Customer Reviews

Voyeur

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Voyeur is a beautiful book filled with top-notch images that that deliver an intensely sexualized look at the world. Often the images derive their power from the rawness of clandestine photography, but to characterize Voyeur as entirely raw or clandestine would be inaccurate. The book explores a range of perspectives. Sometimes the pictures are nothing more than a gentle glance at a stranger in a compromised position, while other images seem to be made by someone enjoying the wildest night of his life. Some of the pictures are dark and shadowy while still others are sharp and precise. Voyeur is a book that can take you from an innocent glimpse of panties to a run-down backroom and leave you enthralled at any point in-between.

There is another aspect to Voyeur. It's a book that combed art history and mixed up sexy pictures from the most renown photographers with paparazzi photos, anonymous snapshots and images made by up-and-coming photographers. From a design, art historical or purely emotive point of view, Voyeur is an A+.

If you expect something Playboy-esque, for under the bed or on the toilet, you'll probably be disappointed. If you think that good photographs can only be made by following the rules printed on Kodak packaging, you'll probably be disappointed. If you find yourself undressing strangers with your eyes, then this is the book you've been waiting for.

This book is a wonderful tribute to the voyeuer in all of us. The images are tantalizing - you feel a little a little naughty every time you turn the page - but it's almost impossible not to.

I really like this work. May be some pictures don't have enough quality but as a whole, this work is amazing. It awakes us the voyeur side of each one, our eye is in every picture.

I first saw a copy of this book at a local book store, but at the time I didn't feel like buying it. I remember the design of the book was really interesting: it forced you to open it in a way that really made you feel like a voyeur; like you were entering inside the book.

A year later I bought it from an outside seller through amazon and I was expecting the same item I saw at the book store. I don't think it was the same item. This one was hardcover (maybe the softcover version is different) and it didn't open or folded in the same "voyeuristic" way as the version I saw previously. So that was a bit of a disappontment.

Now, the content itself is very good. All black and white photos depicting different instances of what could be considered voyeurism: from something as innocent as looking at a woman's legs while she's sitting on a bench at a train station to a peek at the taping of a gay porn video.

Most of the photographs are grainy, sometimes blurry, and have a "spurt of the moment" quality that really makes them more like documentary or journalistic photography--which emphasizes the photographers' voyeurism in a way. This images were not staged for us to observe, but were yanked on the spot in the same way we would at somebody's underwear if it were somehow showing in public without the person knowing about it.

The images are generally smaller than the page size, and they are framed by the black color of the pages. Some people could complain about this, but I think it was a great aesthetic choice, because ths small scale gives them a sense of intimacy that enhances the voyeurism even more. It is almost as though you are peeking though the keyhole of a door to see what's on the other side.

One very important item that needs to be clear: This book is NOT a figure photography book. The cover may mislead you into thinking that--although I do have to say the cover depicts a woman in underwear, not a nude. This is a book about voyeuristic moments captured in many photographs. Some of the photographs do contain nudity and even explicit sex. But most do not. They contain every-day moments that would probably make you turn your sight while walking down the street. Personally I think this is great because it gives the term "voyeurism" a dimension that goes beyond the simplistic "nudity and sex" definition--although there is always a sexual context even when the photos do not depict sex or nudity.

I'm sure many people who were expecting this book to be an artsy version of Penthouse or Hustler were very much let down by this book. But then again, this book is not about naked women or about sex peddled as art. It's about what voyeurism means to different photographers. And the common denominator seems to be this: voyeurism is the act of watching somebody else's privacy: from the girl talking on the phone to the gay couple having sex in the woods.

In other words, this book is about the idea of voyeurism in photography and not about naked people. If you are a photographer, you will probably love it. If you just want an artsy version of Hustler, then this is definitely not for you.

i was really looking foward to this book the day it came , i was shocked it was all in black and white pictures no COLOR PICTURES, the pictures in the book i have seen better stuff in my daughters teen mags this book is a bunch of junk save your money on this one

i was really looking foward to this book the day it came , i was shocked it was all in black and white pictures no COLOR PICTURES, the pictures in the book i have seen better stuff in my daughters teen mags this book is a bunch of junk save your money on this one

The intention of this book was probably more profound. Its intention to draw any reader (non-voyeur or voyeur) into a world of voyeurism ... by framing each photograph with thick black borders, its intention was to convey as if we were there "secretly" peering and privy to a private and secret moment.

Unfortunately, it fails on several levels. Of course, grainy low-res black and white photographs are an esthetic choice - in this case, the choice certainly does not add any value to this collection - but more importantly, it fails on the level that there's no real point to these photographs ... and no real message other than just a random series of photographs of a similar subject. With no artistic point or message, it's really just a series of grainy black and white, not-very-erotic photographs. All and all, a fairly pointless book.

The cover and bindings of this book are great. I love the black pages. The pictures are disappointing. All small black and white pictures that are underexposed. Not worth the Money. There are much better photographs out there. I didn't feel like I was a voyeur. I felt like I was looking at a bunch of poor quality photographs.