U2 & I: The Photographs 1982-2004

by Anton Corbijn (contributor)

For more than three decades Anton Corbijn has photographed the greatest artists in the music world and beyond. That made him one of the most influential portrait photographers of our days. In Corbijn's career, however, there has been one constant: the band U2, and their collaboration of 22 years. This publication is dedicated to Bono, Edge, Larry, and Adam, to their longstanding friendship, mutual inspiration, and shared experience of rock history that is part of the history of photography.

It was Anton Corbijn who "invented" U2's public image and he is still shaping it. The long way from their first encounter in February 1982 in New Orleans to their April 2004 Lisbon shooting for the most recent U2 album is documented in a wealth of private and so-called official pictures with hand-written annotations by the photographer.

Genres: Music, Photography, Nonfiction, Art

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, filmmaker, and video artist. He is best known for his black-and-white portraits of artists shot with slow shutter speeds to allow for the subtle movements and gestures of his subjects. “I feel the imperfection is much closer to how life is than perfection,” the artist has said.

Born Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard on May 20, 1955 in Strijen, Netherlands, Corbijn began shooting local bands at the age 17, before moving to London to work for NME magazine as a staff photographer. He has directed over 80 music videos for a number of musicians, including Nirvana, U2, Depeche Mode, and Joy Division. In 2015, the artist was the subject of the exhibition “Anton Corbijn 1-2-3-4” at the Fotomuseum Den Haag, which included over 300 of his most iconic images. Living and working in The Hague, Netherlands, Corbijn is currently focused on feature-length films.

Reviews

[Han Adcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and charming, both the photos and the annotations Anton Corbijn wrote for some of them. Occasionally I found his handwriting hard to read, but only with 2 or 3 words. Really interesting, I would recommend this for any U2 fan who's not read it. N.B. there is a (small) naked Adam in it but not in a sexual way - just standing there really.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Beautiful photos, thick paper, high quality printing, and hands down the best subject matter in existence.

[Far · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book.

Ok, so this is a collection of photographs, with a few accompanying notes, that Corbijn took during his time with the band. You'll see photos from the album shoots as well as personal photos.

I love the little anecdotes scattered through the book, but the main focus really is the photographs, which are just gorgeous.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anton Corbijn first met U2 in Louisiana in 1982, and is responsible for many of their most recognizable images. The book contains several famous photos as well as outtakes from various sessions over the years.

My only complaint? As always when it comes to books about U2, too much Bono, not enough Adam and Larry! (There's always the right amount of Edge, somehow.)

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

anton corbijn is such a great photographer. as i said in my review of neil mccormicks book, u2 are not rock star rock stars. they all maintain an awkwardness to them, (bono's clumsy stage moves, edge's self coscious hesitation when he speaks) anton gets behind the serious brooding band some people might take them to be. there are some really great photos of them with their dads.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

gorgeous. a great gift from Anton Corbijn, who is now a veteran of the music biz, but talks about his early days with U2. I love it especially for the Pop-era photo shoot with the band and their respective fathers.

[daniblues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creo que fue el último producto que realmente compré ilusionado a la factoría U2. Había motivo porque muchas de las fotos de Corbijn son sencillamente espectaculares. La calidad de la edición en sí del libro es otro espectáculo.

[Aurelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful pictures of the group put together in a captivating edition. Touching.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Their favorite photographer - beautiful pictures spanning their career.

[Anuj · Rating 3 out of 5]

everything is nice except for the handwriting.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy photography and U2, this book is killer.

[Ruben Parra · Rating 5 out of 5]

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