Photobooks of 2019: Ed Templeton

By The Sea by Markéta Luskačová
I have an affinity for photos shot at the seaside, so this book really hits the spot for me. A deep book with no shortage of amazing black and white documentary photographs exploring humanity’s relationship with and activities on the beach.

Carnival by Mark Steinmetz
Shot over many years at carnivals and county fairs, Steinmetz is a photographers’ photographer with a knack for catching people lost in thought.

Tony Ray-Jones by Tony Ray-Jones
Finally a book that really shows how great TRJ was in his short career. A deep dive into his ability to capture the essence of life in the UK.

Méres, Filles, Sœurs by Tom Wood
This new Wood book pairs his photographs of women, “mothers, daughters, sisters” in the streets of Liverpool with emphasis on portraits along with his collected found old photographs from flea markets that he sites as his major photographic influences.

Stockholm by Anders Petersen
Petersen is known for his “city diaries” where he spends some time in various cities producing bodies of work, but has yet to apply this treatment to his home city of Stockholm. This remedies that with a thick book of his signature high contrast prints both in the streets and in more personal and private settings. A must for any AP fan!

Americans Parade by George Georgiou
Incredible concept and execution on this book! True lay-flat binding that lets you get up close and personal with these amazing shots of crowds watching parades all over America.

Early Works by Martin Parr
Like Tony Ray-Jones, this is a good collection showing Martin Parr’s work in his pre-color photography phase, and it shows off his eye and the foundation of his work to come.

The Pillar by Stephen Gill
This is an incredible book shot with a camera mounted on a pole with an shutter release trip that the birds themselves would trigger. The aggregate body of work is mesmerizing.

Shirley Baker by Shirley Baker
I’m a sucker for non-themed edits from people’s entire life work. This book lets editor Lou Stoppard loose in Baker’s archive and offers a great overview of this original eye.

Bread In Snow by Mark Cohen
Another aspect of Mark Cohen’s color work explored in a new book. If you are a Cohen completist like I am, you need this.

Who is Michael Jang? by Michael Jang
This book answers the question at hand, a great time-capsule that captures a life rarely seen, in the photo world, a personal inside look at an asian American family in 60’s San Francisco, along with examples of his other projects.

Suzi et Cetera (Part 2) by Boris Mikhailov
I’m a massive Mikhalov fan and this snuck up on me, discovering it in the Le-Bal bookstore in Paris.

The Beautiful Flower Is the World by Jerry Hsu
This is a collection of cell phone photos from a photographer who has a great eye for finding the ridiculousness of humanity as he travels all over the world.

Poof I’m Gone by Jai Tanju
A small book by a new father documenting his life and surroundings in the years after his daughter’s birth.

Ed Templeton (born 1972, lives and works in Huntington Beach, CA) – A respected cult figure in the subculture of skateboarding, his paintings, photographs, drawings, and mixed-media installations take their inspiration from the subculture he is a part of and the suburban environment he lives in. Templeton is also a two-time world-champion professional skateboarder, and the founder/creator of Toy Machine skateboard company. His work has been shown at MOCA, Los Angeles, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, S.M.A.K. Museum, Belgium, Bonnefanten Museum, Netherlands, Kunsthalle, Vienna, Pier 24 Photography Museum, San Francisco, and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, UK. His work is included in the LACMA permanent collection. Over 20 books of his work have been published.

Images: top – Tony Ray-Jones, below – Shirley Baker, Who is Michael Jang? by Michael Jang