I’ve gotten very into street photography this year, reading lots of books on the topic.  Alex Webb is a well-known photographer, as is his wife Rebecca, although neither is really thought of as a ‘street photographer’ in the same way as Joel Meyerowitz or Garry Winogrand, for example. Still, with this book being part of Aperture magazine’s Photography Workshop series, I was looking forward to some insights on the genre.  I found the book pretty disappointing in that regard.  Granted, there’s a wide variation on the definition of ‘street photography’, but of the dozens of photos in this book, I’d say less than half would qualify. This book is definitely not a workshop, and definitely not on street photography.  Thankfully, many of the photos are interesting and compelling, and I’m always happy to view a photographer’s work.  Most of the photos were either by Alex Webb or Rebecca Norris Webb, though.  I was hoping to view more works by other photographers.  Frankly, the book felt like an extended advertisement for Webb’s books.  Almost every page makes mention of a book that they’ve written. In short, an okay book, nothing very memorable, and not something I think I’ll refer back to at a later date.

“On Street Photography and the Poetic Image” by Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb

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