Surf Site Tin Type

(Hardback)

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Description

Surf Site Tin Type is an homage to a sport, a way of life and to the people who practice it. Over the last decade, Joni Sternbach has created portraits in tintype of contemporary surfers that put the world of surfing in a completely new light. Stunning in their detail, these unique images evoke the romance of surfing and the strong individualism of the men and women who live to ride the waves. Working with a large format camera and using hand-poured tintype plates, Sternbach has profiled a fascinating range of people on beaches around the world, from Malibu to Montauk to Byron Bay, Australia. While most photographers deal with the action of surfing,Surf Site Tin Type captures the surfers and the settings that are the true essence of the sport. Surf Site Tin Type features texts by noted photo critic and historian Lyle Rexer, April M. Watson, Curator of photography at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, champion surfer, writer, and filmmaker Chris Malloy and Johnny Abegg.

Reviews

nostalgic and clear-eyed, romantic and dispassionate.--Diane Cardwell "The New York Times, Lens"
In the wrong hands the length of the exposure and development process the relationship with the subject can turn tense, but here she maintains a graceful balance of trust that leads to gripping images. For this project the wet-plate process truly shines, conceptually as well as aesthetically.--Evan L. "Onwardphoto.org"
Like surfing, Sternbach's work is unique and performative. Her studio is the beach; her exposed tintype plates processed in a chemical "fixer" bath in daylight for all to see. Like individual wave rides, each of her images is enhanced by varying and unpredictable conditions.-- "Yahoo News"
With its oversized dimensions, Surf Site Tin Type is probably better suited for a place of pride on your coffee table versus a day on the sand, but this book is a must for any and all beach lovers. It's a beautiful ode to the surf life from photographer Joni Sternbach, who spent the past decade capturing portraits of contemporary surfers around the world. What makes this such a stunner is Sternbach's use of tintypes -- a 19th-century wet-plate, on-site form of photography -- whose resulting patina adds a romance and artistry to her images; it's a refreshing and welcome move in today's digital quick-snapshot terrain.--The Editors "Tory Daily"