Screen Grabs: NYLPT by Jason Evans

The images above are iPhone screen grabs.

Format: App for iPad and iPhone

Price: $5.99

Links: iTunes and MAPP Editions

Screen Grabs: An Image a Day by Ansel Adams

The images above are iPhone screen grabs.

Format: iPhone App

Price: $1.99

Links: iTunes and Hachette Book Group

The Afronauts by Cristina De Middel - Preview and book/app comparison

I've been able to preview the upcoming "The Afronauts" App by Cristina De Middel and Ubicuo Studio for two days. The book the app is based on got a lot of attention, sold out quickly and is now out of reach for most people. Cristina didn't want to print a second edition of the book, and instead decided to make an app to make the work more accessible.

Many are familiar with the book so I decided to post some comparison samples between the book and the app.
As you can see, the book is on the left and the app to the right. Two of the images to the right features two images/pages of the app, and are divided by a thin black line. Click the photos to enlarge.
I would like to thank Tom Claxton of Claxton Projects for letting me use his beautiful photos of the book.

The app will be compatible with both iPad and iPhone, and will launch on April 17th costing €5.99.

Photos of the book © Claxton Projects. Photos of the app are iPad screen grabs.

Sierra Zapoteca by Jorge Lépez Vela

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

"Sierra Zapoteca, the most recent book of the Mexican photographer Jorge Lépez Vela, is the result of years of work, it includes 60 photographs in black and white taken in over 15 communities in the Sierra Norte de Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico. All photographs are accompanied by ambient sound, music and dialogues in Zapoteco to help us enter more deeply into the world of the Zapotecos."  Jorge Lepez Vela

"In this book we are taken on a journey marked by the infinite landscape of the mountains, whose clouds transport us to the fantastic world of the other. However, the substance of the book avoids both folkloric clichés and anthropological condescension, and places us amongst the flesh-and-bone individuals. In these photographs there is room for reflection in the large gaps that seem to structure the visual discourse. The subjects are revealed through their objects, their environment, body details and gestures. There is movement, there is music, laughter and noise of animals. In fact, feelings and emotions pass through the animals close ups, inevitable protagonists of the parties."  Rosa Casanova

Format: App compatible with iPad and iPhone.

Price: $2.99

Links: iTunes and Jorge Lépez Vela

Comment: All of the photographs in this app are accompanied by sound. With some of the photos it works really well and you get a better sense of the place or a better understanding of them, and some of the photos could probably live without it. It isn't the fastest and most responsive app, and as you flick through it you at times have to wait a brief moment for photos or sound to load. The upside is that it doesn't require a lot of storage on your device.

The work is strong, classic, b&w film photography and I have to give credit to the photographer to be brave enough to experiment with sound and other features that can only be done digitally.

RATING:

Content: 16/20

Design: 10/15

Value: 4/5

TOTAL: 30/40

Dienststelle Marienthal by Andreas Magdanz, reviewed by Wayne Ford

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

Over a 12 year period commencing in 1960, the West German government constructed a secret underground bunker near Bonn — this vast complex contained 25,000 doors, of which only 38 would lead to the surface, and 900 offices. A product of the cold war it was designed to house 3,000 key government personnel in the event of a nuclear attack. At one stage the building was so secret, that to even acknowledge its existence was an act of treason. 

In 1998, German born Andreas Magdanz was granted access to three of the bunkers five sections (prior to the building being decommissioned), the resulting book, Dienststelle Marienthal (The Marienthal Government Bunker), takes is name from the official designation for the building. Reflecting upon this work Martin Parr and Gerry Badger write in The Photobook: Volume II (Phaidon, 2006), ‘Magdanz depicts an environment that is repetitive, uniform and soulless, lacking privacy and the more “civilized” amenities of living.’

Format: Compatible with iPhone and iPad.

