TALES FROM DREAMLAND

A Los Angeles photographer pairs his images with brief lines of text, exploring the extraordinary amid the seemingly ordinary.

Capturing the beauty of everyday life in his photography, which sometimes borders on the surreal, Valfre presents evocative vignettes that riff on each image. Most of the two-page spreads feature a single black-and-white or color photograph accompanied by a short paragraph— occasionally just a sentence or two. “LUNCH in the CLOUDS,” which describes a worker on his lunch break who’s jolted out of his routine by a moment of beauty, appears beside a photo in which a glass-topped table reflects puffy white clouds and blue sky, a striking contrast to the mundanity of the wicker furniture, concrete paving stones, and unremarkable lunch of a “ham sandwich, banana, and cup of coffee.” Some entries seem to be autobiographical: In “The LOST FATHERS,” a striking black-and-white photo shot from below—of silhouetted people climbing the mostly leafless branches of a tree, standing out against a stark, empty sky—appears beside a first-person description of a dream about conversing with a deceased father. Many of the photographs play with light, shadow, and reflection: Sunlight sparkles on a pool as a brown-skinned boy floats on his back, and a full moon is reflected in a small puddle in a cracked sidewalk. This unusual volume will please browsers and is also a good source of creative prompts for language arts and fine art classes.

A thoughtful, imaginative work to inspire dreamers and observers.