© 2005, Miklos Gaál, Finland, Swimming Lesson #5 p. 80.
All of this may be indicative of the initial filter that was applied, that the photographers are all attending a school of photography. Some emphasis on history and theory is to be expected.
What is somewhat more interesting about the book is what trends are absent. There is almost no black and white work. There are no nudes, little photojournalism, a distinct absence of "the decisive moment" and street photography. In fact, there is little sense that the students "find" their images as opposed to "creating" them.
There is much less digital manipulation than I would have expected, although what there is shows an easy familiarity and comfort with the technology.
Considering the vast range of use that photography enjoys today I was also somewhat startled to see little commercial work. I can't imagine many of these students stepping directly into jobs in the advertising industry, or working as sports photographers for a major newspaper.
However, that may again be simply because the students (or the school administrators) were automatically slanting their portfolios toward what they thought a museum curator would want to see. A truly commercial skill indeed.
As a snapshot of the state of the art of photography in academic programs worldwide, this book is well worth a look.