I was surprised to find that Mike Mandel has posted some photographs on Flickr. I thought legends stayed away from “the democratisation of the image.” And yet, Mandel has chanced his arm.

Incredibly, ten images from ‘Evidence‘ are even posted (All rights reserved).*

I was really taken by his mischievous ‘Myself: Timed Exposures’ (1971):

“In Myself: Timed Exposures I attached my 35 mm camera to a tripod and walked out into public space looking for situations to insert myself and create a picture. Once I found a likely opportunity I would set up the camera, release the self-timer on the shutter, and walk into the frame. The mechanical timer would noisily unwind for ten full seconds, allowing the world to change its complexion in front of my static lens. People, strangers to me, would be jarred for a moment from their routine and their perceived public isolation. I was standing uncomfortably close next to them, an abandoned camera buzzing a few feet away. I might say something or nothing at all. And suddenly, ‘click’, the machine had made its own “decisive moment” and only the film would know what latent treasure it owned.”

* ‘Evidence’, in my humble opinion, is one of the best photobooks ever produced.