Photography Unplugged

By Harald Mante
Rocky Nook, Inc, $49.95, 201 Pages

Just cracking open this book reminded me that photographers are a singularly off-set group-folks who seem to exist mainly to remind those caught up in their busy lives that there are unique and beautiful ways of viewing the world; each snap of a shutter-above a well-aimed lens-strives to make a scene ‘new’ to the eye. The stunning quality of the photos, expressed in an ‘unplugged’ state-without using software or anything digital-is apparent with just a glance, even more so with prolonged study: a bit of dock visible through torn canvass, a half-submerged boat reflecting a perfect sky, a model’s stiletto shoes slowly peeling away with weather and time, the crumbling foot of an ancient, gray statue repaired with a bit of flesh-colored bandage, a tri-colored Vespa parked next to walls that seem colored to match, motorcycle tracks running parallel to foamy surf on an otherwise flawless beach and long edges of curving paper, the lovely lines of which were too expressive for a single snapshot.

Unfamiliar with Harald Mante’s work, I nevertheless poured through the images with wide eyes, feeling like a child looking through my father’s large photography volumes depicting great scene from decades past. In this compilation, the German-born photographer spans Europe and parts of Africa, toying with surface calm and interplaying textures; the colors and imperfections captured tell a story all their own, and yet does so without words. As with most photography books, there is little explanation accompanying each picture; one is left wondering about the scenes presented and how the artist stumbled upon them. Too moving to be labeled a ‘coffee-table book,’ these snapshots can be enjoyed by the entire family.

Reviewed by Meredith Greene