Book Description:
I have always been fascinated by the sheer beauty and diversity in Indian culture. "Sensory overload in a glance" is an apt description of a country that is always in movement. To be able to stand still in the middle of all that movement allows me to really "see" her people and absorb the flow of life from birth to death.
From learning how to make yellow ink from cow urine to watching funeral pyres burn in Varanasi, I realized that I would have to spend a lifetime here to grasp the immense value of her art, stunning architecture, fascinating food and love of all that is beautiful.
My Review:
As With Debra Schoenberger's other photography books I was left breathless with the beauty she shows in her photos. This book focuses on the Country of India not just one city.
There are so many awesome photos in this book I cannot pick just 1 that would be my favorite. The photos show not only the beauty of India but the everyday, like people going about their daily lives, business, shopping, and more. The sad, some of the run down areas, some areas look to literally be falling down around the people. Some scary like the electrical wires. Wow I would be terrified to walk under that wire mess much less plug something into the electricity. Then there are the cute, I loved the one of a dog laying under a 3 wheeled motorcycle, it really wasn't anything special that caught my eye, I really can't explain it, it just was awesome to me. There are cows just in the streets, lot of dogs and cats. Some wildlife and so much more. I loved all of the color in the photo's one simply has a lady holding a umbrella in front of her in front of an alley, the picture was taken up the alley from her and it was just great.
I love Debra's photography books. She has a wonderful eye for taking photos that really catch the readers eye as well as the imagination. Her books make great coffee table books. They are to amazing for a book shelf.
My Grand Kids also looked through this book with me and they are 2 and 4. They loved the pictures as much as I did. After we finished the book, my 4 year old Grand Daughter looked through the book again on her own. he spotted new and different things in some of the pictures then she did the first time around. This to me makes the book even more special.
Author's Bio:
Debra Schoenberger aka #girlwithcamera
"My dad always carried a camera under the seat of his car and was constantly taking pictures. I think that his example, together with pouring over National Geographic magazines as a child fuelled my curiosity for the world around me.
I am a documentary photographer and street photography is my passion. Some of my images have been chosen by National Geographic as editor's favourites and are on display in the National Geographic museum in Washington, DC. I also have an off-kilter sense of humour so I'm always looking for the unusual.
Book Trailer:
Interview with Debra Schoenberger
What were some of the different artisans you visited?
Block Printing
While we were in Jaipur, I wanted to visit some block printers, having briefly seen a demonstration several years ago. I went to a small studio where a long piece of fabric was laying on a long table. Different blocks are used for different colours. First of all, the printer stamps the background. Then up to 4 or 5 more blocks will be used to fill in a simple pattern. More complicated patterns can require dozens of different blocks. Recipes for traditional plant-based dyes are developed within each family and kept alive from generation to generation.
Silk weaving
I walked through the backstreets of the Muslim quarter in Varanasi to visit a silk weaver. Varanasi silk weavers have been operating here for hundreds of years and Varanasi is famous for the quality of its silk.
I could feel the vibration and hear the hum of the machines the deeper I walked into the neighbourhood. As I walked down the dark alleys, I would glimpse into open doorways to glimpse the silk weavers at work. Curious children followed at a distance. The noise in the workshops was deafening so I just stood and watched the men work. A weaver who operates a handloom can produce one metre of fabric a day. A machine loom can produce 10 metres a day. Many skilled handloom weavers are now working with machines as they can earn more money. Weavers are mostly all men and the skills is passed down from father to son.
Spinning silk onto bobbins
Weaving a high-quality shawl
A weaving pattern
Prizes:
Win one $25 Amazon gift card (international) - 5 other winners will receive one copy of INDIA (choice ePUB or PDF) (ends April 1, 2017)
Excellent post! Terrific review! This book sounds like such an interesting and intriguing read! Looking forward to checking it out!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a marvelous travelogue of National Geographic quality, and even more comprehensive.
ReplyDeleteThank you for featuring my book and author interview Teresa! I hope you enjoyed the article.
ReplyDeleteDebra
Cows are sacred animals and, as such, are allowed to roam freely in India. Great to see another wonderful collection by Debra.
ReplyDeleteThis looks so intriguing! I didn't know they used cow urine to dye yellow stuff! That is amazing. Definitely looking more into this book :)
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