While attending my sister's wedding in China, Maine, I met Steve Taylor and his daughter and son-in-law at Brightworks. I got talking to Steve during some down time between the big moments (if you’ve been part of a wedding you know what I mean), and he mentioned he'd made a book of large format photos on Newfoundland back in the 1970s.
I found the page for Beyond the Road on his website, and was immediately taken by the photos. The book itself is long out of print, but I found a battered copy online for $7 and consider it a steal. If you can locate a copy, add it to your photo book library.
Photo by Stephen Taylor
The photos from Beyond the Road remind me very strongly of Edward Weston photographs. Steve studied with Ansel Adams, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan, and I can see their influence all over his images.
But while the photos certainly have stylistic influences, they are not simple copies of someone else's style or images. They remind me of Weston not just because they were shot on large format film, but because they are well-composed and edited. They are not simply technically good, but contain whole worlds within their borders.
Photo by Stephen Taylor
I enjoy the mix of landscape and portrait images in Beyond the Road. The landscape above of the church along a riverbed immediately grabs my eye. I nearly missed the person in front of the church, and the second cross over the hill behind it.
Photo by Stephen Taylor
In the portrait above, we see a woman seated in a wooden chair with arms - I think I sat in one much the same at my grandparents' house. A window outside the left frame provides the primary illumination, throwing her face into relatively sharp relief, while behind her in the softer light is a shirtless young man. He gazes at her softly while she smiles for the camera. Is he her son? What is their relationship?
Behind them both electrical cables snake along the wall, held up by nails or wall ornaments. Both participants are at home, but not exactly relaxed. It's a moment in which things are revealed.
One of the real strengths of this book is Stephen's partnership with the writer Harold Horwood. Horwood's words, and quotes and stories from Newfoundlanders, give the book dimension I often feel is lacking in photo books. Horwood doesn't simply narrate the photos, which gets boring quickly, but adds context that blends with the photos.
Photo by Stephen Taylor
If I have a criticism of Beyond the Road, it's that the printing techniques available in the 1970s didn't do these images justice. I'd really like to see a reissue or some original prints. The images on Steve's website are a treat as it is, though, so I recommend checking them out as soon as you can.
Footnote: The wedding photos are excellent, and I can't recommend Brightworks enough for Maine weddings. Images above used with the kind permission of the photographer.