Photobooks have been for more than a century a powerful medium for visual storytelling, offering an intimate, tactile experience that goes beyond individual photographs. They serve as both artistic expressions and cultural artifacts, encapsulating the zeitgeist of their era while pushing the boundaries of photography as an art form. From poignant social commentaries to abstract explorations of light and form, these books have shaped the trajectory of photographic history.
Many have challenged conventions, introduced groundbreaking techniques, and inspired countless photographers worldwide. This selection by Blind highlights the most influential photobooks of all time, celebrating their impact on art, culture, and the way we see the world. Each one is a testament to the enduring power of images to inform, provoke, and inspire.
1. The Decisive Moment by Henri Cartier-Bresson (1952)
Cartier-Bresson’s concept of the “decisive moment” revolutionized photography, and The Decisive Moment is one of the greatest photography books ever published. Published in 1952 by Editions Verve, on the initiative of Tériade, it brings together the photographs taken by Henri Cartier-Bresson during the first twenty years of his career. In 1952, it was a monograph of the best of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work, published by an art publisher, with an original cover by Matisse. It’s also a wide-ranging presentation of his art, forging the notion of the “decisive moment” that gave the American edition of the book its title: the moment when all the elements come together to produce an image, not the culmination of an action, but an emotional and formal peak, as illustrated by the famous photograph of a man jumping over a puddle on the Pont de l’Europe, with the Gare St Lazare in the background. This book remains an essential reference for many photographers.
2. American Photographs by Walker Evans (1938)
More than any other artist, Walker Evans invented the images of essential America that we have long accepted as fact, and his work has influenced not only modern photography, but also literature, cinema and the visual arts in other mediums. The original edition of American Photographs was a carefully prepared letterpress production, published by The Museum of Modern Art in 1938 to accompany an exhibition of photographs by Evans that captured scenes of America in the early 1930s. As noted on the jacket of the first edition, Evans, “photographing in New England or Louisiana, watching a Cuban political funeral or a Mississippi flood, working cautiously so as not to disturb anything in the normal atmosphere of the average place, may be regarded as a kind of disembodied, burrowing eye, a conspirator against time and its hammers.”
3. The Americans by Robert Frank (1958)
In 1955, Robert Frank crossed the United States. A cowboy, a tattooed man taking a nap on the grass in a park, the suffering of a woman who has just buried a loved one, a shoeshine boy, a road, women drinking: only eighty-four of his images were published, in 1958, to widespread indifference. The book has since become a photographic classic. Deemed sad, perverse, even subversive by the American press of the time, its importance has nevertheless grown steadily over the years. Photographers, critics and the general public have hailed Robert Frank as a true innovator. This book, accompanied by a text by Jack Kerouac, is not a reportage. It does not recount one man’s journey across the United States, but is a collection of notes taken on the spot, by a man who was skinned alive.
4. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency by Nan Goldin (1986)
In the form of a photographic diary, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency chronicles the struggles inherent in love relationships, and the problems of understanding between friends, family and lovers that Goldin considers her “tribe”. Her work depicts a visceral, vital world in full effervescence. The reissue of this book, first published in 1986, is a tribute to these unprecedented photographs, which have lost none of their topicality today, and which paint a still-relevant picture of a time when AIDS and drug addiction were taking their toll. These richly colored, unapologetically stylized photographs require the viewer to look beyond their appearance to discover their full depth and intensity. “The real memories these photographs awaken are invocations of color, smell, sound, physical presence, density and taste of life,” writes Nan Goldin.
5. The Family of Man by Edward Steichen (1955)
Hailed as the most successful photographic exhibition ever staged, The Family of Man opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in January 1955. This book, the permanent embodiment of Edward Steichen’s monumental exhibition, reproduces all 503 images that Steichen described as “a mirror of the essential unity of humanity throughout the world”. Photographs taken in every part of the world, from the spectrum of life, from birth to death”. A classic and inspiring work, The Family of Man has been in print for over 70 years.
6. Uncommon Places by Stephen Shore (1982)
Originally published in 1982, Stephen Shore’s legendary Uncommon Places has influenced more than a generation of photographers. Stephen Shore was among the first artists to take color beyond the realms of advertising and fashion photography, and his large-format color work on the American vernacular landscape is the basis of what has become a vital photographic tradition over the past forty years. Like Robert Frank and Walker Evans before him, Shore discovered a previously unarticulated vision of America via the highway and the camera. Approaching his subjects with cool objectivity, Shore retains precise internal systems of gesture in composition and light, through which an emptied parking lot, a hotel room, or a building on a side street takes on both an archetypal aura and an ambiguously personal significance. In contrast to the characteristic landscapes with which Uncommon Places is often associated, this expanded survey reveals equally remarkable collections of interiors and portraits.
