Here Far Away

Pentti Sammallahti is a good photographer. Like, really good. Your first impression of this book may be, "Man, this guy is lucky." But upon closer inspection, you'll start to realize that it's skill, not luck, because he has captured too many amazing moments to chalk it up to happenstance. Be forewarned: Sammallahti is so good that you may lose hope in your skills as a photographer and consequently start making popsicle stick figures which you'll sell on Etsy.

The photographs in this book are magnificent, beautiful, mystical, each photo is worth looking at and savoring for a more than a quick glance. I can't believe I haven't heard of this talented photographer. Need I say more this book is well worth purchasing.

This is one of the most beautiful photography books that I have in my collection. The printing is excellent, as well as the photography. The compositions are beautiful and at times the photographer exhibits a fine sense of humor. He has succeded very well in communicating the atmososphere in the places in which he worked.

Sammallahti's images are fantastic; this tome is a unique, tremendous contribution to photography. He is a master of the black and white printing process too. The shots of snow and fog, for example, have a wonderful delicacy to them. Why not five stars then? Because the printing quality of the book detracts from the photographs. The book is printed on matte paper, and this seriously hurts the gorgeous solid blacks and gentle grays, which get muddy. I've seen Sallallahti's images on glossy paper, and the tonal range is much longer, making the images far more beautiful. The other reason the book doesn't merit 5 stars is that it includes quite a few mediocre images; there needed to be better editing. While some of Sammallahti's projects are transcendent, others are not compelling, unfortunately. This book is an example of what can go wrong when attempting to cover a career of image making; the photographer and/or editors cram all the work in, without discipline in choosing the only the best work. This weakens the book as a whole. For an example of a stronger book, check out Sammallahti's book in the Photo Poche series; yes, its shorter, a paperback, and smaller, but the superior editing makes for a much stronger work of art! Overall though, this is a fine book by a photographer who deserves a larger international following!

The photography is one if the best photography I've ever seen. The paper was absolutely beautiful, the choices are meticulously picked, and beautifully set next to one another.

Hauntingly beautiful photographic images. We first saw this book in a museum in Berlin, and were moved by the poetic images between the covers. So happy to find the book here on Amazon.

Very inspiring and extraordinary reproductions. Beautiful photo book. The artist shows his soul through the images and the printing of a magnificent tonal scale.

A retrospective of the photographer's work in a well printed and bound volume. Worth many an evening's perusal if you love good photography.

This is a beautiful book full of moving and serene images, a great photographer, in my opinion one of the best of our time.

Wonderful selection plus presentation. Not only do the pictures stand on their own, the sets are more than the value of their parts.

Each image in this book of black and white photography is inspired. The subtleties of Thran's work are more than can be appreciated or comprehended in one sitting. This book will be close at hand for a long time. It will be a special treat for dog lover's as these creatures have found their way into several of Thrane's images.

Where has this guy been...or more to the point why have I had my head in the sand and never heard of this photographer before now! This monograph/compilation shows a photographer at the top of his game, with a selection of quiet, thoughtful, and often wry pictures that document Pentti's life by means of subtext as much as the subjects actually shown. The book is well printed, the pictures well presented and the book, as a beautiful object, deserves a place on everyone's coffee table. A must for all photographers and other discerning folk.

I bought this soley on recommendation from The Online Photographer. The photos are amazing - serene, thought provoking, and most importantly expertly reproduced. There is plenty of space around images, and no unecessary 2-page splits. Lovely thick paper, sturdy cover/spine. One of the best photo books I own.