Price: $4.99 

Links: iTunes, App website and MagBooks

Comment: Dienststelle Marienthal is now a highly sought after book, commanding high prices on specialist auction sites. But Magdanz — who was an early adopter of digital technologies — has produced a digital version for the iPhone using MagBook® technology, in what he described as a’worldwide first’ when he first issued the app for the iPhone and iPod Touch in 2009. Whilst in my view this should not to be viewed as a substitute for the original book, it is a welcome opportunity for anyone interested in Magdanz’s powerful work to do so at a very democratic price.  

RATING

Content: 18/20

Design: 12/15

Value: 5/5

TOTAL: 35/40

Norreport Station by Klaus Holsting

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

"Nørreport is Denmark's only true underground station and the doorstep to the city.

Through almost 4 years, photographer Klaus Holsting documented Copenhagen's unnoticed inferno, day and night, summer and winter, before the city's main transport hub now changes forever.

The pictures can be experienced in the book Nørreport Station - which you can get a taste of, in this mobile/tablet application.

The application displays some of Klaus Holstings fantastic pictures in a minimalistic and intuitive gallery, but also adds a little extra to the experience, by featuring an essay written and read by Søren Ulrik Thomsen. Go check it out for yourself at Norreport Station."  Michael Vestergaard

Format: App compatible with iPad, iPhone and Android.

Price: Free

Links: iTunes, Google Play and I like to play

Comment: This is an app in Danish only so it won't be rated. It doesn't contain a lot of photos, and as the publisher says, is a way to get a taste of the book Nørreport Station. A great thing about this app is that it's compatible with Android as well, making it available for more than only Apple users. 

Tunnel by Hoichi Nishiyama

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

" “Tunnel for iPad”, by engineering photographer Hoichi Nishiyama, is a photo book app based on his book “Tunnel” (published 2005 by Japan Construction Method and Machinery Research Institute for the Japan Construction Mechanization Association). It shows a mystery world that is normally not visible; of giant shield machines on the move, the serene light shining into the tunnel to the thriving drill machine. 

Hoichi Nishiyama / photographer 

Born 1952 in Tokyo. Graduated from Tokyo Zokei University’s design department in photography. After working at Hakuhodo and Tokyu agency, he turned freelance. After working in commercial photography, he moved on to become a civil engineering photographer in 1993. His photographs of past legacies in civil engineering and civil engineering construction are regularly printed in industry magazines. He also photographs calendars and completion photographs for major construction companies. He is the chief of the “photographing civil engineering” office. 

He has published books of photography such as Harbor Legacy (Japan Dredging and Reclamation Engineering Association) and Taushubetsu (Kodansha) in 2002, Civil Engineering by the Water (INAX publishing) in 2003, SADO MINE (Niigata Daily Newspaper Company in 2011. He has held photography exhibitions every year since 1997. Taushubetsu was awarded the Publishing Culture Award 2003 by the Institution of Civil Engineers."  108UNITED

Format: Seperate apps for iPad and iPhone (non-universal). iPad app reviewed.

Price: iPad and iPhone apps are $9.99 each.

Links: iTunes and 108UNITED

Comment: The clear layout, index, order, excellent captioning and essays all makes Tunnel logical, interesting and easy to understand, without knowing much about the subject beforehand. The slideshow with music (that works with the photography) is also a nice feature, if you just want to sit back and enjoy. 

The content is fascinating as it shows you a world you don't normally see or hear about. For many of us that's what photography is all about, showing new worlds or showing subjects from unique personal perspectives. 

RATING:

Content: 18/20

Design: 12/15

Value: 5/5

TOTAL: 35/40

Capitolio by Christopher Anderson

Interview with Christopher Anderson by Tim Hetherington.

From "Director's Cut". All the images above are iPad screen grabs.

"Capitolio" is the first authored monograph photography book for the iPhone and iPad.

Originally published in 2010 by RM, “Capitolio” is an intimate journey through a time of revolution in Hugo Chavez’ Caracas, Venezuela. This series was photographed between 2004 and 2008 by Magnum photographer Christopher Anderson.

Now available as an app for your iPhone and iPad, “Capitolio” also features an interview with Christopher Anderson by Oscar-nominated director Tim Hetherington, as well as Director’s Cut photographs that do not appear in the original print edition.