7. People of the 20th Century by August Sander (1936)
August Sander’s monumental photobook is a groundbreaking sociological and artistic exploration of humanity. Comprising hundreds of meticulously composed portraits, the work categorizes people into professions, social roles, and types, presenting a comprehensive cross-section of 20th-century German society. Sander’s approach was both methodical and empathetic, capturing his subjects with dignity and neutrality. His vision of creating a “portrait of an era” transcended photography, becoming a cultural artifact that documented history, class structures, and the human condition. People of the 20th Century remains a cornerstone in portrait photography and a profound meditation on identity and society.
8. Passage by Irving Penn (1991)
At the age of 74, Irving Penn, one of the greatest photographers of our time, has collected the images that have spoken most to him over the years. He has accompanied them with his own memories. The wide-ranging work includes his most remarkable photographs for Vogue magazine: his portraits of the great, the famous and the anonymous; his photographs of fashionable, elegant women in New York and Paris; and his celebrations of men, women and children in remote villages, jungles and savannahs on five continents. There are also examples of Penn’s private research and photographic obsessions: images of street trash, animal skulls, female nudes and his memento mori. There is also a group of surprising drawings, shown for the first time. All introduced by Alexander Liberman, Condenast’s legendary artistic director..
9. Vietnam Inc. by Philip Jones Griffiths (1971)
The publication of Vietnam Inc. in 1971 played a decisive role in changing American public opinion, and helped bring the Vietnam War to an end. In this war story, Philip Jones Griffiths synthesizes three years of reporting and offers one of the most detailed studies ever devoted to a conflict. By showing the horrors of war while describing rural Vietnamese life, the author makes a compelling case against the dehumanizing power of the modern war machine and American imperialism. Rare and highly sought-after, this book has become one of the great classics of photojournalism. It is now available in a new edition, a careful reproduction of the original edition written and designed by Philip Jones Griffiths.
10. Magnum Contact Sheets (2011)
This collection provides an unparalleled look at the creative process behind iconic photographs. Featuring contact sheets from Magnum photographers, it demystifies the art of editing. The book emphasizes the role of selection in shaping photographic narratives. Aspiring photographers gain insights into the decision-making process of masters. Magnum Contact Sheets is an invaluable resource for understanding photographic storytelling.
11. Genesis by Sebastião Salgado (2013)
Genesis is Sebastião Salgado’s love letter to the planet: a monumental portfolio dedicated to nature, indigenous peoples and animals, which shows the Earth in all its priceless splendor of unspoiled lands. In Salgado’s characteristic monochrome tones, this collection is absolutely stunning, both in its sublime panoramas and in the most minute details and materials of nature.
12. A Way of Seeing by Helen Levitt (1965)
Since its first publication in 1965, Helen Levitt’s collection of photographs taken on the streets of New York in the 1940s has been a classic of its kind. Produced in collaboration with writer James Agee, who provided the book’s introduction, A Way of Seeing was published twice, with further modifications made during Levitt’s lifetime. Levitt’s focus on marginalized children and communities offers a compassionate perspective. His work also set a new standard for authenticity and poetic storytelling in street photography. A Way of Seeing remains a benchmark for those seeking humanity in their images.
13. New Topographics (1975)
“New Topographics: Photographs of a Man – Altered Landscape” was a photographic exhibition organized in 1975 at the George Eastman House in Rochester by William Jenkin and Joe Deal. It brought together eight young American artists, representative of the emerging generation of landscape photographers, joined by the German couple Bernd and Hilla Becher. Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Joe Deal, Frank Gohlke, Nicholas Nixon, John Schott and Henry Wessel each presented twenty black-and-white prints, while Stephen Shore showed twenty color images taken with a view camera. All departed from the natural landscape, questioning the industrial or post-industrial landscape head-on, devoid of any romanticism, which was considered somewhat naive in the era of the Vietnam War and race riots. New Topographics has since become a manifesto for a new vision of landscape photography.
