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The best photo assignments from the Monocle archive, published to mark the magazine's fifteenth anniversary.

Back in 2007 the first issues of Monocle magazine hit newsstands and kiosks around the globe. At its core was a pledge to commission all original photography – capturing the world on film, on the ground and in the moment. The cover of that first issue featured a Japanese helicopter pilot from the country's defence force – taken as part of a 10-day reportage assignment for both photographer and writer. In the years since, Monocle has continued in its pursuit of documenting the world through its unique lens – from embassies and residences to world leaders and cultural stars. Each issue has featured a dedicated photographic Expo section celebrating lesser-known locales, obscure events and curious characters through truly outstanding photography. Alpine wrestlers, Syrian outposts, French legionnaires, noodle-makers, game show hosts and private member’s clubs have all graced the pages.

The Monocle Book of Photography draws on the best of these photographic stories from an archive a decade and a half in the making. A handsome linen-bound edition with the highest quality gloss paper and printing, the book also features supporting text about the photo assignments and the stories behind them, including first-hand accounts from the photographers involved

About the Author:

Monocle is a global affairs and lifestyle magazine, 24-hour radio station, website, retailer and media brand. Tyler Brûlé was its founder, and is now its editor-in-chief. Andrew Tuck is Editor of Monocle magazine. Joe Pickard is the Books Editor of Monocle.

Monocle heads north in this exploration of Nordic design, business, food and fashion

The Nordic region has long fostered a distinct set of values that have helped its nations excel in quiet diplomacy, thoughtful design and reasoned debate and Monocle’s editors have returned time and again for inspiration on how to live better. This book looks beyond the clichés and uncovers the folks, firms and stories that help the region rank highly in everything from art and architecture to eating well. Join us as we meet the retailers reaching higher in Reykjavík and experience Helsinki’s hottest hospitality. We will introduce you to Norway’s most notable designers and the Danish dishes not to be missed. We may even swing past a Swedish crayfish party and strip off at a sauna or two.

The world can learn a lot from our knowing northern neighbours – and The Monocle Book of the Nordics is the ideal place to start.

About the Author:

Tyler Brûlé is the editor-in-chief of Monocle. Andrew Tuck is the magazine’s editor. Joe Pickard is its books editor.

Full of writing, reports, and recommendations, The Monocle Guide to Better Living is original, informative, entertaining and comprehensive. This is not a book about glitz but rather an upbeat survey of products and ideas built to treasure and last

Monocle is one of the most successful magazines to be developed in the past decade. Armed with an unmistakable sense of aesthetics and journalistic tenacity, its team — led by editor in chief Tyler Brûlé — has created an intelligent publication that continually inspires a global readership who are interested in everything from diplomacy to design. For its first-ever book, the editorial team looks at one of their core themes: how to live well.

The result is The Monocle Guide to Better Living, an original, informative, and entertaining collection of writing, reports, and recommendations. This is not a book about glitz but rather an upbeat survey of products and ideas meant to be treasured and last.

Set your pulse racing with this stunning visual guide to over 1000 pin-up machines - iconic symbols of wanderlust, speed, and the open road.

From Gottlieb Daimler's gas-powered "engine on a bicycle" which set fire to the seat on its first outing, to superbikes such as the Ducati 916, The Motorbike Book takes you on an enthralling tour of the bike's history.

It shows you bikes that appeal to the head - practical forms of transport - and to the heart - a parade of classic pin-ups including cult machines such as the Honda RC30, the Triumph Bonneville and the Harley-Davidson XR750.

The Motorbike Book shows the brilliance and impracticality of different designs and features detailed cross-sections of engines such as the air-cooled two-stroke. It explains how the great marques such as the Royal Enfield, the "legendary" Indian Scout, Vespa, and Norton all became household names.

Whether you are a hardcore enthusiast, or looking forward to your first machine, this is one title you cannot be without.

Dive deep into that age-old habit humans have carried over centuries — the ever-tranquil act of bathing in nature.

Whether in oceans or lakes, streams, or rivers, humans have been drawn to water and the unique bathing opportunities it offers. This title celebrates our connection with water, focusing on outdoor bathing locations around the world.

