Powerful images of a diverse world.5000+ days is well worth the shelf space. It works on several levels because it serves not only to provide a set of photographic images that reflect the diversity of our world but it also showcases the work of photojournalists, whilst providing inspiration for the rest of us and demonstrating the power that images can have.
The opening section is certainly harrowing and it is a stark reminder that the 1990's were not a peaceful decade. The war in Chechnya is almost thrown in your face by some of the photographs.
The comments, short though they are, that accompany some of the photographs are interesting with some of them providing an insight as to what the photographer was thinking when he/she pressed the shutter. However, people looking for information as to aperture, shutter speed, film type etc will be disappointed.
The print quality and general feel of the book is also good and the book makes an ideal companion for hours browsing.
5000 worldsthere is a growing proliferation of 'table top' books and it seems like every day there is a new one vying for your attention. though often glossy they are often more about impressing vistors than actually providing you with anything of substance. this book is however not of that ilk. the photographs collected here are of the highest quality. the photography involved is outstanding and leaves you believing that you need only to pick up your camera and march out of the front door to find something fascinating to take a snap of.
but for all the excellent timing and artistry involved it's the subject matter and the breathtaking sweep of human existance that makes this an essential purchase. politicians off guard, all sorts of oddballs just living their lives, people in other countries living lives a million light years from our own and most significantly, the truly awful day in day out misery and destruction we rain down on each other from one corner of this planet to the other. I say most significantly because for me its this area of human misery that most books of this type prefer to skim over or just ignore completely but not here. 2 men rowing over a flooded pakistani city, people starving, both voluntarily and without choice, war after war, 9/11 and those whose hollow eyes tell you they have long since departed.
its not all misery, not by a long chalk, but if you are going to truly appreciate what this astonishing book has to offer then be prepared to be left stunned by a lot of what it has to show.
well bound and presented with good quality glossy paper with a short but insightful summary of each picture.
this is life right now, unedited and in the raw, uneasy and high in impact, you will be left to meditate on what you see and read here long after you close the cover, when was the last time you could say that about a book you read?
Fascinating...Superb photographs accompanied by fascinating insights. Covers a whole range of events, mainly from the 1990s. I found it absorbing & will come back to it again & again.
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