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Summary: Amid controversy, beauty reigns.
Review: Jock Sturges is the master of stunningly beautiful photographs. This collection is a must have! It completes the catalogue of his naturist-family type photographs (including photos from both Radiant Identities and Last Day of Summer). The large images are flawless, and the subject matter touching. There is a shared sense of intimacy between the model and the photographer, and this is transposed to the viewer. These are photographs to admire. Controversy aside, this collection, the photographer, and the beauty it celebrates, deserve to be respected.
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Summary: A fine example of photographic art.
Review: Jock Sturges photographs are of nudists (including children). If you offended by nudity, ignore his work. If you appreciate sensitive high quality photographs and can approach them with the recognition that it is "normal" for his subjects to be unclothed, you might want to look at his photographs. Most are seemingly casual portraits of individuals who happen to be nude. They are actually as deliberate as any studio portrait. A few are clothed and a few others are anonymous figure studies. All are excellent photographs.
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Summary: An irresistable synopsis of the physical passing of time.
Review: Like David Hamilton's The Age Of Innocence, the pictures here are not shocking (and this from a Republican that's as conservative as they come!), yet they affect the senses in a way that most people are not used to. For me, the underlying quality of this collection is its ability to transport the average individual to a world that admittedly could never exist on a widespread basis in the Western world. Mr. Sturges has a sense of what NEEDS to be accomplished in order for this 'special effect' to take place. The result is that one senses innocence instead of guilt, beauty instead of filth, and an ability to stand on Earth and in Heaven at the same time.
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Summary: STUNNING!
Review: Since the first time I discovered this book I found myself contemplating rather than observing this photographs. There is a very unique sense of Truth in this piece of art. Simple but astonishingly deep, as true art should always be. I recommend to listen to three beautiful albums while you enjoy this book: 1. Cocteau Twins- "Milk and Kisses" 2. Mark Hollis "Mark Hollis" 3. Ketil Bjornstad "The Sea. part I". Other-wordly music for other-wordly photography
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Summary: Sturges captures female beauty at all ages in a unique way
Review: Sturges captures the beauty of women (primarily -- some males also) in a unique fashion, and in a way that Americans are sometimes loath (or too prudish) to explore. For an exquisite, ongoing study of such beauty, get all of Sturges works.
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Summary: What a beautiful monograph, both in content & presentation!
Review: Sturges' brilliant & breathtaking silver gelatin portraits of families elevate the concept of "family values." With written permission from each member, Sturges presents us with the physicality of the family unit. His stunning photographs make us consider each part of the family, as well as the whole
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Summary: The photos are beautiful
Review: The photos are very nicely done. I have both Radiant Identities and Last Day of Summer. The photos in this book are from those two books as well as extra photos. Many photos show the same model through various stages in life. It is like watching them. grow up before your eyes. They grow from the innocents of childhood into adulthood. One of my favorites is Misty Dawn. She is photographed from about six until her teen age years. These photos are not pornographic. I have seen adult pornography and these photos go not come close to pornography. These models were never forced to pose nude. These photos glorify the beauty of the human form.Jock sturges not only captures the delicate beauty of the human form, he also greatly captures the beauty of the Ocean and its beaches. Many of the beaches are in France. His photography reminds me of the legendary Ansel Adams. Like Adams , Jock Sturges uses black and white photography to capture the beauty of the natural surroundings.
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Summary: High Density, High Quality, High Value
Review: There is one mysterious thing about the work of Jock Sturges: 99% of his pictures are all very artistic and impressing. They are from real life, but they look like something from another world. You don't believe it. In those cases you see, that Sturges is the difference between art and simple photography. However, the last 1% of his pictures are pure nonsense. They are dominated by mistakes, that you can read from Beginner's Guide or Photography for Dummies. Or, they are just silly and meaningless, a waste of paper. But that's only 1%. The rest is enough for 6 stars, if I had the option. If you would like to have a look at Jock Sturges, but still short of money, you should buy only this book. It has got a number of the same pictures as in his other books.
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Summary: SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL WORK
Review: This book contains nude young girls either by themselves or with family and friends. A guide tells you what models are in each picture. You will get to follow many of these young ladies as they start at the adolescent age and progress to young adulthood. There are a good many photos of some models and only one or two of another one. These children are very beautiful and Sturges will always have a large audience for his work.
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Summary: A fine, fine work.
Review: This book is simply the best black-and-white photography book ever published. It is so full of gorgeous shots, you wonder how anyone can take offense at this book. It is understandable why some people in the English-speaking world would look askance at this work, because it is not everyday that a book is published that consists mostly of pictures of nude girls who are in the midst of puberty. Yet, in places like northern California and the French Riviera, these photos are taken for granted (which they should not be; they are so well done.), because beachfront nudity is perceived as normal. I am glad that Jock decided to publish a tome of this size, because his last two works seemed too much like samplers for Aperture. Scalo did a great job in assisting Jock. Hats off to both of them!
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