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Overview
Ben Watts has rapidly emerged as one of today's top photographers. His collection of photographic moments captured both on assignment and while working on personal projects covers a broad range of subjects, from street photography to fashion shoots, from hip-hop culture to high school wrestlers. Watts's images not only show the personal visual diary of an artist, but provide a new look at what it means to be young and urban. Often with short notes from himself or his subjects scribbled on the photos, or with bits and pieces from the "site" (an airplane boarding pass, an entry ticket), Watts's images are put together in collages and combinations that are humorous and insightful at the same time.Big Up is Ben Watts's personal scrapbook reproduced in a large-format book that preserves all the qualities of a photo album.
Editorials
Library Journal
The oversized format of this book is the perfect match for the big style and urban flavor it delivers. Shot and designed by photographer Watts, a regular contributor to Interview and Rolling Stone (and brother of actress Naomi Watts), it was originally created as a scrapbook portfolio to send out for jobs, but it impressed so many people who came across it that Watts was asked to publish it. This version reproduces not just the photographs but the tape and markers he used to put the portfolio together. Watts's penchant for pushing the style envelope to create edgy, vibrant pictures straight from the street is amply demonstrated here. His images seamlessly blend celebrity and everyday moments to create an astonishing visual record of urban life from the early Nineties to the present-showing the boxing gyms of London, New York City's Puerto Rican Day parade, hip-hop fashion shoots, and more. Stylist Emil Wilbertkin contributes a foreword, and in an introduction Watts himself provides background on how the book came to pass and how his career started. A great addition to any large photography collection.-Rachel Collins, "Library Journal" Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.Book Details
Published
October 28, 2003
Publisher
Princeton Architectural Press
Pages
184
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781568984124