Sons of the Living — Bryan Schutmaat. Published by Trespasser.
For the past ten years, Bryan Schutmaat has been wandering the back roads and small towns of the American Southwest amidst a landscape that can be unforgiving, as harsh as life itself can be on people. The selection of portraits and landscapes that we experience in his most recent title are, simply put, unforgettable.
Each of Bryan’s portraits tells a thousand stories without saying a word. Viewed individually, they are without reference to place and time, reminding us that life can be an almost insurmountable challenge. Considered collectively, they prompt deep reflection: on ourselves, our community, our country. Intermittently, a striking image of a highway in the distance appears, revealing evidence of life moving on, yet somehow unreachable. The road pulls us forward towards the next town, and the next encounter. Sons of the Living stands alongside the classic titles by photographers before us who transcend documentation to share truths.
Mary Virginia Swanson (Tucson, Arizona) is an author, educator, and advisor to artists. Swanson co-authored with Darius Himes the acclaimed Publish Your Photography Book: 3rd Edition (Radius Books, 2023). She frequently serves as a judge on contemporary photobook competitions and lectures on publishing photobooks today.
Photo credit: © Richard Klein