I’m not exactly sure where or how I came across Joe Greer and his 2020 book nyc, i love you…, but I did. And I guess I’m glad I did, as it’s sold out now and Google auto-suggests “joe greer nyc I love you for sale,” which suggests there’s some demand…
nyc, i love you… is set up like a love letter: the front cover gives the title; the back cover reads “sincerely, joe greer.” The cover text is repeated two pages in, with the addition of “07. 2017 -” at the bottom; on the last page, recto, text reads “sincerely, joe greer – 02. 2020 .” Other than the colophon (last page, verso), the book contains no text.
The rest of the book is all street photographs, made in what looks like NYC, apparently between July 2017 and February 2020. There are a few obviously decisive moments, fun gestures and glances, and interesting moments. Photographs are paired well and speak to one another back and forth throughout the book. Overall, the photography is solid and Greer knows what he’s doing on the street. Beyond that, I honestly don’t have much more to say. Greer is no Robert Frank or Todd Papageorge or Garry Winogrand or Matt Stuart, but then who is? Greer is Greer: he doesn’t need to be Winogrand or Frank, he just needs to be himself.
Unrated.
To be honest, my interest in street photography has waned a great deal and I’m not too sure of what I’m looking at in street work any more, so take my comments with a grain of salt.
As mentioned above, nyc, i love you… is sold out and thus unobtanium at time of writing. If you read this and want to make me an offer for this copy, I might take you up on it: I’m not looking to sell it, but it’s just going to sit on the shelf between Gravlejs and Gruyaert, so… Edit: as of July 2023, I received three offers for my copy of nyc, i love you…. I took the very first one. I honestly thought no one would read down this far and take the time to reach out, but I guess I was wrong! Thanks again to those that reached out, and apologies, again, to the two that missed out on it!
