Searching for True North is a selection of images from 30 years of Geir Jordahl’s photographic
work. On this lifelong journey, he follows his internal compass to discover the universal
landscape, those places that, while separated by cultural or political borders, are united in their
celebration of the Earth and its interaction with human-made elements. Although Jordahl is
inspired by place, the work is not place specific. As Margaretta K. Mitchell says in the book’s
introduction, “Nature has given Jordahl a way to comment on our contemporary lives…The
iconography of earth, air, and water come together in Jordahl’s photographs with the artifacts of
civilization, allowing the mysteries of these places to haunt us, making poetry of the visible.”

According to Jordahl:

"A camera is the photographic artist’s brush. My camera
of preference is the Panon Widelux. Other cameras
have been employed to enhance the texture of
communication. In all cases, the instrument has been
used faithfully.
The images in this book are about seeing the world beyond
what is in front of our eyes. Many films were used to make
this possible. The most common was infrared film."

Published by Modernbook, Palo Alto

Design by Public, San Francisco

Printing supervised by Alexander Hau,
Oceanic Graphic Printing, Inc.

Searching for True North is printed in a cloth-bound
hardcover edition of 1000. There is also a Special edition
of 100 copies with two original gelatin silver prints,
numbered and signed by the artist and presented in a
clamshell box.

The exhibition for “Searching for True North” is
made possible with the support of Ilford Photo/Harman
technology, Legion Paper, Nardulli, Inc and dr5chrome.
Original film negatives are scanned then spotted and adjusted.

The images are printed both digitally and
traditionally. Digital images are printed on Harman technology
light jet black and white fiber paper at Nardulli,
Inc., Hollywood. Film negative images are printed by hand
in the traditional darkroom on Harman/Ilford Multigrade
paper. These prints are either from the original negative
or using an LVT negative produced by dr5chrome, Denver,
Colorado. All images are window matted on Rising
museum rag board from Legion Paper.

Searching for True North
Photographs by Geir Jordahl
Edited by Kate Jordahl
Introduction by Margaretta K. Mitchell
Poetry by Rolf Jacobsen
Translations by Roger Greenwald
Afterword by Karen Kienzle, de Saisset Museum

Announcing a new title from Modernbook Editions:
Searching for True North
Photographs by Geir Jordahl
Introduction by Margaretta K. Mitchell
Edited by Kate Jordahl
Poetry by Rolf Jacobsen
Translations by Roger Greenwald
Afterword by Karen Kienzle
Searching for True North is a selection of images from 30 years of Geir Jordahl’s photographic
work. On this lifelong journey, he follows his internal compass to discover the universal
landscape, those places that, while separated by cultural or political borders, are united in their
celebration of the Earth and its interaction with human-made elements. Although Jordahl is
inspired by place, the work is not place specific. As Margaretta K. Mitchell says in the book’s
introduction, “Nature has given Jordahl a way to comment on our contemporary lives…The
iconography of earth, air, and water come together in Jordahl’s photographs with the artifacts of
civilization, allowing the mysteries of these places to haunt us, making poetry of the visible.”
Geir Jordahl is an artist, teacher, and dedicated traveler. In much of his work he uses a panoramic
camera, finding that it gives him a way to help the viewer “climb into my landscapes.” For
Jordahl, the search for “True North” represents the spiritual as well as the physical, the journey
of discovery that leads to one’s path in life as well as the path that leads to the next magical
place.
Jordahl was born in Norway. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife,
photographer Kate Jordahl.
Modernbook Editions 494 University Ave Palo Alto, Ca 94301 650.327.6325 info@modernbook.com
Searching for True North
Photographs by Geir Jordahl
Introduction by Margaretta K. Mitchell
Poetry by Rolf Jacobson ~ Translations by Roger Greenwald
Afterword by Karen Kienzle
Edited by Kate Jordahl
Cloth-Bound Hardcover, 9.25 x 13 inches
164 pages, 129 duotone plates.
ISBN 978-0-977882-87-8
1000 Copies, $65.00 USD
Special edition of 100 copies with two original gelatin silver prints,
numbered and signed by the artist and presented in a clamshell box.
ISBN 978-0-977882-86-1
$450 USD (Prepublication price)
Publication Date January 2008
For more information and to view images from the book, visit:
www.searchingfortruenorth.com
Geir Jordahl’s photographic prints have been exhibited in the U.S. and around the world,
including: Modernbook Gallery, Palo Alto, California; Kodak Gallery, Tokyo, Japan;
Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite, California; Museum of Modern Art, Tampere, Finland;
Museum for Photography, Braunscheig, Germany; Nevada Art Museum, Reno, Nevada;
Ansel Adams Center for Photography, San Francisco, California; The Golden State Museum,
Sacramento, California; Trento Museum of Art, New Jersey; among others.
Modernbook Editions is a publisher of limited edition photographic monographs.
Modernbook Editions is a division of Modernbook Gallery, a dealer of fine art photography
based in Palo Alto, California, USA.
Contact Mark Pinsukanjana or Bryan Yedinak at
Modernbook Gallery ~ Modernbook Editions
494 University Ave
Palo Alto, California USA 94301
Phone (650) 327-6325
Fax (650) 327-3289
Email info@modernbook.com
On the Web at www.modernbook.com