The simplest way of judging the true value of a photograph is to take it out of its context. Cut a photo out of a newspaper, put it in a frame, and hang it on the wall. The vast majority will fail the test. But cut out a photograph from a wholesale butcher's brochure, one of those packaging shots of an aluminum tray full to the edges with pink chicken breasts, hang it over your bed, and a year later you still won't have gotten enough of it. For years, the editors of "Useful Photography" had drawers in their desks where they ...
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The simplest way of judging the true value of a photograph is to take it out of its context. Cut a photo out of a newspaper, put it in a frame, and hang it on the wall. The vast majority will fail the test. But cut out a photograph from a wholesale butcher's brochure, one of those packaging shots of an aluminum tray full to the edges with pink chicken breasts, hang it over your bed, and a year later you still won't have gotten enough of it. For years, the editors of "Useful Photography" had drawers in their desks where they quietly collected such photographs. Now their private collections form the basis for this new Dutch magazine, in tribute to those anonymous photographers who in their out-of-the-way studios produce such unintentional beauty.
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Add this copy of Useful Photography to cart. $107.00, like new condition, Sold by Books 4 All rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Spring Branch, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Artimo.
Add this copy of Useful Photography #001-#004 (Four Volume Set) to cart. $449.40, like new condition, Sold by Vincent Borrelli, Bookseller rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Albuquerque, NM, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Bis Publishers and Artimo.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Four volumes sharing the following format: First edition, first printing. Soft cover. Photographically illustrated wrappers. Photographs compiled and edited by Hans Aarsman, Claudie de Cleen, Julian Germain, Erik Kessels, and Hans van der Meer. Volume #001: Unpaginated (60 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume #002: Unpaginated (256 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume #003: Unpaginated (80 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume 4: Unpaginated (80 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Each volume: 11-5/8 x 8-1/4 inches. [Cited in Martin Parr and Gerry Badger, The Photobook: A History, Volume II. (London and New York: Phaidon, 2006).]. Fine (Volume #002 has a small crease to the lower right corner of the wrapper). The photographs in each volume of this ingenious series are organized around a "useful" theme. Volume #001 "is an ode to the photographers we don't know by name, but whose work we all know by looking at it daily." Volume #002 features images culled from eBay. From the publisher: "Many thousands of people now own a digital camera. Many thousands more sell their personal items over the Internet everyday. Suddenly everyone is a photographer and all homes are studios. The second issue of Useful Photography is a collection of photos posted on eBay, images which display the surprising creativity of the amateur photographer. Hence a pair of blue slippers posed against a leopard print background, a picture of a fan that also reveals the feet of the photographer, and a speaker set, shot from both the front and back, shining with pride on a green billiard cloth. You may never look at an object, or a photograph of an object, or a virtual posting of a digital photograph of an object, the same way again." Volume #003 presents images of missing persons. From the contributors: "When taken, these studio portraits, snapshots, passport photos were perhaps unremarkable. Now each one of the people pictured is missing--their photographs given to the [United Kingdom's] National Missing Persons Helpline (NMPH) by their families or friends for the purpose of making public appeals. Unremarkable when they were made, these portrait images now have a vital significance." Volume #004 features posters photographed in the West Bank region by Ad van Denderen. From the publisher: "'Useful' is a relative word. In the Palestinian refugee camps, portraits of the dead--soldiers, suicide bombers, militants and intifada fighters--are glued to the walls. The purpose of these posters is propaganda, but shown here they tell a different story, about the relentless terror and desperation that prevails in this troubled region."
Add this copy of Useful Photography #001-#009 (Nine Volume Set) to cart. $707.00, like new condition, Sold by Vincent Borrelli, Bookseller rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Albuquerque, NM, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Bis Publishers and Artimo.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Nine volumes sharing the following format: First edition, first printing. Soft cover. Photographically illustrated wrappers. Photographs compiled and edited by Hans Aarsman, Claudie de Cleen, Julian Germain, Erik Kessels, and Hans van der Meer. Volume #001: Unpaginated (60 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume #002: Unpaginated (256 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume #003: Unpaginated (80 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume #004: Unpaginated (80 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume #005: Unpaginated (84 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume #006: Unpaginated (88 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume #007: Unpaginated (64 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume #008: Unpaginated (80 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Volume #009: Unpaginated (172 pp. ), with four-color plates throughout. Each volume: 11-5/8 x 8-1/4 inches. [Cited in Martin Parr and Gerry Badger, The Photobook: A History, Volume II. (London and New York: Phaidon, 2006).]. Fine (every volume). The photographs in each volume of this ingenious series are organized around a "useful" theme. Volume #001 "is an ode to the photographers we don't know by name, but whose work we all know by looking at it daily." From the publisher: "Cut out a photograph from a wholesale butcher's brochure, hang it over your bed, and a year later you still won't be bored of it. It is precisely these photographs we are confronted with daily, without even being aware of it, that can hold our interest for an astonishingly long time. Photography from sales catalogues, instruction manuals, packaging, brochures and textbooks. Anonymous, because what photographer expects to create a furore with a chicken breast photo? As soon as the images are taken out of their original context and placed in a new one, they can produce interesting results." Volume #002 presents a collection of photos posted on eBay, images which display the surprising creativity of the amateur photographer. From the publisher: "Many thousands of people now own a digital camera. Many thousands more sell their personal items over the Internet everyday. Suddenly everyone is a photographer and all homes are studios. The second issue of Useful Photography is a collection of photos that have been collected on auction web sites." Volume #003 presents images of missing persons. From the contributors: "When taken, these studio portraits, snapshots, passport photos were perhaps unremarkable. Now each one of the people pictured is missing--their photographs given to the [United Kingdom's] National Missing Persons Helpline (NMPH) by their families or friends for the purpose of making public appeals. Unremarkable when they were made, these portrait images now have a vital significance." Volume #004 presents posters photographed in the West Bank region by Ad van Denderen. From the publisher: "Posters of Palestinian suicide bombers before their mission are put up after their mission is accomplished. Documentation of the posters, reprinted in A3 format on mat paper. Folded in half and bound by cotton form the entire content of this 'docartzine'. The centre fold printed on white paper references and translates each poster." Volume #005 presents images of cows. From the publisher: "A standard method is used worldwide to photograph cows and bulls. These photographs allow farmers to examine the qualities of different types of breeds in order to facilitate mating and the propagation of different family lines. Useful Photography #005 presents the legendary bull Lord Lily, alongside a small selection of his more than 150.000 descendants." Volume #006 presents before and after photographs. From the publisher: "It's the most tried and tested technique in advertising. Useful Photography # 006 explores the wider implications of "before and after" as used in political disruptions, environmental disasters and more personal adjustments and...
