Quick Book Review: “On Street Photography and the Poetic Image” by Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb

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.

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