Creative: Randall MacNEIL

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So Randall (@randall_fm) is a friend from The Great White North. Canada. A place I’ve suggested we invade for at least a decade. I love Canada, and Canadians. And due to our shared border they have to put up with us down here in the zoo that is the United States. Poor bastards.

Randy makes images in places that would destroy me. Namely isolated, COLD environments. This work reminds me of the classic, black and white reportage photographers of yesteryear. All these greats seemed to shoot ALL THE TIME. We know them mostly by their well known work but most of them also created a more personal image that ran parallel to their private life. This is how I see Randy’s work. Randy’s book reminds of “Voyages” by Raymond Depardon. Quiet, personal moments, void of people. Minimal. Isolated.

I think books like this are incredibly important, perhaps even more so than any other book a photographer makes. These books make one think about what’s most important when left alone to your own visual thoughts. My advice, if you aren’t making books like this now then start today. And keep building them. Even if it’s one book at a time, one copy, and you show them only to yourself. Start building your own library of work. Try to make sense of it all.

Thanks Randy. Always love seeing your work. Good luck in the frozen half of the year.

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    I love Canada too. Seeing Randall’s book makes me want to return, especially as I have a friend who has offered a tour of Algonquin on my next visit. Living in the U.K. I envy Canadians their seemingly endless wild spaces. The book looks good, Randall, I too love making personal books: as Daniel says “If you aren’t making books like this now then start today”. It is addictive.

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    Daniel
    Your comment above re Depardon makes me ask you. What are your favorite photo books? I mean the ones that inspire you the most? The ones that you keep on your shelf but look at ALOT?

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      Jim,
      Wow, that is so difficult. To narrow down. Impossible for me, but what I can do is give you five that I think you should know about. Requiem, Tim Page. Dancing on Fire, Maggie Steber. The World from My Front Porch, Larry Towel. Under a Grudging Sun, Alex Webb. Blood and Honey, Ron Haviv. These are all journalism books, so sticking to one genre here, but a good place to start.

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