I have thoroughly enjoyed Leslie Sill's previous books on artists, and now her latest book on photographers. They are wonderful outlines of artist's lives, their work, and how their past experiences have influenced the direction of their art. As an art teacher, I try to incorporate different ways of introducing my students to a wide range of work. Because these stories are so well-written and inspiring, I have designed large portions of my curriculum around Sill's past books and look forward to using this book as well. The stories are thorough, yet written in a way that the average person, who may not necessarily feel that they have a valid knowledge on art, could walk away from it with a new understanding and interest. And just the opposite, for someone who is innvolved in art, this book is beautifully put together and would be a valued part of any art book collection.

When I first read this book, I was moved by these women's lives. I was amazed at how they persevered at their art through all the hardships of life. I find Leslie Sills an amazing writer. This is not the first book I have read by her. I also have the one about painters, and by reading both books I felt that I learned alot. Leslie Sills is an amazing artist herself, and her own life should be the subject of a book someday. I would recommend this book to anybody, but particularly to people interested in photography or art.

Knowing that women artists in all fields tend to suffer from a lack of public exposure, I took a look at this volume hoping to find some good work that I had not seen before. My hopes were rewarded when all six photographers proved to be talented, interesting, and stylistically different from each other . . . and four of them were new to me. With the two artists I knew before, the biographical essays added to my knowledge, making every aspect of the book a pleasant surprise.

The book is organized around the concept that "cameras do copy which is front of the lens . . . [but these images are also] creations of the artist's intention and unconscious mind."

The essays are especially rewarding for their balance in explaining the artists' family lives, their relationships with the men in their lives, how they started into photography, their technique, and descriptions of their aesthetic values. Leslie Sills is pleasantly succinct:

Imogen Cunningham: "liked to examine life closely" and focused on "shapes, textures, patterns" in nature. She also captured the "essence" of people.

Dorothea Lange: The camera was an "activist tool" which "revealed the sufering of thousands and motivated others to help" during the Depression.

Lola Alvarez Bravo: Captured the real "Mexico after the Mexican Revolution" occurred there.

Carrie Mae Weems: Showed the "complexities of being human" especially in "squelching stereotypes" and "honoring African-American culture."

Elsa Dorfman: "Celebrates humanity" with her oversized camera that captures people to look more naturally like themselves than photographs normally do.

Cindy Sherman: Sees the camera as an "instrument to copy her constructed scenes" which are "puzzles that challenge her audience."

It has not been easy to be a woman photographer and these women succeeded because they persevered, as well as because they were so talented. Their stories are as inspiring as any I have read, and also tell an interesting tale of how your work can help you express your inner self.

Here are my favorite images from the book:

Imogen Cunningham:

Magnolia Blossom, 1925

My Father at 90, 1936

Morris Graves, Painter, 1950

Dorothea Lange:

Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936 (Series of 3)

There is a wonderful description of how this series was shot on a day when Ms. Lange was exhausted and had driven past the migrant labor camp in the rain before deciding intuitively to turn back and try her luck.

Lola Alvarez Bravo:

Por culpas ajenas, c. 1945

Elsueno de los pobres 2, 1943

The Two Fridas, c. 1944

Carrie Mae Weems:

Mom at Work, 1978-1984

Untitled (Letter Holder), 1988-89

Her work also included long interviews with her family.

Elsa Dorfman:

Robbie and the Dinosaur Femur, 1970

Terri Terralouge and Aileen Graham, 1989

Cindy Sherman:

Untitled #224, 1990

Given that these styles are so different and so vivid, I encourage you to use this book to inspire you to create some art. It doesn't have to be photography. Whether you like to sketch, sculpt, paint, or make colored soap bubbles, give yourself the chance to live freer and take a little time to express yourself. You'll feel so much better, and the rest of us will be enriched by your gift.

Express yourself . . . to find yourself!