Photo professor publishes new book

The final version of Bruce Berman's new book was released last month. "Backland" is a collection of images about "wandering, seeing, and enjoying making photographs." The book contains images spanning a 25-year period from 1975-2000 in multiple states and countries. Berman defines the retrospective as a "visual autobiography."

The 121-page volume provides, according to the back-cover synopsis, an intimate look at "battered people, people who love their cars, workers, the faithful, simple landscapes, places where there’s great generosity, absurdity, intimacy, a little mystery and where slow time still exists."

Berman indicated the photographs were made "off the grid" in places where he could be anonymous. “This is where I know no one, and no one knows me — where the only thing that matters is the moments we share,” Berman said.

Bruce Berman has authored numerous photography books throughout his 40-year photography career. His initial documentary projects were in Chicago where he photographed Appalachian migrants to the big city, Black Panthers during the tumultuous 1960s, and the gritty street life of Chicago in its Rust Belt years.

His main work for the last 25-30 years has concentrated on the United States-Mexico border, particularly the narrow stretch of land that encompasses El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

Professor Berman studied photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and also earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. He currently serves as an associate professer in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at NMSU, where he teaches everything from introductory photography to advanced photojournalism and documentary photography courses.