No Ordinary Land: Encounters in a Changing Environment

by Virginia Beahan, Laura McPhee, John McPhee (Afterword)

For more than ten years Virginia Beahan and Laura McPhee have traveled the world--from Iceland to Costa Rica, Sri Lanka to New York --exploring the ways people interact with the landscapes in which they live. In Costa Rica, for example, healing waters are enshrined in frescoed concrete; in a Hawaiian garden, mangoes and oranges are protected against the cold in brown paper bag jackets; in Iceland, children play in hot springs created by the runoff of a power plant; in Las Vegas, an artificial volcano erupts on cue. Each of Beahan and McPhee's extraordinary images captures a point of collision between natural and constructed worlds.

In 1987, Laura McPhee and Virginia Beahan began their photographic work together using a large-format camera.

Genres: Photography, Art and Photography

108 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 1998

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty nice book of photos by an unusual pair of collaborating photogs, one of whom is John McPhee's daughter. You may have seen his graceful essay on their photographic process, using a huge 19th-century style view camera, with four legs emerging from the black cloth. I'm pretty sure they at least used cut-sheet film vs. glass plates....

The images are nice enough, but what struck me was, how *ordinary* they were, for all that extra work. Not what the photographers would hope to hear, I'm sure. So, worth a look if you come across it in the library, or are a particular fan of large-format landscape photography -- but I was underwhelmed. 2.5 stars for me. Of course, your mileage may vary.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this book out because the introduction was done by Rebecca Solnit, who I just discovered. I thought the concept of the book sounded interesting and how long could it take to read a book that is mostly pictures.

I learned that Laura McPhee is the daughter of John McPhee, one of my favorite essayists. Matter of fact, his afterword was the next best part of the book. The photographs were definitely amazing and well worth looking for. John McPhee explained the mechanics of the photography which put me in awe. How do two people manage to take photos together?

I am not sure who to recommend this book to. It has been out for quite some time so students of photography probably have seen it. Many people interested in our environment might prefer words to images. However, if you have interest in what humans have done to our world, you should spend a little time with Virginia Beahan and Laura McPhee.

[Julie Grace Immink · Rating 5 out of 5]

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