14. Sleeping by the Mississippi by Alec Soth (2004)
Alec Soth’s Sleeping by the Mississippi is one of the most influential publications of the photobook era. First published by Steidl in 2004, it was Alec Soth’s first book, sold in three editions, and established him as one of the leaders of contemporary photographic practice. The result of a series of journeys along the Mississippi, Sleeping by the Mississippi captures America’s iconic but often overlooked “third coast”. Soth’s large-format, richly descriptive color photographs present an eclectic mix of individuals, landscapes and interiors. Sensual in detail and raw in subject, Sleeping by the Mississippi evokes a constant atmosphere of solitude, nostalgia and reverie. Throughout the book, Soth alludes to illness, procreation, race, crime, learning, art, music, death, religion, redemption, politics and cheap sex.
15. The Somnambulist by Ralph Gibson (1970)
The legendary book The Somnambulist was published in 1970. It was the first part of The Trilogy, completed by Déjà-Vu (1973) and Days at Sea (1974). The Somnambulist overturned the codes of traditional photography book publishing, dominated at the time by photojournalism. Ralph Gibson, greatly influenced by French New Wave cinema and the Nouveau Roman, conceived a new kind of book, deploying his photographic language through a layout in which the often mysterious and disturbing images, unaccompanied by text, stand on their own. Rejected by traditional publishers, Ralph Gibson decided to publish his book himself, setting up his own publishing house, Lustrum Press. The book, considered a work of art in its own right, enjoyed worldwide success.
16. The Last Resort by Martin Parr (1986)
Almost forty years after its publication, it’s hard to underestimate the importance of The Last Resort, both for British photography and for Martin Parr’s career. Martin Parr took these images between 1982 and 1985. Between satire and cruelty – not without a certain tenderness for his fellow Britons – he portrays families of modest means vacationing in New Brighton near Liverpool, a small seaside resort in decline. What should have resembled a summer district, put through Parr’s mill, suddenly takes on the air of an industrial zone. With biting irony, Martin Parr evokes his nostalgia for the 60s in The Last Resort. He denounces the end of a world (the working-class world) and its values, as well as the advent of a new, consumerist conception of life.
17. Cape Light by Joel Meyerowitz (1979)
Cape Light, Joel Meyerowitz’s series of serene, contemplative color photographs taken on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, quickly became one of the most influential and popular photobooks of the latter part of the 20th century after its publication in 1978, breaking new ground both for color photography and for the medium’s acceptance in the art world.
18. The Solitude of Ravens by Masahisa Fukase (1986)
Regularly cited as one of photography’s most important books, Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase’s Ravens was first published in 1986 in two editions that quickly sold out. This inhabited series was produced between 1975 and 1986 following the photographer’s divorce, and was apparently triggered by a bereavement train journey to his hometown. Fukase’s dark, evocative images of crows explore themes of loneliness and loss. The austere compositions and melancholy tones of the images convey a profound sense of isolation.
19. Yosemite and the Range of Light by Ansel Adams (1979)
Arguably the most critical landscape photographer of all time, Ansel Adams was a master and visionary whose large format, black and white images, eloquently conveyed the awe-inspiring natural beauty of the United States. Published in 1979, his most iconic monograph, centers on Yosemite, the location that inspired his photographic journey, and with which he is synonymous. During a family vacation in 1916, it was here that a teenage Adams was gifted an Eastman Kodak Brownie box camera by his father, sparking a passion that would engender some of the most iconic and influential imagery ever captured, which transformed the genre of landscape photography thenceforth.
20. Tulsa by Larry Clark (1971)
When it first appeared in 1971, Larry Clark’s groundbreaking book Tulsa sparked immediate controversy across the country. His graphic depictions of sex, violence and drug addiction in Oklahoma youth culture won critical acclaim for exposing the myth that middle America had been immune to the social convulsions that rocked America in the 1960s. The raw, haunting images taken in 1963, 1968 and 1971 document a youth culture gradually submerged in self-destruction, and are as moving and disturbing today as when they first appeared.
21. Photographs: 1970-1990 by Annie Leibovitz (1991)
A landmark collection of Leibovitz’s work, this book spans two decades of her career, showcasing her unparalleled ability to capture the essence of her subjects. From iconic celebrity portraits to personal and emotional photographs, it solidifies her status as one of the greatest photographers of her time.
22. Evidence by Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel (1977)
By recontextualizing found images, this conceptual photobook challenged the boundaries of photography. Sultan and Mandel transformed mundane institutional photos into provocative visual art. The absence of captions invites viewers to create their own interpretations. Its influence extends to conceptual photography and archival projects. Evidence is a pioneering work in photography’s engagement with meaning and context.
