The debut collection of essays from one of Britain's most celebrated photographers.
For many years, photographer Michael Collins had wondered what exactly it was that he found so mysterious and compelling about photography. In this series of linked pieces, Collins offers a reappraisal of photographic genres including the humble and ubiquitous that he believes are worthy of greater understanding. From restoring abandoned photos, whose subjects are lost to time, to a quotidian history of the studio portrait; from tracing the origins of the photographic survey within the wider field of the history of art to an experiment in portraiture using gorillas, Collins reveals what it is about photography that is so enduringly fascinating.
Michael Collins was the first contemporary art photographer to be exhibited at The British Museum. He was picture editor of the Telegraph magazine, the photography critic for the Daily Telegraph and has written for many publications, including the Guardian, the Financial Times, the Independent and Granta. His most recent book of photography is The Nuclear Sublime. His work has been exhibited in the V&A, the British Museum, the British Library, The Photographers Gallery, Tate Modern, Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Bedford Museum & Art Gallery, Cornerhouse, Manchester, Walter Koening (Serpentine), Whitechapel Gallery and the Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol.
Will Self is a writer, he lives in London.
