Notes from a Quiet Life is the first book of photography for Robert Benjamin, a self-taught photographer turning 65 this year. While always having a love of photography,  he did not pursue it as a career, instead opting for a ‘quiet life.’ The images in this book feel much like watching his life flash before his eyes: his children grow, his wife sits in a fluffy pink bathrobe, the sun shines through the trees, and shadows dance on the front door. Mangoes sit on a wooden table, tomatoes lay out to dry in the sun, horses race on TV, and flowers. Always, always flowers.

Using a few different formats, including the standard white-framed Polaroids, the images are simple and personal. The result breathes with emotion. Strangely, some images stand out for the repetition: two images of his son sleeping, two images of his son writing on paper. Perhaps these are so deep in his memory that they bear repeating.  Three photos showing three different sitting Buddha statues is rather overkill, however. Where the rest of the work succeeds in its subtlety and gentle touch, this particular repetition feels like an unwelcome sledgehammer.

Overall, the work portrays a wonderful life in hindsight, full of rich colours and feelings. Reviewing these photographic notes from Benjamin’s life evokes such a warm feeling of satisfaction that life lived in fullness, even quietly, can be looked back on with a smile.

Notes from a Quiet Life is available for sale through the publisher Radius Books.

Reviewed by Katherine Oktober Matthews.