Between the Wind by Ben Horne
Ben Horne has just published his new book Between The Wind (available from the publisher, Kozu Books in the UK). I’ve been waiting for this Covid-delayed book for a while, and I’m thrilled to finally have my copy (along with a signed print I got as part of the pre-order).
If you’re not familiar with Ben, he’s a San Diego based photography who shoots exclusively in film on an 8x10 camera. He has a YouTube channel which I strongly recommend — even if you have zero interest in the process of film photography, it’s one of the stronger channels I’ve found for the discussion of composition and the need to think your way through compositions rather than blast a lot of images hoping one’s a keeper. Horne’s very low key and personable, and much of his video content documents his various solo camping trips during the year; he has a strong fondness for Death Valley and Zion especially, and he is a great example of why the idea of re-visiting locations can be a great way to build out your portfolio.
The book is hardcover and the printing is very good, with the images treated with care in terms of color reproduction. Most of the images are from Zion and Death Valley, but you’ll find other locations such as Glen Canyon and the Grand Canyon that he’s explored throughout Utah and the Southwest.
Much of the work would be considered “intimate” landscapes versus the super-wide epic work, which was one of the things that first attracted me to the channel, since that’s been an area of interest (and struggle) for me. Watching Ben go through setting up and dicussing his compositions, followed up later by image reviews and self-critiques in his offer after the trip, has been a wonderful glance into how a very good and successful photographer thinks this through.
The book is mostly images — all of them good. There’s also a short intro by Ben as well as an introduction by Charles Cramer, and some of the images have some discussion about the background behind the image. If there’s an over-arching theme to the images, I’d say it’s that Ben’s trying to show in his photography the struggle to survive in the harsh environments he loves to hike and photograph.
This is a limited edition book so I don’t expect it’ll be available long, but if you have a chance to grab one, I highly recommend it.