From spots nature created expertly herself to places designed by humans to harness rugged and remote surroundings, this book examines in detail the long-standing relationship between humans and outdoor bathing in a way sure to charm the inner bather in us all.

A visual journey into the past, present, and future of human beautification in a globalized world

In recent years, the beauty industry has shifted the conversation towards individual expression like never before. While people, and women in particular, have historically faced pressure to conform to rigid ideals set by society, nowadays brands and consumers are embracing uniqueness and celebrating identity. Creating a platform for conversation and deconstructing taboos in the process, The New Beauty captures an essential moment of transformation in the business of beauty by exploring the industry from historical, scientific, and journalistic perspectives.

From using makeup as a means to challenge gender, to the link between hairstyling and community-building, or rituals as a form of self-care, The New Beauty is positioned to appeal to anyone with an interest in feeling well in their own skin.

American lifestyle journalist and writer of Be Well, Kari Molvar offers a contemporary look at the universe of beauty. Regularly contributing to The New York Times, Vogue and The Wall Street Journal, her second book with gestalten goes beyond the superficial to investigate the historical, scientific, and political motifs in what is a booming global industry.

The life of urban nomads places new demands on cities, residences, and working spaces. This book presents temporary architecture, flexible room and furniture concepts, and tools for a generation that feels at home in every corner of the globe.

Mobility is the ultimate new form of freedom: freedom from routine, traditional values, and geographic restraints. Today's creatives thrive on a lifestyle that enables them to work six months in a shared office in Berlin, spend the summer in a caravan in Chile, and show up in time for their next project at a temporary desk in New York.

This growing trend has generated visionary ways of designing products and spaces that facilitate a nomadic yet high-tech life. From a modular dwelling system on wheels to an inflatable classroom in a repurposed dumpster, this book compiles a wide range of flexible spaces and innovative products that define today's nomads. Through innovative technology, and by (literally) thinking outside the box, the designers behind these concepts give people the freedom to call the entire world their home.

Today’s internet generation no longer needs a home. It is mobile. It works six months in a shared office in Berlin, spends the summer in a caravan in Chile, and shows up just in time for the next project at a temporary desk for a client in New York. Growing up with the internet and digital tools means living and working differently. Aside from a functioning wireless connection and good coffee, web developers, designers, musicians, journalists, and other creative entrepreneurs need, above all, inspiration, new ideas, contacts, and international exchange. So they travel from one co-working space to the next, alternating countries and continents, as well as accommodation, friends, and cultures.

The New Nomads documents this trend, in particular showing the architecture, interior design, modular furniture, and multi-functional tools that this nomadic generation has developed for its own specific needs. Divided office floors with flexible uses, temporary living and working spaces that move with the nomads, multi-functional objects that are at once chair and storage space, table and bed, or cupboard and desk are all featured in the book. The necessary infrastructure is not hidden away but becomes the distinguishing design feature. Compactness and functionality meet a high standard for aesthetics, sustainability, and material.

Representatives of this nomadic generation can be found across the globe. They leave traces, especially in major cities but also in transportation hubs. The sleeping pod at the airport is booked on short notice due to cancelled connecting flights. Desks, meeting rooms, showrooms, and catering are available for a few hours or days at a time if necessary. Experimental thinkers develop mobile units that can be used in conjunction with existing infrastructures or on their own. Putting down roots now means acquiring a weekend abode, a community garden, or a treehouse.

Through these innovative types of room concepts and furniture, a multi-functional temporary living space becomes a nomadic home. What might currently be perceived as an exception is, in fact, rapidly becoming the rule. The New Nomads explores a phenomenon that is already starting to make an impact on the work of architects, city planners, product designers, and employers worldwide.

The New Outsiders showcases must-visit locations and unusual experiences from Iceland to Patagonia for everyone who calls the great outdoors their second home.

At the heart of this book are those maverick spirits who are striding forward to find creative solutions to protect and preserve the landscapes that have transformed us — ideas deeply inspired by our connection to nature. From pioneers of closed-loop clothing, who continually recycle their materials into new products, to the open-source approach of sustainable outdoor brands, we are holding ourselves accountable for our actions in everything we do. 

