Books by Hunter Barnes

Texas-based photographer Hunter Barnes' (born 1977) black-and-white portraits of cultures and communities often ignored by the mainstream are renowned for their stark beauty. In 2006, Barnes travelled to Sri Lanka, intending to document the devastating aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. Instead, he arrived amid rapidly increasing tensions in the civil war and a breakdown of the ceasefire established four years previously. It has taken Barnes more than 15 years to process the experience: "what I lived and felt has been buried far in my mind," he writes, "sealed shut in a box of film and a journal I am just now able to read." Spending his time in the Eastern Province, Barnes documented the impact of the resurgence of the war on the Tamil people. These portraits are accompanied by his handwritten diary entries from the time --

An exhilarating photographic essay on racing culture and an intimate, insider view of NASCARPhotographer Hunter Barnes (born 1977) is one of the foremost documentary photographers working in America today. For this book, Barnes was given extraordinary access to document NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) culture. In order to capture the true essence of NASCAR, Barnes went on the road with the Ganassi team, spending timein the parking lot with fans for a week before the race to really get a sense of the spirit of the culture andhow it originally started--in the South, with the moonshiners building cars to outrun the revenuers. Spirit of the Southern Speedways presents an exhilarating photographic essay of racing culture and gives an intimate and insider look at NASCAR, capturing some of the most recognizable figures in racing, including Richard "The King" Petty, the legend Junior Johnson who has won 50 races as a driver and 139 as an owner, Jack Roush, the owner of Roush Fenway Racing team and famed race car driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. The book also reflects on the intimate relationship between the fans and the drivers. Barnes is known for documenting American communities that have been ignored or misrepresented by the mainstream media, including the dying communities of the Old West, and inmates in the California State Prison.