23. In the American West by Richard Avedon (1985)
A master of American fashion and art photography devotes himself to capturing – in a series of photographic portraits – the cowboys, roustabouts, drifters, gamblers, bar girls and others who characterize the modern Western experience. Richard Avedon’s photographs humanize the often stereotyped American West. His minimalist approach also highlights the individuality of his subjects.
24. On Photography by Susan Sontag (1977)
Though not a photobook of images, Sontag’s essays shaped how we think about photography. It is a study of the power of photographic images, which are continually inserted between experience and reality. Sontag further develops the concept of “transparency”. When everything can be photographed, and photography has destroyed the boundaries and definitions of art, a viewer can approach a photograph freely, without expecting to discover its meaning. This collection of six lucid and invigorating essays is a profound exploration of how the image has turned society upside down.
25. Raised by Wolves by Jim Goldberg (1995)
Often considered Goldberg’s seminal project, Raised by Wolves, originally published in 1995, combines 10 years of original photographs, text and other illustrative material (home movie stills, snapshots, drawings, diary entries and images of discarded objects) to document the lives of runaway teenagers in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The book quickly became a classic in the photobook canon and, as a result, the original is essentially unavailable.
26. Exiles by Josef Koudelka (1988)
In 1970, after working as a reporter during the Soviet invasion, Josef Koudelka renounced his Czech nationality, became stateless and embarked on a long journey: that of exile. Crossing the borders of Europe as a free man, he photographed what he saw: places, objects, souls. These images of life exude incredible depth and power. Both nomadic and visionary, Koudelka depicts a world where the tragic invests the everyday. The selection of images presented by Exils takes us on a journey that tells us as much about being as it does about elsewhere, and which is particularly relevant today, at a time when Europe is shaken by crises.
27. Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph by Diane Arbus (1972)
This posthumous collection of Arbus’ work is an enduring exploration of human diversity. Her portraits of unconventional subjects challenge societal norms and expectations. The photobook highlights her ability to find beauty and complexity in marginal lives. It introduced Arbus’ genius to a global audience and redefined portrait photography. Her legacy continues to inspire contemporary photographers.
28. Paolo Roversi: Studio by Paolo Roversi (2006)
In the intimate studio of one of the greatest names in fashion photography. Since 1980, Paolo Roversi has been working for the most prestigious fashion magazines and top brands. With his Polaroid camera, his style has become inimitable. For years, he has been working on this book, the fruit of meticulous, patient work in which previously unpublished personal images: images of the architecture of his studio, still-lifes of objects he works with rub shoulders with the icons of fashion photography, such as his portraits of Ines de la Fréssange or numerous top models, most often nude… Far from fashion images, an intimate and beautiful universe.
29. Farewell Photography by Daido Moriyama (1972)
Moriyama’s radical deconstruction of photography challenges traditional aesthetics. The photobook’s gritty, grainy images push the boundaries of the medium. Its experimental approach reflects Moriyama’s rejection of conventional storytelling. Farewell Photography is a cornerstone of Japanese avant-garde photography. It continues to inspire photographers who seek to break the mold.
30. Early Color by Saul Leiter (2006)
Although Edward Steichen presented some of Saul Leiter’s color photographs at MoMA in 1953, his work remained virtually unknown to the art world for over 40 years. This book, published by Steidl in 2006, has been a great success. Saul Leiter, the son of a renowned rabbi and a theology student, decided at the age of 23 to break with tradition, which he found stifling, and become a painter. Then, after visiting the Cartier-Bresson exhibition at MoMA, he decided to devote himself to photography. His images testify to his ability to see and discover mysterious things in familiar yet surprising places. Saul Leiter also knows how to play admirably with still and moving, sharp and blurred, confused and arriving on the surface of the visible, like traces, clues, findings.
31. Life is Good & Good for You in New York by William Klein (1956)
Life is Good & Good for You in New York by William Klein is considered one of the most influential and groundbreaking photobooks created in the last 70 years. Published in 1956, its visual energy captured the rough and tumble streets of New York, a city Klein once described as the “angst capital of the world”. Robert Capa said that if your photos weren’t good, it was because you weren’t close enough to your subject, and in Klein’s New York, people press up against the lens, dance around, make faces, pretend to shoot each other-a visual chaos that is rigorously organized by Klein.
