Emilio Brizzi — Amsterdam

Amsterdam: uitgeverij 521. First edition, first printing. 192 pp., 18 x 18 cm. Condition: Fine (F). Without dust jacket (as issued). Minimal toning. Photographs of Amsterdam's streets, canals, squares and buildings, made over about five years and shot early in the morning before people appear, so the city looks empty and still. Brizzi worked with a Linhof 4 x 5 inch technical camera and a 120 mm lens, holding the camera at a fixed height of about 1.60 metres. He used flat, overcast light throughout, which keeps contrast low and gives the pictures an even, timeless look. The approach is systematic architectural and urban documentary photography rather than street photography. The book is a monograph by one photographer, an Italian who has lived in Amsterdam since 1988. It has an introduction by Mark Moorman, a journalist at Het Parool. The text is reported to be multilingual, in Dutch, German, French and English.