Customer Reviews

Through the Lens: National Geographic's Greatest Photographs

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

*AHEM* I don't see what anyone sees in this book. These photographs are NOT National Geographic's greatest! I have been a fan of NG ever since I was a child, always picking up the curiously bright yellow magazine and fliping through it to uncover stunning, magnificent photos and articles. Sadly, I must say that this book is a poor representation of NG's greatest photos. :(

This would be a wonderful book if National Geographic had spent a little bit more money on the color reproduction. If I was a photographer whose work was included here I'd be really disappointed at the muddy print job.

An avid reader and fan of Nationl Geographic for 5 decades, I was
disappointed in the book. More than half of the featured photographs were recent, many taken in the last 5 years. So many of the breath taking pictures that I remeber were not included. I cannot even guess at what the critera was for photographs to be included in this book but, in my opinion, these are not the best of National Geographic.

For $18, this is a huge book with enough full-page images to fill your lazy Sunday tea time.

Just as much as many of Henri-Cartier Bresson's publications are a rehash of previous publications plus new images, I found only several of the images are from previous old publications. However, I consider these as almost symbols of the NG series.

As a photographer, I have since gone thru the book 3 times and I find the images entertaining and lovely to soak in.

I would underline what several reviewers pointed out about pictures and make (that's what the 2 stars are for), but I found that there are several serious errors in this book. One can find photos taken in Saudi-Arabia (pp222-223) or Israel(pp276-277) in the section about AFRICA! Hey, this is National Geographic--so far most reputable source of everything about our planet. The Middle-East and the Arabian peninsula are part of ASIA and not of Africa. I was astonished and very disappointed to see that the editors apparently didn't take care about these 'minor' issues.

Excellent collection of images for those who like history, nature, travelling, and life. Amazing visual journey is waiting for those who will buy this item. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Though your beginning was small,
Yet your latter end would increase abundantly." -- Job 8:7

Before starting my review, let me note that at the time I wrote this review Amazon had mixed up reviews for the larger size hardcover book available at $30 with the smaller size hardcover book available at $16.95. I am reviewing the smaller format book that came out in September 2009 (6.6 inches by 6.1 inches by 1.5 inches). Unless you don't care what size your photographs are, I recommend you spend the extra money and get the larger size version that came out in October 2003 (10.7 inches by 10.1 inches by 1.8 inches). I think in the larger page size the book is a five-star resource for any photography lover. If you are a National Geographic subscriber or admirer, why wouldn't you want to own that book?

Like many books of photographs, many of these reproductions will appeal to you more than others. I happen to like nature shots that provide me with a new perspective on life against a backdrop of stunning beauty. Obviously, National Geographic could have filled many volumes with just such images. A boy diving backward off a water buffalo into a muddy river filled with water buffalo perfectly captures the sort of thing I mean (James P. Blair, 1993, in Bangladesh), as does a meerkat keeping watch (Mattias Klum, 2002).

There are also some marvelous wilderness shots that take the civilization out of you in meditative ways (Maria Stenzel, 1996, islands on the Fond du Lac River; Steve Winter, 2001, jaguar in Belize; and Jim Brandenburg, 1987, arctic wolf)

More typically, these images are about people. I particularly liked the ones that put nature's scale against human accomplishment (Hiram Bingham, 1912, portraying Machu Picchu; Gordon Wilstie, 1994, mountaineers in Chile; Michael S. Yamashita, 2003, the Great Wall of China).

Much of the book is social commentary. Depending on your point of view, you'll be amused, outraged, or left musing.

For my taste the book could have included a lot more space and ocean images.

Inevitably, there are images of bare-breasted women from lesser-developed countries, views of whom have provided such controversy over the years about National Geographic. I could have done without those.

More than the articles, when I think of National Geographic Magazine I think of the photography. I have long considered the photography in National Geographic to be some of the best magazine photography that I have seen. The images are typically stunning and give me a visual idea of locations that I would not even be able to imagine. I cannot speak to the technical craft of photography because I know nothing about that. Since I also have not looked at other National Geographic Collections, I cannot speak as to what is included in those collections and how it compares to this collection. What I can speak to is what I thought about this particular collection.

Bottom line: I liked it. Since I am not a regular reader of National Geographic, all of the pictures were new to me. This is an excellent collection of photography for someone who just wants to look at some wonderful pictures. One can look through the book casually and enjoy the pictures (as I did), or one can study the pictures and see exactly what is going on and find nuance within the pictures. Either way works. Good pictures, good book, and it was an enjoyable time looking at some of the best of National Geographic's photography.

Through the Lens is an excellent collection of National Geographic photos, and for only $30, well worth the cost. The book has several well known photos, as well as other beautiful, but not as publicized, pictures. The book is divided into sections based on continents, which (usually) makes it easier to find a specific picture. This book does have its share of problems however. There's no index, so you can't look for pictures with a specific theme. The majority of the pictures are centered in the middle of the two pages, so the middle of the pictures disappear into the binding. The pages are another problem entirely. The book is printed on glossy paper that absorbs liquid (apparently). Oil from your fingers is left as prints or smudges, even if you only are touching the page for a few seconds. These marks DO NOT disappear over time, and you can espeacially see them on the black pages. Even with these problems, this book is worth getting for the spectacular pictures inside.

I'll give 3 stars to this book for the hidden gems in it, and for the expansive collection of photographs. However, National Geographic seems to have chosen quantity over quanlity. I was genuinely surprised at the lack of pictures even worth being denoted 'good'. Some of them looked like the sort of thing the average person takes on a short vacation.
Most photos in it are across both pages, and the large size makes almost every picture look grainy. It also makes the book seem like there are more pictures than there really are. The truly wonderful photos are pretty much all ones we've seen printed elsewhere, multiple times, like a humpback whale with seabirds about it by Flip Nicklin. I've even seen that one used in advertisements.
Don't waste your money or time buying this book; there are others of much better quality and lower pricing. In short they are NOT the "Greatest" photographs.