Family: Photographers Photograph Their Families [Hardcover]

Sophie Spencer-Wood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

Drawing from those same impulses that compel us all to take pictures of our family, this book considers the entirely unique response of photographers to their family and the significance of this work in the broader context of their photography. Family is a collection of c. 175 photographs by a wide range of photographers that consciously reflect on the experience of family. It presents the work of some of the earliest photographers to consider the subject, alongside those taking pictures of their family today. Rather than a sociological study that maps its metamorphosis, the book marks the curiosity for family and the element of autobiography that continues to stand the test of time. 'After our conversation the other day, I thought some more about the broad, deep subject of family, and in some ways, it's bigger than that - it's everything and why we are here.' Graham Smith, photographer Family: Photographers photograph their families reflects upon some of the meanings behind our family photographs and considers the time-honoured relationship between family and photography. The normally private and intimate world of familial relationships is revealed to us through the work of these photographers and through their vision we are reminded of the common patterns and forms that underlie our most intimate and personal emotional ties. The book will not be organised chronologically or by theme and chapter, but many of the ideas and themes we associate with family photographs are discernible through sequenced stories and the juxtaposition of single images. Each selection of photographs will be represented by a short commentary placed at the back of the book, along with an editor's note setting this collection in context.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Even the most disciplined of artists cannot capture relatives without revealing aspects of themselves-an internal "mechanism" photo editor Spencer-Wood showcases in her lovely, if slight, collection of family-centric photographs. Consisting of 175 haphazardly arranged images that span 150 years, Spencer-Wood's compilation includes works by both photography superstars (Alfred Stieglitz, Nan Goldin) and lesser known shutterbugs. Arranged neither chronologically nor with a strong narrative arc, Spencer-Wood's images don't give her pictures a proper context. While it's fun to admire Stieglitz protégé Edward Steichen posing jauntily with his sister, or Robert Adam's wife frolicing with Sally, their white mop of a dog, the lack of structure and loose interpretation of "family" distract from the book's theme. However, intriguing gems like Abelardo Morell's "Laura and Brady in the shadow of our house," which captures the Cuban photographer's children playacting in a makeshift house created by light and imagination, still abound; as sociologist Henri Peretz notes in his brief introduction, photographers of kith and kin take the greatest risks-and reap the greatest rewards, making "the most common of projects-the consecration of the family-their own."
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About the Author

Henri Peretz is a sociologist and writer. Professor of Sociology at the University of Paris, he is author of the book L'Oberservation (1998), contributing writer for The Table of Power by the photographer Jacqueline Hassink (1996) and he also contributed to the book and exhibition 'Magnum Landscape', published by Phaidon Press (1996). Sophie Spencer-Wood is a picture editor and researcher. She has worked with, among others, Colin Jacobson on Reportage magazine and as assistant to Bruce Bernard on Phaidon Press's award-winning book, Century (1999). Her books include Gandhi (2001) and Freedom: An African-American Struggle (2002), both published by Phaidon Press.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714844020
• ISBN-13: 978-0714844022
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #487,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)