Couples [Hardcover]

Ellen Von Unwerth (Author, Photographer), Ingrid Sischy (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1999

Today's most exciting woman behind the camera, Ellen von Unwerth's photographs are published in all the world's great magazines. Known as "the comical model", she started her career on the catwalk. Today she likewise adds a touch of humor to her fashion and nude photographs. While her colleagues concentrate their dramatic composition on capturing the "big moment", she deploys great sensitivity and intuition to hunt down the "decisive moment", where the irony and wit of reality slumber. Spontaneity is her forte, her motto being that life is spontaneous about revealing its best side. "Couples" is fresh and unconventional, dissolving the traditions of the photography book. She wanted it to be a "fast" book - racy, loud yet high-caliber, with a handy format and as thick as a Bible, a book that is real fun. Spontaneous, personal and uncomplicated, playful with all types of couples: behind the scenes of life and fashion, sex and glamour.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker

Von Unwerth's unpretentious, intimate photographs reveal a sensibility that lies somewhere between the sexiness of Helmut Newton and the playfulness of Jacques Henri Lartigue.

Review

Check out the new book by Ellen von Unwerth, fashion model turned brilliant photographer. Ms. von Unwerth's sense of sexy fun abounds. -- Dallas Morning News

High voltage erotic glamour...spontaneous, funny and surprising. -- Interview

The images bear the von Unwerth signature, with glamour, sexiness, and youthful innocence. -- American Photo

Von Unwerth serves up juicy pairs in her arresting new book. -- Mirabella

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Te Neues Publishing Company; 1St Edition edition (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3823803670
• ISBN-13: 978-3823803676
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,328,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something left of centre, January 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Couples (Hardcover)

Fantastic... well worth the dosh. While it seems a few narrow-minded sorts will muse over grain, focus and the apparent 'cheapness' of her camera, Ellen injects life, soul, sexiness and humour into her images. The fun, intimate feel is only increased further by her supposedly rough focus and grain. For those who can appreciate a photo that isn't of a clean-skinned model against a plain black or white backdrop, Von Unwerth is an artist without equal.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ellen - My favorite photographer., April 24, 2001

By 

"jetdev5" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Couples (Hardcover)

Ellen Von Unwerth is by far my favorite photographer! I haven't the foggiest idea of how a picture is taken, but I can appreciate a good photograph when I see one. The person who said, "a picture is worth a thousand words" must have thought up all one thousand of them in that instant, thus spontaneous inspiration! Ellen is SPONTANEOUS! I fell as though she takes pictures to make you wonder, marvel and enjoy the world around you, taking you away with a simple click!

Ellen is also unpredictable, as you turn the pages to this book you will see why! Although there is no denying her style, she manages to portray a variety of situations, there is no monotony or constant theme and her subjects are unpredictable in a wide variety of settings, these photographs are proof of her widespread intellect. I was actually expecting to see pictures of couples in a conventional way, but Unwerth managed to convince me that there are other types of pairs!

It is a witty, playful, and yes even inspiring book! Not to be taken too seriously, but to be enjoyed and digested like one would fine ice cream!

I could not leave out the always intelligent and wonderful introduction by Ingrid Sischy... That woman is a GENIUS!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So So, August 16, 2009

By 

W. Rosen "chickendog" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ellen Von Unwerth: Couples (Paperback)

I guess I prefer Von Unwerth's photos in black and white rather than color. The color photos don't seem as distinct as the black and whites. In color her images seem average and perhaps there's too much information with the addition of color. Black and white leaves a little to the imagination which is important when her subjects are fashion models. Format-wise this is small in dimensions which also doesn't help, and the paperback is a little flimsy.