Publisher Description

Few photography books can lay claim to being truly groundbreaking. The first edition of Magnum Contact Sheets was one of them. This exceptional book, presented here in a new, accessible and democratically priced format for the first time, reveals how Magnum photographers capture and edit the very best shots. Addressing key questions of photographic practice - was the final image a set-up, or a serendipitous encounter; did the photographer work diligently to extract the potential from a situation, or was the fabled 'decisive moment' at play? - this book lays bare the creative methods, strategies and editing processes behind some of the world's most iconic images.

139 contact sheets, representing 69 photographers, are featured, as well as zoom-in details, selected photographs, press cards, notebooks and spreads from contemporary publications, including Life magazine and Picture Post. Further insight into each contact sheet is provided by texts written by the photographers themselves or by experts chosen by members' estates.

Many acknowledged greats of photography are included, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliot Erwitt and Inge Morath, as well as Magnum's latest generation, such as Jonas Bendiksen, Alessandra Sanguinetti and Alec Soth. These photographers cover over seventy years of history, from the Normandy landings by Robert Capa, the Paris riots of 1968 by Bruno Barbey and war in Chechnya by Thomas Dworzak to images of Che Guevara by Rene Burri, Malcolm X by Eve Arnold and clasic New Yorkers by Bruce Gilden.

This landmark book, published just as the shift to digital photography threatens to render the contact sheet obsolete, celebrates the sheet as artifact, as personal and historic record, as invaluable editing tool, and as a fascinating way of accompanying great photographers as they work towards, and capture, the most enduring images of our time.

Notes

A paperback edition to mark Magnum's 70th anniversary. It features over 3,600 individual frames of great photographs that have been captured, edited and made. 'Exemplary... stunningly beautiful', Geoff Dyer Observer

Author Biography

Kristen Lubben, former longtime curator at the International Center of Photography, is now executive director of the Magnum Foundation.

Review

'Exemplary ... stunningly beautiful' - Geoff Dyer, Observer
'Utterly absorbing. To be able to follow dozens upon dozens of the most recognised images of the 20th century backwards through the selection process gives these pictures a new immediacy and vitality ... fascinating and surprisingly intimate' - John Banville, Daily Telegraph
'Magnificent ... every compelling image gives us an intimate and exciting sense of walking alongside the photographer' - RA Magazine
'A treasure trove' - Andrew Motion, Guardian
'A fascinating book that can not only be enjoyed for itself but can be utilised as a great learning tool for the most difficult task of all – picture editing' - Black & White Photography

Promotional

An extraordinary record of great photographs being captured, edited and made

Review Quote

. . .a magnificent compendium of raw images from the photography cooperative. -- New York Times Book Review A rare revelation. -- Arts and Antiques Through these fascinating and usually private images, the exhibition celebrates what and how photographers saw for nearly a century. Coinciding with the publication of Magnum Contact Sheets (Thames & Hudson), edited by ICP Curator Kristen Lubben, the exhibition includes a selection of some of the 139 contact sheets in the book. -- NY City Official City Guide This 500-page volume provides a peek at the process behind these photos, showing the shots taken before and after each standout and letting the photographers tell how they made their choices. -- Art+Auction [This book]…offers unique insight into the working progress of the celebrated agency's photographers over the past seven decades-their approach to taking and editing their pictures as well as their idiosyncratic relationships with the contact sheet. -- Time Magazine Gives unprecedented access into the creative process of some of the world's greatest photographers. -- Complex's Art + Design …a magnificent compendium of raw images from the photography cooperative. -- The New York Times Book Review

Promotional "Headline"

An extraordinary record of great photographs being captured, edited and made

Details