vacuum; it has always rubbed up against other media, whether its painting, sculpture, collage, performance art or installation. These images are a celebration of photographys relationships with other visual arts.

Photos That Could Be Dreams (11635)

Once believed to be a medium of indisputable truth, photography is inextricably bound up with fiction, fantasy, dreamworlds and illusion. The images in this chapter may have their roots in the real but evoke dreamlike states or alternative realities.

Reappraising the Everyday (13655)

These are images that appear uninteresting, unremarkable. On a first look they beg the question, why did the photographer photograph that? The images that follow are in fact quite extraordinary because of their apparent ordinariness.

Colour is King (15677)

This chapter is a celebration of colour in photography, a collection of images where the photographers use of colour makes the image.

A Wonderful World (17899)

The images in this chapter reveal how photography has been used to capture, champion and preserve the natural world, from idyllic countryside scenes to dramatic vistas and changing landscapes.

Capturing What the Eye Cant See (20019)

Photography is celebrated for its ability to stop time, and, as the images in this chapter show, in doing so it allows us to see things we wouldnt otherwise be able to see.

CHAPTER
1	BREAKING THE RULES

Eve Arnold

A Mother Holds Her Childs Hand, Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York, USA

1959

This is a photograph of few elements, yet what impact it has, what emotional resonance it holds. When the photograph was published in the 16 November 1959 issue of LIFE magazine as part of a photo essay about the first five minutes of a babys life, the image was accompanied by the caption: Mother and son in an eternal pose.

+ PHOTOGRAPHER BIO

American, 19122012