Paul Solberg: Ten Years in Pictures

Solberg is a photographer of many talents. In this book there’s a black and white photo titled “Son of  Farmer,” that I first mistook for something Dorothy Lange might have shot. Many of his black and white portraits evoke Lange’s Depression-era work, with the emphasis on the subject’s character. As for his black and white landscapes, they could pass for Ansel Adams. His male nudes and flower still life photographs bear a close resemblance to those of Robert Maplethorpe.

I’m not sure about the color landscapes, however. This book includes one from the Southwest USA, framed by an old metal sign, and I’m not sure how well it works. There’s something about his landscapes that look much better in black and white, unlike his portraits, which look great regardless. It probably has to do with his studies in anthropology, and according to this book, he studied at Cape Town. Now that is something I would like to see documented in his photos.