Abandoned America

Rating:
Summary: Respecting What Was
Review: I really appreciated the vibrant colors and the generally high production values of the photographs in this beautiful book. Typically, photographs of abandoned, worn out and discarded items are done in a style that highlights the "used up" aspect of the subject. Most of the photographs in Abandoned America, on the other hand, give their subjects one last opportunity to "shine" in the conventional sense; to, perhaps, get one last chance at life.

Rating:
Summary: Respecting What Was
Review: I really appreciated the vibrant colors and the generally high production values of the photographs in this beautiful book. Typically, photographs of abandoned, worn out and discarded items are done in a style that highlights the "used up" aspect of the subject. Most of the photographs in Abandoned America, on the other hand, give their subjects one last opportunity to "shine" in the conventional sense; to, perhaps, get one last chance at life.

Rating:
Summary: A visually appealing document of abandoned objects
Review: I won't bother to describe the nature of this book, the other reviews take care of that. So I'll just give my opinion. I've always been interested in photography of abandoned or damaged objects, and was drawn to this book and very satisfied with the results. Yes, Gottlieb is a good technician, using the rule of thirds, pumping up the color a bit here and there, and (admittedly) doing a little Photoshopping to remove unwanted objects. He's a pro, and that's what they do. He's not just documenting these things for posterity, he's trying to create memorable images with them as well, and mostly succeeds. I also have some minor quibbles with his occasional choice of fisheye lenses and deliberately placing his shadow in a picture, but for the most part, he impressed me with his style and keen eye. The photos made me want to quit my job and travel around the country, looking for similar places off the beaten path.

Rating:
Summary: An over-bright look at the Nation
Review: Photographs of the abandoned America seem very appropriate for the world's leading throwaway society and whereas photographers elsewhere might concentrate on abandoned historical ruins it does seem that many American photographers seek out the discarded that is just left and forgotten. Maybe this is because there is so much of it around, and in a huge country it seems all too easy to walk away from a building, a vehicle, a sign that has become redundant. To remove it becomes someone else's problem but before that happens a lot of photographers can show their creativity by capturing it on film.

Steve Gottlieb has travelled the country looking for, as the chapters show, houses and barns, factories and equipment, vehicles, signs and facades and finally a kaleidoscope of odds and ends. Another reviewer has mentioned the color and this is what I noticed first, it is very garish and uneven and there are very few true blacks anywhere. The technical notes mention that the images have been color corrected where needed and although the plates are printed in a very fine screen (over 200 dpi I think) the lack of solid blacks give most of the photos a pastel feel and detracts from the raw grittiness of the subject.

It is also a book of unfortunate technical contrasts, page twelve shows an old wooden house surrounded by bright (color corrected?) green trees making the photo look rather artificial yet turn over the page and there is a stunning black and white (using the four color black printing process) photo of three abandoned houses with a dead tree in the middle of the composition. Page 136 shows a deserted amusement park with very washed out color, over the page a super image of an abandoned hospital in New York with Manhattan in the background looking just like someone has made a collage of various skyscrapers and created a city skyline.

It is the uneven color that spoils the book for me. I have some books that cover the (almost) same subject better and they are in black and white, this seems much more appropriate for this material, 'Meadowlands' by Ray Mortenson, covering the industrial landscape of New Jersey, 'The Hand of Man on America' by David Plowden and 'Dead Tech' with photos by Manfred Hamm. This is a quite extraordinary book of photos (and text) of abandoned technology in Europe and America. For very controlled color work have a look at 'The Democratic Forest' by William Eggleston and 'Written in the West' by film director Wim Wenders, photos of abandoned bric-a-brac from southewest USA.