"The word 'capitolio' refers to the domed building that houses a government. Here, the city of Caracas, Venezuela, is itself a metaphorical capitolio building. The decaying Modernist architecture, with a jungle growing through the cracks, becomes the walls of this building and the violent streets become the corridors where the human drama plays itself out in what President Hugo Chavez called a 'revolution.'" 

-Christopher Anderson

Format: App compatible with iPad and iPhone.

Price: $6.99

Links: iTunes and Christopher Anderson

Comment: The photos in the Capitolio app are divided into two categories: "Capitolio" which is the original print edition and "Director's Cut" containing photos that don't appear in the print edition. "Capitolio" has quite distracting, thick, red borders and white spacing (from the printed book layout), leaving you with smaller photos that can't be magnified (example: image #2 from top). "Director's Cut" works better with less distracting layout and larger photos. That said, this is a book filled with strong storytelling and powerful photography.

RATING:

Content: 17/20

Design: 9/15

Value: 4/5

TOTAL: 30/40

Radiation Tokyo by Suguru Takeuchi

The images above are iPhone screen grabs.

"End of May, 2011, I went around taking photos with the camera on my mobile phone, a Geiger counter and a scintillation survey meter. This was continued everyday."  Suguru Takeuchi

"Born 1963 in Kobe. Japanese Video director & photographer. Around 1990, He began shooting music videos for a record company. From 2000, he branched out to shoot commercials, short films, photography and film, receiving numerous awards both domestic and internationally. His favorite cameras are Deardorff 8×10 and Xperia.

Tokyo and its vicinity, as well as New Zealand, and a stopover in Australia, were backdrops for photographer Suguru Takeuchi’s 119 photographs where he first measured the radiation and then shot the photograph in the same place."  108UNITED

Format: App compatible with iPad and iPhone.

Price: Free

Links: iTunes and 108UNITED 

Comment: Radiation Tokyo only exists as an app, a contrast to many of the apps currently out there that are based on previously published books. The design works really well and doesn't get in the way, allthough it would be great if the date (while nicely designed and of importance) that shows up and fades away on every page could be turned off, especially as there are 119 photos to go through. 

The diaristic photography is ranging from everyday mobile phone snaps to quite strong photos. This work is a proof of how much impact a single fact, not visible in the photo, can have on a photograph. As this app is free, it's a must have if you own one of the devices it's compatible with.

RATING:

Content: 17/20

Design: 12/15

Value: 5/5

TOTAL: 34/40

Still Crazy by Taishi Hirokawa

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

"Born and raised by the seashore, the photographer observed the coastline that transformed along with Japan's rapid post-war economic growth. He captures, quite serenely, the nuclear power plants that appeared on the coasts of Japan and the transfiguration of countryside that came with it.

Are we to live forever with this edifice of convenience, or have we taken into hands something ungovernable?

One thing for certain is that human beings and nuclear energy have become inseparable, and that we enjoy its benefit at all times.

As if a specimen, the power plants are labeled by the date they were photographed. These plants are to be dismantled in over 40 years.

This, nonetheless, is a typical scenery of modern Japan."  Asahi Media International Inc.

Format: App compatible with iPad and iPhone.

Price: $7.99

Links: iTunes and Asahi Media International Inc.

Comment: The photos from 1991-1993 were first published in 1994 and again in this app in July 2011, about four months after the tsunami in Japan. The app is a very simple design, and admittedly, this work wouldn't have been as fascinating without the tragical Fukushima nuclear disaster. The photos appear very neutral and don't appear as beautiful or perfected as we've seen from the likes of Edward Burtynsky and Mitch Epstein, who've both dealt with energy in different ways. It's as if Hirokawa simply wanted to show things as they were and still are. To have shot this body of work roughly 20 years before Fukushima, and to be able to say he was right, is indeed impressive and sad at the same time. 

RATING:

Content: 17/20

Design: 10/15

Value: 4/5

TOTAL: 31/40