There is an eclectic collection of photographic tastes here on the photo-eye staff, which I'm sure has become apparent for anyone following this blog. For those of us who work in the bookstore, we tend to trap anyone who meanders in for a heavy dose of photobook indoctrination. Personally, I am always on the lookout for innovative social or environmental landscape work and everyone here knows it when I find a killer new book.
L'Illusion Du Tranquille by French photographer Francois Deladerriere is one of those books. Deladerriere's trek through the French landscape isn't presented in the most uniquely designed book nor is it wildly striking in approach. The images are just really good. There is almost always a sign of the hand of man. Gloomy, haunting landscapes appear on most of the pages. Whether it is a brush fire, signs of small-scale industrialization or lonely interiors of nightclubs, Deladerriere forces the viewer to question where humanity's priorities lay. An image of a small quaint town, surrounded by beautiful hill country and nestled next to an industrial plant bellowing smoke into the atmosphere is disconcerting.
This book's modest design and size make for an intimate engagement with the photographs inside. Images of dense forests and recurring piles of trees being cleared from the land attach a loose narrative to this series. While this makes for a cohesive book, for me, the quality of each individual image is what makes this series stand out. -- Antone Dolezal
