[November 9, 2023]

In recent months, three important photobooks have landed in our inbox, and we have chosen to present them together as evidence of the richness and diversity of photographic publishing.

The first, by Bertrand Carrière, is a true photobook – a project in the form of a visual diary focused on daily life. The second is a retrospective monograph on the impressive and unique career of Michael Flomen (known for his production of very-large-format abstract photograms). And the third is a four-volume boxed set revealing the photographic work that Jacques Payette produced throughout his life, in parallel with his painting practice.

Carrière’s Une poignée d’étoiles, an observation of passing time and a meditation on the fragility of the present, brings together images made between 2013 and 2021. It follows upon his book Le Capteur, published in 2015. Michael Flomen, Photograms and Photographs 2020–1970 traces Flomen’s creative path back to its beginnings with ten short texts whose authors examine different aspects of his career. Jacques Payette, Photographies offers a generous selection of Payette’s images around the themes of origins, travel, intimacy, and the studio, with an introduction and commentary by John R. Porter.

These titles are analyzed and reviewed by three of our experienced contributors – respectively, Louis Perreault, Michel Hardy-Vallée, and Pierre Dessureault.