Michael Garlington: Portraits From the Belly of the Whale

An arresting book of B&W fine art photographs created by critically acclaimed Northern California photographer Michael Garlington.  Many of these photographs come from his numerous cross-country excursions in what he calls “photo car”, literally a Volkswagen covered with his photographs. On these trips, Michael shoots photographs of the people and places that speak to him. Individuals who may seem like regular people - from a contortionist to a fast food worker, from the disabled to a young patriot, this work is about ordinary Americans leading ordinary lives, yet there is something awry with these ordinary people.  Inside his work is a deeply felt affection for humanity in all its permutations and expressions, with a sublime view into the true horror and triviality of these lives.  The resulting body of work offers a critical, offbeat, and humorous view of the United States. Closer to home, Michael also translates his dreams -using friends and family as his models- into photograp