I think every photographer, no matter who you are, should study the work of Gregory Crewdson. Crewdson is the antithesis of what does so well on social media and living proof that with dedication, a photographer can make images otherworldly. Where many might try to make photographs using generative AI or compositing, Crewdson builds worlds. His surreal work has planted the seeds that have given us delightful fruits like Brooke DiDonotto and Jaina Cipriano, amongst many others. But most importantly, Gregory isn’t just a shining example of how to do it right — he’s the sun, and we are the humans bathing in his radiance.
Frankly, Gregory Crewdson’s career retrospective book is positively incredible. I’m convinced that it’s one of the best photography books to be published this year. Most importantly, it does everything nearly perfectly right.
Let me start out by saying this statement after going through the book several times. This book is the sipping whiskey of photo books. You’re supposed to take it slowly, savor it, observe the little things that come up, and savor it. Like sipping whiskey, you’d probably want to do this in solace so that you truly have your own personal experience.
Gregory Crewdson has been making images for far longer than many of us have been alive. But what’s so unique about his process is that he goes out of his way to specifically build each set and create a story. He’s one of the original surreal photographers who made work in color. And his use of color is worth a study in and of itself.
When you open up the book, you’ll be treated to a little bit of text in each section outlining and speaking about them all. Since this is a book, I wish that the text were a bit larger and easier to read. But the information is easily accessible. From there, you’ll dive into the pages. For the most part, each image has its own dedicated page and is placed on the upper half of each page. To really experience these images, you’ll need to hold the book close to you and look at the with diffused window lighting. The book should also be arched upwards slightly to make the light bathe over the soft matte sheen on the pages.
If you’re like me and putting the book down on a table, I recommend that you go through it very slowly. Truly, I wish this book put each photo right in the middle of the page or that it used the square format to perfectly center the image. It would make looking at each photo so much easier.
Occassionally, you’ll run into a full page spread — and those images will be sadly split down the middle of the page. However, they’ll still look pretty good.
Paging through each section will feel like you’re trying to solve a mystery in front of you. That’s to say that Crewdson’s work will simply suck you in just that much. This, of course, means that this isn’t an easy book to go through. To really soak it in, you need to work your eyes pretty hard by going through each image very carefully. To recap, you need to get close to each photo, sip them in, and make it an enjoyable experience. It’s the idea of sipping on a glass of bourbon slowly vs slamming shots of it.
This new book by Gregory Crewdson is going to be a hit if you take it in slowly and give yourself the time to experience all the little details within each image. Granted, that means that it will be an exercise for your eyes. If you’re low-vision, the way I am, then take it really slowly. Even if you’ve got great vision, we recommend that you truly take your time with this book and let it inspire you to make your most meaningful work yet.