Equipose Hardcover – October 15, 2005

beautiful

My whole family just went crazy over this book of photographs. My Niece was very happy with her birthday present.

Christopher Makos has done the impossible: he has successfully elected to extend his special gifts as a portrait artist of famous people and as a sensual documentarian of the male nude to the realm of animals. EQUIPOSE is a survey of supple and wondrously articulate images of horses that goes far beyond the curious eye and enters the realms of sensuality/spirituality.Makos uses the same observation skills for which he has earned acclaim in books and magazines and applied those skills to capturing the musculature, the sheen, the power and the disparity between the surface and the underlying massive musculature of the horse. In tender close-up details Makos allows the light and his eye for detail to marry and the result is our being able to observe the veins, the individual flicks of the mane, the eyes, the torsos and the legs of these beautiful animals is inspiring.If it sounds as though this portfolio is about sensuality then the reader is justly prepared for this particularly satisfying foray into yet another realm of the prodigious gifts of Makos. I am reminded of the play 'Equus' in which a boy's psyche is closely bound to the horse. That is the kind of romanticism that Makos captures. And the results are stunning! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

If you took your kid to the barn with you and equipped her with an instant camera, you could probably have a collection of photos similar to this one. If, however, you know and love horses, you have already seen better images of them in person and in the magazines that come to your house. Christopher Makos's previous photography is described in the preface as "obsessed with the seductive, louche, often dangerous margins of city life," and his "outsider" status in the horse world is presumed to make these images more interesting. Sorry, but he's got nothing on Bob Langrish, since he knows very little about horses and riding. Sometimes ignorance is not bliss.Blurry images of riders in poor positions (with expensive tack) on poorly conformed but pricey-looking horses betray his ignorance to "insiders." I am sure his fellow "outsiders" will continue to wax romantic about his "artsy" images of horses "brought to life in a way we have never seen before," but those of us who HAVE seen the real glory and power of horses (and the excellence of great riders) won't be all that impressed with his novice jaunt into the countryside for a day.

Makos trains his practiced eye on horses and comes up with a fresh point of view. This book is a departure from his usual subject matter of objects, artists, and young men, yet the Makos aesthetic is present throughout. The photographs are beautiful and striking depictions of horses and the equestrian environment. Makos has achieved the rare coup of giving the viewer a new take on a classic subject. This is not a book of horse photos, but rather a new book of Makos photos that happen to be about horses.

Makos on horses. I was curious of the photographers latest departure, being such a fan of his book EXHIBITIONISM, so I ordered EQUIPOSE, and found this latest work more evolved and with more humanity than ever before, ironically, on the subject of horses. This book is breathtaking. Makos takes his genius on capturing strength and vascularity of form, but of a different species, horses instead of humans.Horses have never been seen like this. Makos has done it again.

I'm not particularly a fan of horses, but this is an amazing book. It's not your standard book of pretty horses standing in a field, but is a collection of photos that are pieces of art. They're fresh and interesting; they capture energy and strength. The photos are visually arresting. It makes a good gift for anyone who's interested in or owns a horse, or who would be intrigued by powerful photographic art.

Christopher Makos is one of the most exciting photographers working today. In this gorgeous new book, he has taken one of the most perplexing of all animals - horses - and demystified them with his incredible and candid shots and angles. A must for any horse lover, or anyone who simply admires the beauty of amazing photography.