32. The Nature of Photographs by Stephen Shore (2007)
With this book, Stephen Shore explores different ways of looking at and understanding photography in all its forms: iconic images or found photographs, negatives or digital files. Based on his many years of teaching photography at Bard College, in New York State, The Nature of Photographs (French title) is an indispensable tool for students and teachers, but also for anyone who wants to make better photographs or learn how to look at them better. In addition to a selection of the author’s own photographs, the book is illustrated with images from every era in the history of photography, from the works of founding masters such as Alfred Stieglitz and Walker Evans to those of contemporary artists such as Collier Schorr and Thomas Struth. All genres are covered: street photography, art photography and documentary photography, as well as images by anonymous photographers.
33. Carnival Strippers by Susan Meiselas (1976)
From 1972 to 1975, Susan Meiselas spent her summers photographing fairground strippers in the small towns of Pennsylvania and South Carolina. She followed the performers from town to town, photographing them both on stage and in their intimate lives, creating images unique for their empathetic yet documentary approach. The book combines powerful images and interviews, adding depth to the narrative, challenging stereotypes by humanizing her subjects and their environment. Carnival Strippers is a pioneering work, and its feminist perspective continues to influence photographers and academics alike.
34. William Eggleston’s Guide by William Eggleston (1976)
This photobook cemented Eggleston’s place as a pioneer of color photography. His images of the American South transformed banal scenes into vibrant, cinematic moments. The photobook’s release marked a turning point for color in fine art photography. Its influence can be seen in contemporary visual storytelling. William Eggleston’s Guide remains an iconic study of place and mood.
35. The Pencil of Nature by William Henry Fox Talbot (1844–1846)
This groundbreaking photobook by Fox Talbot is the first ever published using photographic illustrations. It serves as a visual and textual exploration of photography’s potential, presenting early calotypes alongside essays on the medium’s future. The book paved the way for photography to be recognized as both an art and a science. The Pencil of Nature is not only historically significant but also a testament to the timeless power of photographic innovation. Its influence endures as a milestone in photographic history.
36. Pictures by Herb Ritts (1998)
Herb Ritts’ signature black-and-white imagery redefined modern fashion photography. His sculptural, clean lines and timeless style influenced a generation of photographers and elevated fashion photography to fine art.
37. The Animals by Garry Winogrand (1968)
Winogrand’s photobook is a masterclass in capturing the energy of urban life. His street photography brims with spontaneity, humor, and insight into human behavior. The photobook emphasizes his instinctive ability to find compelling moments in chaos. The Animals influenced countless street photographers with its bold approach. It’s an enduring celebration of life in motion.
38. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by Walker Evans and James Agee (1941)
This collaboration merges photography and prose to document tenant farmers during the Great Depression. Evans’ stark portraits and Agee’s lyrical prose create a deeply moving narrative. The photobook elevates ordinary lives into subjects of art and empathy. It serves as a model for socially engaged storytelling. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men remains a profound exploration of dignity amidst hardship.
39. Paris by night by Brassaï (1933)
Brassaï considered the years 1932 and 1933 to be the most important in his life, since they corresponded to a period when he had made the acquaintance of Picasso, published his Paris de nuit and collaborated with the Surrealists on Minotaure magazine. But he immediately added, as if to distance himself from the group: “The surrealism of my images was none other than reality rendered fantastic by vision. I sought only to express reality, for nothing is more surreal… My ambition was always to show an aspect of everyday life as if we were discovering it for the first time.” The unusual, spellbinding poetry of Paris by Night, his first book of photographs, faithfully translates this credo into the inexhaustible reserves of the everyday. The first edition of this legendary work was published in 1933 by Éditions Arts et Métiers Graphiques.
40. Passing Through Eden by Tod Papageorge (2007)
Papageorge’s photobook captures the life and rhythms of New York’s Central Park. His black-and-white images weave together moments of joy, solitude, and connection. The photobook’s lyrical sequencing reflects the timelessness of urban life. Passing Through Eden is a poetic exploration of human nature in public spaces. It’s a celebration of the park as a microcosm of the city.
41. A Different Vision on Fashion Photography by Peter Lindbergh (2016)
A Different Vision on Fashion Photography collates four decades of compelling work from a pioneering fashion photographer, Peter Lindbergh. Few practitioners have shaped the genre in the manner of the German, renowned for his iconic, naturalistic portraiture, that permeates with cinematic intensity. Featuring over three hundred images, (many previously unseen), this retrospective pays tribute to the gaze of one of photography’s living masters, whose extraordinary oeuvre laid the pathway for generations of notable fashion photographers.
