West Coast commercial advertising photographer Tim Mantoani has captured famous photographers posing with their most iconic images for his new book ‘Behind Photographs: Archiving Photographic Legends’. (Click link or thumbnail to buy the hardcover book at Amazon, $37.80. There also is a limited edition version that costs more.)
Yahoo has some of Mantoani’s images in an online slideshow. The images were shot on 20×24 Polaroid. The book began as the personal quest of photographer Mantoani to document and preserve noted photographers together with their images. “We have come to a point in history where we are losing both photographic recording mediums and iconic photographers,” Mantoani comments. “While many people are familiar with iconic photographs, the general public has no idea of who created them. This book became a means to do that, the photographer and their photograph in one image.”
So, why did Mantoani choose to use 20×24 Polaroid film, a soon-to-be-extinct photographic medium, for the project? Mantoani explains: “I chose the format for two reasons. First, it is very possible that in just a few years, film for this camera will no longer exist. Second, to me this is the ultimate view camera. If you are going to call the greatest living photographers and ask to make a photo of them and you are shooting 35mm digital, they may not take your call. But if you say you are shooting 20×24 Polaroid, they will at least listen to your pitch.”
Tim Mantoani’s all-about-photography blog is at MantoaniBlog.com.