We free dive beneath the ice in Canada and free-climb Patagonian peaks. We trek through the frozen tundra of Baffin Island, savor the beauty of North America from the saddle of a bike, and surf Arctic waves. Pick up your backpack and step outside — it is time to get inspired to live a life less ordinary beneath the open sky.

Delve into a world of unique individuals across the world who are invested in preserving and reinventing traditions and shared rituals.

A new generation wants to lead a more meaningful and sustainable life by reconnecting with heritage and traditions. As a way of inspiration, The New Traditional looks to the craftsmanship, lifestyle, and unique experiences of the people keeping these practices alive. From blacksmithing, weaving, sake making, tending sheep, or simply having a sauna, the book tells the stories of those devoting their energy, skills, and creativity to such activities. Immerse yourself in the traditions that have defined our cultures, and that reveal our connection to what makes us human.

About the Author

The Canadian-based media brand BESIDE is committed to uncovering compelling initiatives, pursuing untold stories, and fostering impactful conversations at the crossroads of culture and nature. Through its biannual print titles and digital output, BESIDE reaches a global and diverse community of people committed to building a more sustainable future.

Whether it be Cosplay, Rockabilly, HipHop or Gothic: when the Japanese immerse in a subculture, they do it like no other.

The otaku’s passion is all-consuming. Whether it be cosplay, gothic, or rockabilly, when the Japanese embrace a subculture, they do it like no other. From Lolita fashion and latex couture to neon-drenched big-rigs, anime-plastered vans, and chrome-heavy hot rods, subcultures in Japan are as varied as they are fascinating.

Delving into these worlds, The Obsessed reveals the extraordinary passion devotees have for their hobbies and lifestyles. With dazzling photography, on-the-ground interviews, and cultural essays, this book showcases a kaleidoscope of scenes and individuals drawn from Japan’s many countercultural groups.

About the Author:

Irwin Wong is an editorial and commercial photographer based in Tokyo. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, he moved to Japan in 2005. He was Co-editor of gestalten’s Handmade in Japan, published in 2020.

The Opéra returns with a new compilation of classic and contemporary nude photography

Those in search for the essence of humanity will discover beauty and ugliness, light and shadow on the way towards it. For the eighth time, THE OPÉRA sets out to present the human body as it was created or independently formed and shaped. In their diverse works, the numerous photographers from all over the world once more share the same curiosity to explore human emotions. All of them, some reluctant and observing, others delightedly engaged and orchestrated, act out the great spectacle that is human existence.

Artists: Marius Budu, Markus Burke, Marc van Dalen, Martin Grothmaak, Charlotte Ernst, Douglas Foster, Joanna Grochowska, Anouk van Kalmthout, Maël G. Lagadec, Holger Maass, Jeanne Menetrier, Elisabeth Mochner, Pavel Odvody, Manon Ouimet, Nicola Petrara, Thomas Rusch, Henriette Sabroe Ebbesen, Julia Helene Scholl, Astrid Susanna Schulz, Laura Stevens, Amanda Torres, Lilli Waters, Philipp Zechner u.v.a.

Following ten regular issues and the special Anniversary Issue (2022), The Opéra Magazine for Classic & Contemporary Nude Photography – rising like a phoenix from the ashes – will feature a completely new layout and a contemporary design concept courtesy of renowned design agency Studio Tillack Knöll. With outstanding contributions from the likes of Malerie Marder, Barbara Probst, Rob Woodcox, Iness Rychlik, as well as Prue Stent & Honey Long, The Opéra showcases work at the forefront of international, artistic nude photography. Once again, the focus is on a predominantly female perspective on the human body, authentically and vividly manifested in The Phoenix Issue through the work and accompanying statements by numerous female photographic artists.

• Predominantly female perspective on the human body and the conditions of its photographic exploration
• International renowned female contributors

Products, brands, and ideas that capture the evolving ethos of today’s outdoor and lifestyle entrepreneurs.