42. Tokyo Compression by Michael Wolf (2010)
Wolf’s photobook captures the claustrophobic realities of Tokyo’s crowded subway. The close-up portraits of commuters behind steamed-up windows are visually striking. The photobook critiques the pressures of urban life with empathy and artistry. Tokyo Compression is a modern exploration of alienation and resilience. Its innovative approach influenced urban and portrait photography.
43. Morocco by Harry Gruyaert (1990)
By delving into his archives, Harry Gruyaert rediscovered a large number of images he had made in Morocco and had forgotten. This book presents a series of variations on the same theme: the spell that this country has exerted on the photographer since his first trip there in the 1970s. Morocco, with its cloth-covered cover, invites us to take a sensory journey through Morocco, in contrast to the codes of photo-reportage.
44. Immediate Family by Sally Mann (1992)
Taken at her summer home in the Virginia woods, Sally Mann’s extraordinary photographs of her children reveal truths about the individuality of her own family, while also having a universal quality. They reveal themes of innocence, mortality and the passage of time. Immediate Family has also sparked debate about the boundaries between art and private life, cementing its place in the history of photography.
45. Earth From Above by Yann Arthus-Bertrand (1999)
Published in 1999, La Terre vue du ciel was a huge success with the public: translated into 19 languages, the book has sold over 1.5 million copies. Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s photographs have also toured the planet in major exhibitions, and are now classics. This book makes readers aware of the ecological issues of our time, and Yann Arthus-Bertrand has established himself more than ever as a universal witness to understanding and action.
46. Nothing Personal by Richard Avedon and James Baldwin (1964)
Using both image and text, Avedon and Baldwin interrogate the formation of identity and the ties that both underpin and undermine human relationships. The book explores the issues and contradictions that have always been at the heart of American history, and are particularly relevant today in the age of Donald Trump. In its latest edition by Taschen, a 72-page companion booklet features an unpublished essay by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Hilton Als, as well as many of Avedon’s never-before-seen suppressed photos, letters, prototype models and period documents.
47. Eugène Atget by Berenice Abbott (1930)
Atget, photographe de Paris by Berenice Abbott is a compelling tribute to the pioneering work of Eugène Atget, a photographer who captured the essence of Paris in the early 20th century. The book showcases Atget’s profound ability to document the city’s architecture, streets, and everyday life with a timeless, poetic quality. Abbott, a renowned photographer herself, played a crucial role in preserving and promoting Atget’s legacy, recognizing the artistic and historical value of his work. Through evocative imagery and insightful commentary, the book highlights Atget’s unique vision, blending realism with nostalgia. This volume is an essential exploration of Parisian history and the transformative power of photography.
48. Pictures from Home by Larry Sultan (1992)
First published in 1992 to widespread critical acclaim, Pictures From Home is Larry Sultan’s pendant to his parents. Larry Sultan returned periodically to Southern California in the 1980s, and the decade-spanning sequence moves from one register to another, combining contemporary photographs with home movie footage, fragments of conversation, Sultan’s own writings and other recollections. The result is a narrative collage in which the boundary between documentary and mise-en-scène becomes increasingly ambiguous. Simultaneously, the distance usually maintained between the photographer and his subjects also slips into an exchange of dialogue and emotion that is unique to this work.
49. Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton (2013)
This viral photobook celebrates the diversity and stories of everyday New Yorkers. Combining portraits with short anecdotes, it creates a tapestry of humanity. The photobook’s accessibility brought storytelling photography to a global audience. Humans of New York redefined how we connect through images and narratives. It remains a cultural phenomenon in contemporary photography.
50. 60 Years of Photography by André Kertész (1972)
Andre Kertesz once said that “photography should be realistic”. Yet the more than two hundred photographs in this volume would prove, if proof were needed, just how fantastic, surreal and “unrealistic” reality can be. Here are irreplaceable images of Hungary at the time of the First World War; portraits of Alexander Calder, Sergel Eisenstein, Marc Chagall, Maurice Vlaminck, Tristan Tzara and Colette, among others; scenes of Paris nightlife in the twenties and thirties; surprising views of America, Spain, Japan and Europe; and studies of subjects both familiar and rare – clouds, corridors, rainy days, broken glass, Piet Mondraian’s staircase, and an elegant snake coiled around a bowl of flowers, its fanged head approaching a white mouse. Taken over a period of 60 years and superbly reproduced, these photographs constitute the most extensive collection of Kertesz’s work ever published.
