Snail on hot tarmac
Moves with great speed to a shady spot.
Parr – Only Human
A few weeks ago, I ordered it by Only Human, by Martin Parr (the signed version). It arrived in the mail yesterday. An incredibly interesting anthropological work, in addition to the unique aesthetics of Parr’s photographs.
Eddy Posthuma de Boer’s Photo Libretto – because of the joy
Photographs, as Hans Aarsman prefers them, are not taken to make a nice picture but only because they attract the photographer’s attention and because he just feels like taking a picture of them. Photo Libretto by Eddy Posthuma de Boer is full of it.
Or as Garry Winogrand said:
Photography is not about the thing photographed. It is about how that thing looks photographed.
Discovering Eddy Posthuma de Boer
I knew Eddy Posthuma de Boer primarily as the photographer who had taken the pictures in Cees Nooteboom’s travel books. His images accompanied Nooteboom’s literary wanderings through Europe and beyond, creating a visual counterpoint to the writer’s observations. But Photo Libretto revealed a different side of Posthuma de Boer, one less concerned with illustrating a narrative and more focused on pure visual discovery.
Photo Libretto was published as a photography calendar, offering one image for each day of the year. This format gives the work an intimate, daily rhythm. Rather than presenting a single coherent project, Posthuma de Boer organized his images into thematic collections that reveal his recurring fascinations and visual obsessions.
The Art of Noticing
Here and there, the images display a wit reminiscent of Elliott Erwitt: black-and-white dalmatians crossing at a zebra crossing, creating an accidental visual rhyme. An Arab who appears to be trying to fix an overturned car, fiddling with the engine with one hand, but a few meters away lies the rear axle, completely detached. A massive pile of crushed car blocks, compressed into perfect metal cubes, speaking to the lifecycle of automobiles.
The book is organized around themes, or rather, collections of related observations. There are texts on signs and storefronts with spelling mistakes – the kind of vernacular typography that most people walk past without noticing. Means of transportation appear frequently: French cars slowly rotting and becoming part of the French landscape, their rust and decay creating unintentional sculptures.
People reading newspapers make multiple appearances, caught in moments of absorption. Companies and products bearing the name Victoria form another collection, turning a simple proper name into a typological study. It’s this kind of obsessive attention to patterns that makes the work compelling.
Ordinary Things, Extraordinary Images
The most admirable pictures capture everyday things rendered without further context, producing unexpectedly remarkable images. A neat little plant table constructed entirely from Pepsi crates, a moment of folk design that could have come from an Eggleston photograph. The ingenuity of making do with what’s available, elevated through photographic attention.
Marte Röling’s Star Fighter aircraft appears, incongruous and powerful. A hotel reception desk in Marseille drowns in an overwhelming abundance of floral wallpaper and carpet patterns. Maximalist interior design that borders on the surreal. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, photographed with the camera tilted so that the tower appears straight while the surrounding world tilts askew, a visual joke that upends our expectations.
Most memorably, a hotel room features a bathtub positioned in the middle of the space, surrounded by a shower curtain like an island of privacy in an otherwise open room. Only possible in Belgium, I thought when I saw it. These are the kinds of vernacular oddities that Posthuma de Boer sought out, or simply noticed when they appeared.
The Philosophy Behind the Images
What ties these diverse images together is Posthuma de Boer’s approach to photography – taking pictures not because they’re obviously beautiful or important, but simply because something catches his eye. It’s photography driven by curiosity rather than ambition, by the pleasure of looking rather than the need to make a statement.
This connects directly to what Hans Aarsman advocates: photography as a practice of attention, of noticing what’s already there rather than constructing elaborate scenarios. It’s democratic in its gaze, finding equal interest in a damaged car, a spelling mistake, or an improvised piece of furniture.
Photo Libretto reminds us that the world is already full of remarkable images – you just need to pay attention and be ready with a camera. The joy Posthuma de Boer found in this practice comes through in every page of this calendar, making each day’s image a small gift of visual observation.
For anyone interested in Dutch photography, vernacular culture, or the art of everyday observation, Photo Libretto remains a treasure worth seeking out.
Related reading:
- I Will Be Wolf – Bertien van Manen
- Ancient and Modern – William Eggleston
- Hans Aarsman on Interesting Pictures
I Will Be Wolf – Bertien van Manen
I Will Be Wolf – Bertien van Manen’s Debut Masterpiece
Published in 1975, I Will Be Wolf marks the remarkable debut of Dutch photographer Bertien van Manen. This photobook offers an intimate glimpse into everyday life through Van Manen’s distinctive lens.
A European Answer to The Americans
Van Manen’s work in I Will Be Wolf clearly shows the influence of Robert Frank’s iconic The Americans, yet it carves out its own unique territory. Where Frank’s vision was often critical and confrontational, Van Manen approaches her subjects with warmth and gentleness. Her photographs reveal a more compassionate eye, one that observes rather than judges.
The book exudes a wonderful freshness that remains striking nearly five decades later. Van Manen’s street photography demonstrates she had studied not only Robert Frank but also William Eggleston’s groundbreaking color work. Like Eggleston, she possesses a certain shyness in her approach to photography.
The Art of Subtle Observation
What makes I Will Be Wolf particularly compelling is Van Manen’s technique of maintaining distance. Many photographs capture people from behind, often taken from afar with views deliberately obstructed by poles, window frames, and architectural elements. This aesthetic choice creates layers of meaning – the viewer becomes a quiet observer, much like the photographer herself.
This restrained approach doesn’t diminish the power of the images. Instead, it adds an layer of intimacy and authenticity. Van Manen’s subjects inhabit their own worlds, unaware or unconcerned with the camera’s presence. The result is photography that feels genuine and unforced.
Why I Will Be Wolf Matters
For collectors and students of photobooks, I Will Be Wolf represents an essential piece of Dutch photography history. It showcases Van Manen’s early vision before she went on to create celebrated works like East Wind West Wind and A Hundred Summers, A Hundred Winters.
The book demonstrates that European street photography in the 1970s could be both influenced by American masters and distinctly its own. Van Manen found her voice early, and this debut remains as relevant and engaging today as when it first appeared.
Conclusion
I Will Be Wolf is a photobook that rewards careful attention, revealing more with each viewing. For anyone interested in documentary photography, Dutch photography, or the evolution of the photobook as an art form, Bertien van Manen’s debut is essential viewing.
