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BLIND CORNERS: Essays on Photography
For many years, photographer Michael
Collins had wondered what exactly it was
that he found so mysterious and compelling about photography. In this series of linked pieces, Collins offers a reappraisal of photographic genres – including the humble and ubiquitous – that he believes are worthy of greater understanding. From restoring abandoned photos, whose subjects are lost to time, to a quotidian history of the studio portrait; from tracing the origins of the photographic survey within the wider field of the history of art to an experiment in portraiture using gorillas, Collins reveals what it is about photography that is so enduringly fascinating.
Collins had wondered what exactly it was
that he found so mysterious and compelling about photography. In this series of linked pieces, Collins offers a reappraisal of photographic genres – including the humble and ubiquitous – that he believes are worthy of greater understanding. From restoring abandoned photos, whose subjects are lost to time, to a quotidian history of the studio portrait; from tracing the origins of the photographic survey within the wider field of the history of art to an experiment in portraiture using gorillas, Collins reveals what it is about photography that is so enduringly fascinating.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2025
2 people want to read
About the author
Michael Collins
532 books52 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
(1)Irish Novelist
Michael Collins was born in 1964. He was educated in Belfast, Dublin and Chicago. His short stories have been awarded the Hennessy/Sunday Tribune Award in Ireland and the Pushcart Prize in America.
(1)Irish Novelist
Michael Collins was born in 1964. He was educated in Belfast, Dublin and Chicago. His short stories have been awarded the Hennessy/Sunday Tribune Award in Ireland and the Pushcart Prize in America.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 15, 2025
Thank you so much for Tandemcollectiveuk & Nottinghilleditions for the lovely edition to read & review! ad product review!
4.5
I snapped (lol) the opportunity to give this a read as soon as I saw it. My uni degree is in photography & it has been a love of mine since very young.
The way that photography holds so much within it for viewers to see or even make assumptions about is that makes photography for me. We can view captured moments, posed or not, natural or fake, it is left to the viewer and observer to make their own story of what is happening.
We look at history, experiments, lost and unknown photos and so much more
One of my favourite parts was the discussion about is it true that the camera never lies, the way people are told to act natural but then told to do this and that which sort of stops them from acting natural/the photo being actually natural.
My favourite passage that hit close to home was the mention of looking at a photo of his father and just how his father still breaths from looking at the photo.
Photography can capture so much and is truly a special medium of art that doesn't get enough credit that it's due.
4.5
I snapped (lol) the opportunity to give this a read as soon as I saw it. My uni degree is in photography & it has been a love of mine since very young.
The way that photography holds so much within it for viewers to see or even make assumptions about is that makes photography for me. We can view captured moments, posed or not, natural or fake, it is left to the viewer and observer to make their own story of what is happening.
We look at history, experiments, lost and unknown photos and so much more
One of my favourite parts was the discussion about is it true that the camera never lies, the way people are told to act natural but then told to do this and that which sort of stops them from acting natural/the photo being actually natural.
My favourite passage that hit close to home was the mention of looking at a photo of his father and just how his father still breaths from looking at the photo.
Photography can capture so much and is truly a special medium of art that doesn't get enough credit that it's due.
Displaying 1 of 1 review