My photobook of the year

Initially, I had planned a “My favourite photobooks of 2023” post for today. But as I was standing in front of my bookshelf I realized, I already have written about a few of my favourites in previous posts this year. And because I didn’t want to bore you by writing about them again, I dropped my original idea and decided to write about the books that moved me the most this year.

Two books immediately came to mind and so I decided to write about them instead. But as I started to gather my thoughts and made notes, I realized it really is just the one book, I should dedicate today’s newsletter to. From all the books I bought this year, it was the one that stood out to me the most.

(But in case you missed my previous writings, you can find all my photobook posts here. And if you wonder, why I write about photobooks on a regular basis, I also shared some thoughts on the importance of photobooks here.)

But back to todays book…

The book is called “Our Loss” by Joel Sternfeld and was published by Steidl in 2019. I had been reading up on Joel Sternfeld, so I went online to check what books by him might be available. That is when I found a used copy of the book. I didn't know anything about it, but the low price convinced me to order it.

When it arrived, I got really excited. Firstly, - it only had one little dent - but the rest of the book was in perfect condition. Secondly, I immediately liked the look and feel of the book. The photograph on the cover shows parts of a bare tree in a park on a grey and foggy day. The title of the book and name of the author are embossed in dark grey colour into the light grey linen cover.

There is no intro or foreword in the book. Instead, it opens with an article from The New York Times from April 14, 2018, with the following headline

“Prominent lawyer in fight for gay rights dies after setting himself on fire in Prospect Park”

From the article, we learn that David S. Buckel, 60 had set himself on fire in the early morning hours as a means of calling attention to the pollution of the planet by fossil fuels. A note was found in a shopping cart near the place where his body was found. In this note, he urged the people to lead less selfish lives and to care more about the planet.

There was one passage in the newspaper article that struck me:

“The earth around Mr. Buckel was burned in a nearly perfect circle. The police said the ground was too scorched to tell, but it is possible that when he went to Prospect Park that day, he took some soil with him, hauling it in the cart. It is possible Mr. Buckel’s last moments were spent spreading it out, making a ring around himself, so that the flames wouldn’t spread.”

I tried to imagine him: so desperate about the state of the world that he wanted to take his own life. Yet so determined to make an example and exhort the people to take better care of the environment. And still caring so deeply, that he thoughtfully planned to make sure the impact of his suicide would be as minimal on nature as possible.

This almost made me cry.

After sitting in a moment of silence, I turned the page to the first photograph in the book.

the first image in the book

About the series: Joel Sternfeld started photographing the site where Mr. Buckel had been found dead on the day after the suicide.

In an interview, he said, he heard about the suicide in the news, but at first had no intention of going to see the place. But because he was near the park the day after the suicide, he decided to go.

When Sternfeld first started to photograph the place he had very mixed feelings about it and was struggling inside about the idea of photographing the place. But he still kept going. He decided to photograph the place for one year, because - as he explained in the interview - in the Jewish tradition you mourn for one year¹.

In the interview mentioned above Sternfeld tells an incredible little story that I found to be very moving: Two weeks after he had made the last photograph, he had a dream in which the husband of David S. Buckle asked him to photograph the little grove of trees which had been planted in the memory of his husband. So Sternfeld went out that morning, set up his camera and in that moment the husband of Mr. Buckle came up to him. They had seen each other in the park but had never spoken before. That morning they both talked for the first time. After that Sternfeld took the very last photograph, which is also the last one in the book. It shows a beautiful, small (magnolia?) tree in full bloom.

Here are a few pages of the book to give you an idea:

the last photo of the book

This book is just so perfect.

The beautiful design and the overall quality.

The sequencing and layout - only one photo per double spread with the date below.

The title: “Our Loss” - we didn’t only lose an incredible person who fought for gay rights and the environment, but we are also slowly losing the battle we are facing because of climate change.

The photographs: An ordinary scene photographed throughout the seasons and at different times of day, sometimes more crowded other times less. The world goes on. Days come and go. Seasons come and go. We forget. But the photographs remind us of what we have lost.

This book moved me deeply. And it still does. To me, it is a masterpiece and a great example of how a story can be told in the form of a photobook.

Do you have a photobook you have discovered this year and love? I would love to know.

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That’s it from me today. This is also my last post for this year. You will hear from me next year again. Most likely with “My Visual Journal” from Denmark!

Thank you for being here and for reading this week’s newsletter. It means a lot!

X,

Susanne

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1. Sternfeld has Jewish origins.