One of my favorite photography books (and a recent indulgent purchase) is Habitat 7 by my good friend Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao. We studied together at SVA, and I saw him working on these images from the very beginning of the project. Needless to say, these images have a very special meaning to me as I've seen his development from a grad student, to winning the NY Times' 'Capture The Times' photo competition in 2005, to being represented by Julie Saul, to having a solo show at the Queen's Museum, to having a book published by one of the finest photography book publishers in the world, Nazreli Press. The images are truly breathtaking.
To me, Jeff's photography is an exercise in patience and a dedication to perfection. The Strand describes his process concisely: "The IRT "7" subway/rail line is one of the major arteries between Queens and Manhattan. Jeff Liao lives along its route, taking the train every day. In this, his first monograph, Liao presents images selected from his walks along the line's entire length where there was evidence of the "7," even if there was no train in sight. Eschewing the use of a panoramic camera, Liao, instead, makes several 8x10 negatives of the same scene and combines them digitally, taking up to 60 hours to complete one composition."
His photography is truly a genuine experience and I encourage everyone to explore his work.
