Do It Yourself [Hardcover]

Renaud Marchand (Editor), Uwe Ommer (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2007

Shoot yourself: Sexy self-portraits by everyday women Inspired by a babysitter he surprised in front of the bathroom mirror shooting pictures of herself with his Polaroid, photographer Uwe Ommer decided to put together a book of erotic self-portraits by inexperienced photographers. Arming participants with cameras and basic technical instructions, Ommer asked them to photograph themselves in any way they pleased?liberated, so to speak, from the voyeuristic eye of the photographer. Some chose to use mirrors as they captured their portraits, while others braved the camera without the help of their reflections. While many subjects required no intervention by Ommer, for others he acted as ?ghost photographer, ? helping them with the lighting and setup; in both cases, the models were free to indulge their inspirations in any ways they pleased?from sexy and provocative to romantic to simply being themselves. The cast of self-portraitists includes a wide range of personalities, from students to artists, actors, stylists, dancers, models, musicians, teachers, and more. This highly original book gives us a rare glimpse at the way everyday women see themselves?or wish they did.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Uwe Ommer became fascinated with photography at a young age and in 1962 moved to Paris, where he initially worked as a photographer's assistant. Within a few years, he opened his own photography studio, primarily shooting fashion and advertising photos. Quickly gaining respect for his work in Paris, Ommer began showing in local galleries and eventually published his first book, Photoedition Uwe Ommer, in 1979, a collection of personal and advertising works. In the following years, he would publish five more books of his photographs. In 2002, Uwe Ommer was awarded an Honorary Fellowship to the Royal Photographic Society for the impact of his lifetime of work. His other books for TASCHEN include Black Ladies, Asian Ladies, Transit, and 1000 Families.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; Mul edition (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822856282
• ISBN-13: 978-3822856284
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly naturally beautiful women in beautfully composed shots, January 24, 2008

By 

BobbyBooey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do It Yourself (Hardcover)

I bought this book on a whim. I had a feeling the women didn't compose all of the shots themselves. Not because a woman couldn't but because they weren't professional photographers. Some of the lighting and composition wreaked of a professional photographer. After looking through the photos I read the intro and indeed it addresses the fact that Uwe Ommer helped with lighting and composition with some of the shots. So, kudos for not hiding that fact.

I think the book is beautiful works of art of beautiful women and their surroundings. I don't believe for one second this is porn. There's nothing vulgar or disrespectful here. Just really nice shots.

Also the book is a lot bigger than I expected.

Highly recommended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, December 2, 2007

By 

Empress Heather "Heather" (East Point, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do It Yourself (Hardcover)

This exploration women of photographing themselves is beautiful and inspiring. The journal of the young woman who started the project is alluring and criminally erotic.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Misses the mark, December 11, 2007

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Do It Yourself (Hardcover)

The concept is a good one: let the model choose pose herself and work the camera, as Andre Rival did with Self-Images. Given Ommer's past work, including Black Ladies, I had the highest hopes for a this new collection of figure photography.

Rather than use the controlled environment of his studio, Ommer tracked his lovely subjects to their lairs, to show them in their native environments. Ideally, the home and its content should have framed the model and exposed more of her personality. Instead, the backgrounds came across as cluttered and distracting. Even if the models controlled the camera and poses themselves, I counted on Ommer and his artist's eye to select those few snapshots that truly rose above the ordinary. Instead, the collection conveys an amateurish look.

I hoped for better, and he's done better. I hope he does better again in the future.

-- wiredweird