Photography of Jessica Lange

By Jessica Schneider Dec 24, 2008, 10:27 GMT

Actress Jessica Lange’s career spans more than 30 years and 30 films; the winner of two Academy awards, the one-time waitress is one of the most acclaimed performers of both the screen and the stage, as well as one of the most recognizable faces. 50 Photographs, however, finds Lange on the other side of the camera. Originally drawn to the medium simply as a way to document the ...more

Were it not for her already built in name, this book would never stand a chance, but “50 Photographs” includes 50 photos taken by the actress herself.

USA Today notes: “The resulting photographs are hardly colorful, touristy snapshots. Rather, they are moody, often stark black-and-white images that seem to embody a certain loneliness — a graveyard, a caged bear, an unsmiling boy.”

The product description states:

“Actress Jessica Lange’s career spans more than 30 years and 30 films; the winner of two Academy awards, the one-time waitress is one of the most acclaimed performers of both the screen and the stage, as well as one of the most recognizable faces. 50 Photographs, however, finds Lange on the other side of the camera.

Originally drawn to the medium simply as a way to document the lives and growth of her children, Lange has now been photographing on and off for 15 years, approaching the art as an antidote to the constant fervor of Hollywood. "It is a way of working," she says of her process, "that is the opposite of acting.

Photography doesn’t depend on collaboration; it can be solitary and private." A 2007 feature in Aperture, introduced by Mary Ellen Mark, gave the world its first taste of Lange’s visual work; now, 50 Photographs gathers her impressive portfolio, featuring images from Mexico, Africa, Romania, Russia, Finland, Italy, and France as well as the U.S., into her first-ever photography monograph.

Alternately comforting and disquieting, Lange’s striking black-and-whites possess a kind of moody mystery that is appropriately cinematic.”

powerHouse Books is the publisher.