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kelseymckim's review
4.0
This book resonated with me particularly because of its format. I was an enthusiastic film photographer in high school ("was" because my college doesn't have the resources, aka a darkroom, for me to continue my love of developing and printing film). It was a comfort to me to examine Lefevre's contact sheets.
The book as a whole, though, was an amazingly well-put-together compilation of writing, artistic recreations of Lefevre's memories, and Lefevre's own photos, in contact sheet form. (For those who aren't film-minded, a photographer makes a print of every exposed frame on his or her roll of film at once to make a contact sheet. The images on the contact sheet are the same size as the film itself and, unlike the negatives, are tiny versions of how the images would look when printed.) The combination of these elements gives the reader a sense of the depth and complexity of Lefevre's experience and the lives of those in Afghanistan in general.
The Photographer is unlike other nonfiction graphic novels in that it includes a large number of photographs taken at the time of the story. The photographs serve as the visual element for about a third to a half of the total panels in the book. These photographs keep the reader grounded in the story and prevents the reader from thinking about the story as a fictional one, or from growing too distanced from the characters and events involved. The photographs truly sucks the reader into the book and keep him or her close to the story from beginning to end.
While the photographs were what made this graphic novel stand out to me, the writing and illustrations were also very well-done. It's clear that Guibert and Lemercier put in the time and effort to tell Lefevre's story in detail and to do it the justice it deserved.
The book as a whole, though, was an amazingly well-put-together compilation of writing, artistic recreations of Lefevre's memories, and Lefevre's own photos, in contact sheet form. (For those who aren't film-minded, a photographer makes a print of every exposed frame on his or her roll of film at once to make a contact sheet. The images on the contact sheet are the same size as the film itself and, unlike the negatives, are tiny versions of how the images would look when printed.) The combination of these elements gives the reader a sense of the depth and complexity of Lefevre's experience and the lives of those in Afghanistan in general.
The Photographer is unlike other nonfiction graphic novels in that it includes a large number of photographs taken at the time of the story. The photographs serve as the visual element for about a third to a half of the total panels in the book. These photographs keep the reader grounded in the story and prevents the reader from thinking about the story as a fictional one, or from growing too distanced from the characters and events involved. The photographs truly sucks the reader into the book and keep him or her close to the story from beginning to end.
While the photographs were what made this graphic novel stand out to me, the writing and illustrations were also very well-done. It's clear that Guibert and Lemercier put in the time and effort to tell Lefevre's story in detail and to do it the justice it deserved.
le13anna's review
5.0
Unlike anything i've ever seen. a mesmerizing mix of 4,000 photographs with drawings in between. a heady memory of what it's like to be in a new place with no skills. ahhhmazing.
perri's review
5.0
As my English friends would say Brilliant. I love how the photography, graphics, and narration blend together so the reader gets a vivid experience of life in the middle east through the photographer's experience. His journey with the French Doctor's Without Borders team is one I won't soon forget.
burnsbooks's review
4.0
The first two parts of the book were beautiful and poetic. The photos and art blend together beautifully. The third part was somewhat annoying Didier makes some stupid decisions and we are supposed to empathize with him but it is difficult when he brought on his own hardship which was the only obvious outcome form such a decision.
jameseckman's review
4.0
A mix of real photos and drawings. The art is a good match for the topic and Didier's trip is a dangerous and gripping adventure.
Contains photos of wounded children and adults as well as dead animals.
Contains photos of wounded children and adults as well as dead animals.
richard's review
A gripping tale of a photographer Didier Lefèvre’s 1986 trek into Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders. Lefèvre’s photographs appear throughout the book, which at first I found distracting since I tried to read them as comics panels. They read better as accompanying information rather than narrative blocks. Guibert has an amazing talent for turning other people's narratives into fantastic comics.
rudi's review
5.0
En fantastisk bruk av tegneserieformatet. Didier var en fotograf som meldte seg frivillig til å dokumentere Leger uten grensers arbeid under krigen i Afghanistan i 1986. I løpet av turen tok han en enorm mengde bilder, hvor av bare et fåtall ble publisert i ettertid. Denne boka handler om turen hans, og fotografiene blir sømløst gjort til en del av historien. Å fortelle historien på denne måten, gjør det til en helvisuell opplevelse (selv om det er snakkebobler o.l. som en vanlig tegneserie), og passer veldig bra til historien som fortelles. Tegningene er enkle nok til at boka hele tiden virker mer dokumentarisk enn som en fiksjonsbok.
Historien i seg selv er en veldig bra reiseberetning. Det er en lang og farlig ferd, og han møter mange interessante personligheter på veien fra helt andre kulturer. Det er Didier sin historie, men han er aldri helten i historien. Vi får oppleve hans frustrasjoner, men også hans beundring av Afghanistan og mange av folkene han er i kontakt med.
Jeg både lo og gråt av denne boka. Og lærte mye om Afghanistan, Leger uten grenser og fotografi. Anbefales kraftig.
Historien i seg selv er en veldig bra reiseberetning. Det er en lang og farlig ferd, og han møter mange interessante personligheter på veien fra helt andre kulturer. Det er Didier sin historie, men han er aldri helten i historien. Vi får oppleve hans frustrasjoner, men også hans beundring av Afghanistan og mange av folkene han er i kontakt med.
Jeg både lo og gråt av denne boka. Og lærte mye om Afghanistan, Leger uten grenser og fotografi. Anbefales kraftig.
loppear's review
4.0
Incredible graphic tale interwoven with photos and contact sheets give a great realism and observational solidity to the personal story of a photographer joining a 1986 MSF mission into Russian-controlled Afghanistan.