Between The Wind by Ben Horne | My Photo Bookshelf
I’ve been watching Ben Horne on YouTube for a couple of years now. Being into my wide, dramatic vistas at the time, his work was interesting to me but I wouldn’t say I was in awe of his work, but as my photography tastes matured and my interest in small scene photography increased, I started to pay closer attention to his work, appreciating his artistic and technical abilities that much more. As my fondness for Ben’s photography increased and knowing he had released his first book some time before, I added it to my photobook wish list and by the time I eventually got around to wanting to buy his book, it was unsurprisingly sold out. I was kicking myself at the time as I genuinely thought that ship had sailed. Fast forward to just a few months ago and while browsing the Kozu Books website, I noticed there were a few back on sale so without delay and feeling incredibly fortunate, I made the order.
The synopsis
There is something to be said about limitation. It sparks within me a sense of creativity, and allows me to produce work I’m truly satisfied with.
For the past decade, I’ve worked exclusively with large format film. The limitation of this medium can be overwhelming at times, but I’ve learned to be patient, to think through my composition, and to wait for the best light.
I treasure those moments when I stand next to my camera, a stopwatch in one hand, a cable release in the other — patiently waiting for the wind to settle before opening the shutter.
Each photo in this book represents a moment of calm — a moment between the wind.
This collection of work spans from 2009 through present day, and was photographed entirely on 8x10 and 4x5 color film.
My thoughts about the book
First up, I love the title of this book. Ben goes into a bit more detail in his introduction but to summarise, using a large format film camera and the inevitable longer shutter speeds needed to soak in all that light, Ben often finds himself waiting for the wind to drop before taking his images, thus achieving sharp, blur-free results. Very clever indeed.
As you would expect from Kozu Books, it’s solidly built and of high quality. The cover is natural cloth with foil text which works well considering the type of imagery the book contains. The book starts with a foreword by Charles Cramer followed by Ben’s introduction, getting straight into the imagery from there.
If you are already aware of Ben Horne’s work, you will know the style and subjects contained within his photos but for those less familiar, Ben is a large format film photographer who has been taking multiple trips a year to national parks such as Zion and Death Valley since 2012 and has been documenting these trips by using his large format film camera. So not only does Ben have to seek out interesting subjects and strong compositions like the rest of us, he also has to take well-exposed, sharp photos with a large, bulky film camera at the same time. That’s dedication for you. This book is a collection of photos Ben has taken from the salt flats in Death Valley to intimate scenes containing lone leaves and abstract details in Zion.
No good photobook is complete without the right flow of images and between Kozu Books and Ben, they have done a great job on the sequencing. Throughout the book you will find a perfect pairing of photos, be it from the same location, similar or complimentary colours or subjects that share a common theme such as the same type of tree of both containing flowing water.
If you like beautiful portraits of trees, abstract shapes and textures and intimate scenes found on the valley floor then this book is a must have for your bookshelf. Thats if you can find a copy of course.
Book Details
Hardcover
Size: 300mm x 240mm
Pages: 96
Photos: 68
Availability at the time of writing: Unavailable from the publisher (Kozu Books). Consider buying a used copy if available.