Paris Vertical

by Horst Hamann (Photographer)

Award-winning photographer Horst Hamann’s vertical reconnaissance trips through the world’s most beautiful and romantic city have yielded an astonishing array of images in this stunning pictorial tribute to Paris. Sensitized to vertical perspectives since publishing his best-selling New York Vertical and equipped with a new panoramic camera, he painstakingly set up shot after shot, often finding himself precariously balanced off Notre Dames gargoyles, the balconies of the Pompidou Center—even the Eiffel Tower. His stark black and white compositions offer unique vertical reinterpretations of some of Europe’s most recognizable cityscapes.

Genres: Art

168 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2004

Reviews

[Mohammad Ali Shamekhi · Rating 1 out of 5]

مجموعه ای است از عکس های سیاه و سفید عمودی از پاریس به همراه جملاتی درباره ی پاریس از هنرمندان و شعرا و فلاسفه و غیره

عکسای غیرجذاب و نوشته های آبکی - حداقل به این صورت تک جمله ای

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dual French and English for the most part but the two short essays are also translated into several other languages. Each photo is accompanied by a short quotation about Paris or France more generally, often bearing some relation to the image itself.

Hamann, in his introductory essay talks about needing to find a new way of looking at Paris that captures something other than the superficial tourist city. He acheived that by taking pictures with a panoramic camera, but in "portrait" orientation. The results are fabulous and in many respects the kind of photos I like to take myself - with the important difference that he's a pro where-as I'm a not even serious amateur...

I'm now interested in his other "vertical" books...

[Elena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Niet goed hoor. De proloog was leuk, maar dan die cheesy quotes met mediocre foto’s er naast. Had heel graag veel meer inzicht gehad van Hamann zelf.

[Tonya Wertman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paris is my favorite city in the world and I have been lucky enough to have been there five times and I count the days and hold my breath and keep my fingers and toes crossed until I can return!

This oversized book is full of breathtaking black-and-white photos of the City of Light, with close-ups of building details as well as glimpses of everyday life. The interesting aspect of the book is the trim, which, of course, is vertical. As if the photos weren't enough, the quotes about Paris on the opposite pages are lovely too!

[Simms Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare that a single artifact can both introduce and successfully advocate for a unique way to tell stories technically and *not* come off pretentious. This book was printed 20 years ago but feels like it could've hit the shelves yesterday. The physical formatting of the book feels fun and invites exploration about what the pages inside could hold. Great photos, great printing. Look forward to adding more of these to my collection.