All the photos in Aaron Fahrmann’s book Industry were taken within a four-block radius, which might not seem like such a tough job in a picture-perfect location. Hawaii looks spectacular even on a bad day, and Venice adds instant drama to any shot – but an industrial park? Now there’s a challenge that flexes some photographic muscle.
Heavy industry reveals an unexpectedly lighter side in Aaron’s Blurb book. He catches industrial parks in their precious downtime: aluminum-clad buildings basking in sunlight, after-hours shadows stretching across closed steel doors, a red flag down for the count on an industrial park mailbox. A caution-orange cone kicked to the curb provides an unlikely moment of Zen: If a traffic cone falls on a street and there are no cars around, does it make a sound?
In this concrete-grey wasteland, a plucky red hydrant offers a little light relief. For finding such uplifting moments in dreary settings, Industry is our Book of the Week. Congrats, Aaron!
5 Comments
Allison,
I think all the great press Blurb is getting is awesome and well deserved. However, I have a problem. I have contacted Blurb 3 times over the past 13 days regarding a serious and legitimate issue I have with a Blurb book and I have not communicated with a human yet. All I have gotten is an auto generated email telling me (6 days ago) that would get a response to my issue within 2 days.
I hope for your sake you are getting swamped with business. On the other hand, I shouldn’t have to resort to posting on a blog to beg for attention as a customer. I’m getting pretty frustrated out here!
Somebody talk to me please!
- Chris
Hi Chris - Let me just say that swamped is an understatemt. ; ) Customer service is on your legitamate issue and help is on the way. Thanks for your patience.
Thanks for the assist Kathy. I apologize for seeking help in such a public forum as this.
I had hoped that it was simply a case of not enough people to meet all the demands. Good luck as you grow, I am sure the bumps will even out over time.
- Chris
I recently discovered the Blurb website while searching around for self publishers. The book called Industry by Aaron got my interest, and I clicked on his name above which took me to his website. There are lots of categories in his photographic repertoire to discover. My favorite was landscapes where Aaron shows a keen eye to the sensitive nature of his subject. The Zen aspect of the pieces unfold like fine Japanese treasure, but with a modern context. His series on Industry is also exciting. Even in a place we consider dirty, Aaron has found abundant color, texture, and beauty.
Thank you so much for the wonderful comments! It is fantastic to know how my photography has been received. I only learned of my book being chosen as book of the week today, nearly two years after the event, but I am honored. The thoughtful initial post and fourth comment have inspired me to get to work on some other books I have been contemplating. I am also glad that an unrelated customer was helped by blurb in the 1-3 comments :)