Then and There by Harvey Stein is a charming book that celebrates the nature of celebration itself. It’s a nostalgic, yet timeless, reminder of the potency of shared freedom and expressions of individuality. Under the spell of Mardi Gras in 1979, Stein created a series of portraits that highlight and embrace an array of colorful individuals. At first glance one notices the typological format. With consistent subject distance, lighting, and a lack of environmental indicators, the photographs focus solely on the collaboration with the subject. The gazes and gestures vary from performative to coy to seductive, sharing a glimpse into each person’s unique experience of this particular time and place through the combination of pose and costume. 

Stein’s use of the SX-70 Polaroid camera is a dynamic choice for such an occasion. The camera is disarming. Its accessibility and place in pop culture had been well-established, and the instant photograph seems an apt fit for this type of performative collaboration. In addition, the 116mm f/8 fixed lens and aperture, along with the use of flash bars, help to establish cohesion amongst the collection, while simultaneously accentuating each individual. The visual language of Stein’s photographs is familiar and rich, and the sequence of the book provides space for the viewer to spend time with each photograph. The size of the book at 7.2” x 8.7” is thoughtful in the intimacy it creates when viewing the images, and the use of gold, purple, and green are fun design nods to Mardi Gras.

Buy the book from Zatara Press

Details:

• 183 x 220 mm or 7.2 x 8.7 inches
• 47 Color Photographs
• 88 Pages + Cover
• Hardcover
• Zatara Press, 2020
• ISBN: 978-1-7338406-1-3
• Trade Edition: 400 Copies
• Retail Price: $40.00

About the Author:

Harvey Stein has had a wide-ranging career as an engaged photographer working in the documentary tradition, utilizing the medium to create photographs that capture the spirit and vitality of the people and places he depicts.  His prime focus is to relate to his fellow human beings in intense and close-up images.  Through enduring documentary investigations of groups as varied as identical twins, Coney Island people, the street life of Harlem, artists in their studios, people living with AIDS, and life and death in Mexico, his projects have resulted in compelling and evocative in-depth photobooks that help illuminate the human condition and reveal his commitment to building connections through photography.  Among Stein’s nine published books are Parallels: A Look at Twins (1978), Coney Island 40 Years (2011), and Mexico Between Life and Death (2018).  Stein’s photographs are in over 60 museum and corporate collections; he has had 88 one-person exhibits.  He currently teaches at the International Center of Photography in New York City and conducts workshops worldwide.  His website is harveysteinphoto.com; Instagram @stein.harvey

All Polaroid Photographs © Harvey Stein 2020