Author:
Guy Tal
Link to resource:
https://www.amazon.com/Another-Day-Not-Wasted-Meditations-ebook/dp/B09GZ7JVH2
Image of resource:
Review of resource
The title tells you the point of this book. Guy Tal does not take pictures to make photographs. He does so to make his life fulfilling. And he suggests that that is the ultimate reason we should do so.
It is tempting to compare this book to the author’s previous book, More Than a Rock . It is, once again, a collection of essays, meditations, and memories on art and photography. However, it is very different. This is a much more personal book. His previous work discusses the subject of photography whereas here he elaborates on what photography means to him.
The author unveils two important concepts which he uses as a way to enrich his life with photography.
The first is Flow. He maintains that this is one of the most satisfying states to be in life and a way to live it rewardingly. A considerable amount of writing describes how to achieve it and how it can help the photographer create his own vision.
The second is Equivalence. The author argues that in order to express oneself the photographer needs to not record the subject but to project what the subject makes him feel upon the subject itself. By doing so the photograph becomes more meaningful to the photographer and the experience enriches his life.
Perhaps the climax of the book is near the end where the author reveals his incurable illness. This fact leads him to a belief that life needs to be led more fully and that’s all one can do. Photography is merely a tool to help one accomplish this. I also felt that his condition is a key to understanding his mages, which are statements about life as he sees it.
Mr Tal’s photography has matured since he wrote More Than a Rock. The images are often more abstract and metaphorical. His previous work was more post-impressionistic in it’s usage of color and form. The images in this book are more modernist in the sense that they are often not about the subject itself. The only negative between the two works is that the previous work was better written, more polished. Another weakness I saw was the quality of the images. The publication simply does not render the quality they deserve. This is particularly noticeable in the black and white images where the tonal separation should be much better.
I highly recommend this book. There simply are no other photographers that write from the perspective that Mr Tal does.