THE LIFE OF AUGUST - Part 1 of 2

As I mentioned before, I found this fantastic book at a small flea market in Lisbon while I was searching for some local “delicacies”. The moment I saw the cover I knew that flipping the book open wouldn’t disappoint me. This old man, August, seemed like he carries a whole lot of stories behind his eyes. And I was right…

“Ein Leben auf dem Lande,” a life on the countryside. That’s what this book is about. In the late 1970s, Bettina Secker was working on a photo documentary about life and work on the countryside. Near Preetz (Northern Germany) she met August’s daughter Hertha who invited her to the farm where August worked as a farmhand.

She spent a lot of time with the family, the confidence between them grew more and more - I think that this can be seen in the photographs. They look like so much more than just quick snapshots, and that’s what I love about the book: it gives you the feeling that you’re in between and not only an observer.

IMAGE INFO: © Bettina Secker, late 1970s, From the book “August - Ein Leben auf dem Lande”

» read part 2 of the story «  |  » find more photobooks here «