The Contact Sheet

Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2009: What makes a great photograph? Aside from being in the right place at the right time--and, of course, mastering your camera--it's equally important to be able to pluck "the moment" out 10, 50, or 100 snaps. Most photography books show us the final result, obscuring the context of the shoot and larger insight into the photographer's design. Steve Crist'sThe Contact Sheet restores that context, taking over 40 iconic images and restoring them to their original sequences, next to the near-misses and the never-minds (an excellent motivational tool for frustrated photographers, by the way). From Anton Corbijn's Allen Ginsberg, to William Wegman's weimaraners (with Elliott Erwitt's Marilyn and a revealing look at Doisneau's "Le baiser de l'hotel de ville" in between), The Contact Sheet is an unprecedented glimpse into the photographer's craft, and a perfect gift for the photography lover. --Jon Foro