More and more of us are turning to the great outdoors when seeking peace, balance, and a touch of adventure to offset our daily grind. The Outsiders showcases the outlook and passions of the new creative scene that has emerged and draws inspiration from this development along with its original products, brands, and ideas. 

The book captures the refreshing and evolving ethos of today’s smartly successful outdoor and lifestyle entrepreneurs and features interviews with key players from across the outdoor sector. Catering to modern globetrotters, these innovators are rethinking the ways in which the fundamental challenges posed by the wilderness meet the aesthetic needs of design-literate adventurers. The results are often radical, but always likeable with the occasional romantic or ironic wink.

When photographing people, you can have a great composition, perfect light, and the right camera settings, but if your subject doesn't look right -- if the pose is off -- the shot will not be a keeper. Posing is truly a crucial skill that photographers need to have in order to create great photographs. If you're looking to improve your ability to pose your subjects -- whether they're men, women, couples, or groups--best-selling author and photographer Lindsay Adler's The Photographer's Guide to Posing: Techniques to Flatter Everyone is the perfect resource for you.

In the first half of The Photographer's Guide to Posing, Lindsay discusses how the camera sees, and thus how camera angle, lens choice, and perspective all affect the appearance of your subject. Lindsay then covers the five most important things that ruin a pose--such as placement of the hands, and your subject's expression and posture. If you can look out for and avoid these five things, your skills (and your images) will quickly improve. Next, Lindsay dives into "posing essentials," outlining her approach to start with a "base pose," then build on that to create endless posing opportunities. She also discusses posing the face--with specific sections dedicated to the chin, jaw, eyes, and forehead -- as well as posing hands.

In the second half of the book, Lindsay dedicates entire chapters to posing specific subject matter: women, men, couples, curvy women, families and small groups, and large groups. In each chapter, Lindsay addresses that subject matter's specific challenges, provides five "go-to poses" you can always use, and covers how to train the eye to determine the best pose for your subject(s). In the final chapter of the book, Lindsay brings it all together as she teaches you how to analyze a pose so that you can create endless posing opportunities and continuously improve your work

Table of Contents: 

Introduction
1 Posing and How Your Camera Sees
2 Posing and Directing the Face
3 Posing Pitfalls
4 10 Steps to Posing Success and Posing Variations
5 Posing Women
6 Posing Men
7 Posing Couples
8 Curves
9 Family Portraits
10 Boudoir
11 Maternity
12 Bringing it All Together

Don’t just take a picture, make photos that move people.

Storytelling is a gift to photographers, letting you weave together characters, events, locations and subjects into a work of beauty greater than the sum of its parts. There are as many stories to tell as pictures to take, but there are also tried-and-tested methods you can adopt to help improve your photography and streamline your workflow.

In this beginner-to-pro workshop, award-winning photographer and influencer Finn Beales teaches enthusiasts and aspiring professionals how to master every element of the photographer's process. By following his five-step course – Pitch, Prepare, Shoot, Edit and Deliver – you will develop the same successful, reliable working methods that earn influence and delight audiences, regardless of what genre you're working in. Create intrigue, pull in your audience and tell richer, more rounded stories using your DSLR camera.

Want to craft a shoot from start to finish? All the essentials are covered, from building a story into your creative, shoot preparation, the necessary gear and props, working with mood-boards and call sheets, compositional balance, and directing models, right through to post production, editing and file delivery.

Discover within:

- What equipment you’ll need, when and why; 
- The secret to key shots and essential techniques; 
- Plot devices to help you craft your narrative; 
- Step-by-step DSLR projects to perfect your skills; 
- Effortlessly capture events, landscapes, portraits, interiors and experiences; 
- How to edit better and be different; 
- Extra exercises to improve your smartphone photography

Compose for impact. Stand out through story.

About the Author:

Finn Beales is an award-winning photographer and director, celebrated for his cinematic landscape and lifestyle photography. He travels the world to capture the raw power of nature. His epic shots immortalise spellbinding moments in wild, off-grid locations and have earned him a loyal following of over half a million on Instagram, as well as major clients such as Apple, Cartier, Land Rover and Omega. Finn is based in Wales, where he lives with his wife and two children.