Let Me In! (Hardcover)

by Mario Testino (Photographer), Nicole Kidman (Foreword), Michael Roberts (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Inside the circle: Behind-the-scenes photos of celebrities by the fashion world's favorite photographer

As one of the 21st century`s most travelled, acclaimed, and influential fashion photographers, Mario Testino has unsurpassed access to the most magnetic stars of popular culture. For some time now he has been collecting a personal archive of off-screen moments, often snatched spontaneously before, during, and after more official sittings for Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Testino`s many clients in the world of fashion. The result is a portrait not just of a generation of the most wanted and talked-about, but an invitation to be part of the backstage parties and unstaged moments of Testino`s life. Sometimes offbeat, but always on the pulse, Let me in!, with Testino`s eye for a modern kind of elegance liberated from conventional polish, is a new chapter from the photographer who has already made his mark with the books Any Objections, Front Row Backstage, Alive, Portraits, Kids, Diana Princess of Wales, and numerous exhibitions and publications worldwide.

From the Publisher
Features include:
* Introduction by Michael Roberts, fashion director of Vanity Fair
* Foreword by Nicole Kidman
* 300 pages in color and black and white featuring more than 100 contemporary stars

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Taschen (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822844187
• ISBN-13: 978-3822844182
• Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 9.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #458,259 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "beautiful people, a lot of skin and a surprising sense of intimacy"..., December 12, 2007

By	miles "s" (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews

First of all, let me tell you I may be a little biased with my review, because I love Mario Testino's work as it is. His photos of beautiful glamorous worlds and people living in them are always sleek, suave and well-polished, and they display -to my taste- a delicate sensitivity within image; both in reality and the 'make-belief'. You know: the whole smoke and mirrors thing, but it is obvious his smoke and mirrors have some magic in them. All the celebrities, models etc., or let's say his subjects, look like a million bucks, especially in this carefully edited book. Not that any of them are not gorgeous in real life, but they seem extra sublime if you will, and believe it or not, still 'human.' By risking to sound superficial, and shallow even, I daresay I love it. I appreciate to see so-called 'glamor' handled and manufactured in a way this sophisticated and tasteful.

'Let Me In' is a wonderful piece of high profile celebrity photo collection, which tends to catch its subjects in parties, social gatherings, or behind the scenes at fashion shoots or editorials. It is rough, time-to-time feels out of focus as a collection: more like a photo album of a photographer's 'work in progress' pile. Some photos were the ones that I had seen before here and there, but most are fresh from the oven. It may seem decidedly fame-obsessed to look at the photos of these actors and models that only display their general celebrity magnetism and magnificence, and one may ask what the difference is between this book and let's say some junk like the People magazine. And it is this: these photos do take joy in their pop culture value in a tongue-in-cheek way. They are loud, illuminated, skin-deep yet joyful. They do not take themselves so seriously, yet the book has no excuse about its existence other than it's demanding title: LET ME IN!

It is a naughty, almost forbidden, and intimate collection.

I love it. I love the roughness of the photos, how generous Testino is, and how wonderfully 'generic' most of the photos look. In a way, they are very much Warhol-ian, and in another way they are the direct opposite to what the 'celebrity' stood for in Warhol's world. It does not mean to say anything special. It is what Testino does best: beautiful people, a lot of skin and a surprising sense of intimacy. I highly recommend the book for anyone who appreciates the perception of a high fashion photographer on celebrity, and the slight obsession that we may all be in.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mario Testino does take perfect photographs but that's it......., July 22, 2008

By	Matsudaseiko "matsudaseiko" - See all my reviews

Mr.Testino does take perfect photographs of people and that's probably all those celebrities loved him. doesn't really think he has his own style though except clear picture, pretty colors and perfect angle....that makes him more of a technician than artist i think. and again for this book, which offers a slightly more SOLID content than his previous ones, looks more like a last minute pull out from all of his vanity fair and vogue spread from previous few years. don't just look at the cover and be conned like me, look thorally inside and then decide.......^_-

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent quality. Great conversation pice for your coffee table, October 7, 2008

By	O. Yudin "OYPY" (Boston, MA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mario Testino is a geneous and all his works presented in this book are simply unique. you and your guests will be looking at it many times and you will always find something new to admire in this book. A must have item for you coffee table