Michael Magers: Independent Mysteries Book

From portraits of craftsmen in action to Tokyo nightlife: a decade of photography by Michael Magers
New York–based photographer and journalist Michael Magers (born 1976) travels the world taking photographs for Time, Vogue Italia and Huck magazine. Independent Mysteries, Magers' first photobook, collects his photographs from the past decade, from places such as Japan, Cuba and Haiti. Over the years, Magers has shot subjects ranging from the nightlife of the world's cities, craftspeople at their work and the intimacy of the bedroom. His photographs each demonstrate a master's approach to craft, eschewing showy flourishes for the detail that unites the work. For example, in a portrait of the tattoo artist Horiren 1st contemplating her work on a customer's back, the room goes out of focus, the tools of her work legible yet fuzzy in comparison to the sharp focus on the ends of their use.

This volume contains contributions by past collaborators such as Cage the Elephant's Matthew Schultz, Matthew Goulding, author of the Eat This, Not That columns and books, photographer Larry Fink and others.