Topic: Stocking Filler Ideas

[Karl]

Anyone looking for ideas for stocking fillers with a photographic connection? (although I accept that this may mean either dropping massive hints, or applying the 'one for you, one for me' present purchasing policy)

Bill Frisell - Disfarmer. A recording by the american guitarist taking the photos of Mike Disfarmer as inspiration. It's a lovely, laid back, jazz come folk/americana record. Sort of freer JJ Cale feel about it, minus the voice
http://www.disfarmer.org/

The Box by Gunter Grass is a semi-autobiographical story of his family/children with images taken on an Agfa box camera providing the reference points for the tales. I had a look at it in Waterstones today and it looked quite interesting.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8120203/The-Box-by-Gunther-Grass-review.html

Everlasting Moments. No, not a box of chocolates but a film by Jan Troell. Useful keywords "Arthouse" "European" and "Miserable Swedish". A woman in a very difficult marriage (understatement) finds herself and mends a life through photography. It is a brilliant film but I kept getting twinges of excitement when the large format camera came out and I should have been feeling something else.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/may/24/everlasting-moments-film-review

There endeth my Christmas top 3 obscure photographic gift ideas  

[original_ann]

Very nice ideas indeed, Karl!

[Karl]

Anyone else got any suggestions...?

[hookstrapped]

Thanks for the Gunter Grass suggestion.  I'm gonna get that for myself!

[Wensleydale Blue]

Well, well Karl, someone else on the Bill Frisell-Gunter Grass axis!

Interestingly, I had a listen to Disfarmer on I Tunes and while I thought it was pleasant enough I eventually plumped for his most recent - 'Beautiful Dreamers', which is similar to, but I think a superb advance on 'Blues Dream' from 2001, which is one of my fave jazz/blues guitar albums.  Similar eclectic mix of jazz, blues riffs and country folk but so so mellow.

Re the Grass - read and quite enjoyed 'Peeling the Onion' but noticed that his new book has really been panned as self indulgent in Germany and hasn't done that well with critics in the UK, but if you're a Grass fan, and I don't think there are too many of us these day, its a must really.

Like the photography contexts you've observed for these works. Do you work in marketing by any chance?

Graham