I have mixed feelings about the book. I am glad I bought it. They are great pictures. But the book is small (size wise) and the photos being leaked on line (where they can be enlarged etc) didn't help matters.

Plus, I wasn't crazy about the dream sequences which were longer and more 'intimate' than the actual accounts of P. I sense that it was more of a very respectful working relationship with some nice moments than a "friendship" per see. The stories felt vague at times. I liked the Rembrandt, and seat belt stories. I respect that he was willing to sit through P's preaching and still maintain his own beliefs (seems P understood that as well) . But he referenced P's goofy side but told very few stories that indicate his sense of humor.. I wanted more text and a bigger book. I am glad I bought the book and I thank Afshin. But I wish there was a bit more. The vagueness made me think there wasn't much there in terms of real closeness. Either that or he was holding back a bit. Also, in a way, the book made me sad. Prince just seemed extremely lonely at times. The party pictures were cool but like Chris Rock pointed out when he saw P in St. Bart's--the dude seemed like he was still working to some extent. 3121 promotion while schmoozing. I am sure it was fun, but couldn't he just put the music aside and have a party?

[Edited 10/30/17 20:36pm]

[Edited 10/30/17 21:57pm]

purplerabbithole said:

I have mixed feelings about the book. I am glad I bought it. They are great pictures. But the book is small (size wise) and the photos being leaked on line (where they can be enlarged etc) didn't help matters.

Plus, I wasn't crazy about the dream sequences which were longer and more 'intimate' than the actual accounts of P. I sense that it was more of a very respectful working relationship with some nice moments than a "friendship" per see. The stories felt vague at times. I liked the Rembrandt, and seat belt stories. I respect that he was willing to sit through P's preaching and still maintain his own beliefs (seems P understood that as well) . But he referenced P's goofy side but told very few stories that indicate his sense of humor.. I wanted more text and a bigger book. I am glad I bought the book and I thank Afshin. But I wish there was a bit more. The vagueness made me think there wasn't much there in terms of real closeness. Either that or he was holding back a bit. Also, in a way, the book made me sad. Prince just seemed extremely lonely at times. The party pictures were cool but like Chris Rock pointed out when he saw P in St. Bart's--the dude seemed like he was still working to some extent. 3121 promotion while schmoozing. I am sure it was fun, but couldn't he just put the music aside and have a party?

[Edited 10/30/17 20:36pm]

[Edited 10/30/17 21:57pm]

I love the book and I even think it is a nice size. Sure, it could have been bigger, but how many people would have been willing to pay the price for a 11x14 coffee table book, or even for an 8x10? With regard to the leaks online, that was beyond his control. And even with those sneak peeks, there were still lots and lots of photos that I had never seen. Honestly, the only thing I didn't like was the inclusion of M2 in some of the photos; however, I realize that she was a part of P's life. Still, I'm just saying...

BTW: I didn't find it to be vague at all. If I were a betting person, I'd say that the closeness between P and Mr. Shahidi was very real, perhaps even understated. Remember, he worked with him for over two decades!! If I'm not mistaken, he might have been with Prince even longer than Mr. Hayes. To the extent that he was "holding back," I would bet that was done out of respect for Prince's privacy.

Lastly, the Rembrandt story brought me to tears. I think that might have been the only revelation that P wouldn't have liked, as I feel sure that he wouldn't want to be pitied. I think he would have, however, loved the "artsy" photo of him and his Love Symbol that accompanied that recollection. Bottom line: I understand why Afshin included that short, but incredibly revealing narrative, and I think its placement near the end of the book was deliberate. In fact, now that I think about it, that image is arguably the most profound and unforgettable in the entire collection. It's certainly the one that I've been unable to get out of my mind.

All in all, IMHO, I think Prince: A Private View is "sheer perfection" and upon its release, without question, it became an instant classic. Hopefully, this will not be Shahidi's last photographic biography of the Purple Yoda, from the heart of Minnesota.

[Edited 10/31/17 0:26am]

I think the pictures are much more telling than the text. I do think he presents Prince as a respectful boss but there is a lack of personal details about P (antecdotes, jokes etc). The dream sequences are so much more detailed than any of the actual encounters. Many of those amount to "I told P an idea. He said sure and chuckled." for example, he mentioned P telling him to bring his family to Maui but did P actually spend time with Afshin's family or did they just tag along. I have seen more personal details on facebook pages about P. For example, Sam Jennings told a funny story about Prince and his family having dinner. Prince led their 4 year old kid out of the room while they were eating dinner. P and the little girl came back about a half an hour later and she is dancing around in an afro wig and he and his wife are hearing Prince laughing in the hallway. That is a fun personal anecdote. Its a good photography book but the text disappointed me. Howver, I do agree that that last anecdote was quite moving.

FlyOnTheWall said:

purplerabbithole said:

I have mixed feelings about the book. I am glad I bought it. They are great pictures. But the book is small (size wise) and the photos being leaked on line (where they can be enlarged etc) didn't help matters.

Plus, I wasn't crazy about the dream sequences which were longer and more 'intimate' than the actual accounts of P. I sense that it was more of a very respectful working relationship with some nice moments than a "friendship" per see. The stories felt vague at times. I liked the Rembrandt, and seat belt stories. I respect that he was willing to sit through P's preaching and still maintain his own beliefs (seems P understood that as well) . But he referenced P's goofy side but told very few stories that indicate his sense of humor.. I wanted more text and a bigger book. I am glad I bought the book and I thank Afshin. But I wish there was a bit more. The vagueness made me think there wasn't much there in terms of real closeness. Either that or he was holding back a bit. Also, in a way, the book made me sad. Prince just seemed extremely lonely at times. The party pictures were cool but like Chris Rock pointed out when he saw P in St. Bart's--the dude seemed like he was still working to some extent. 3121 promotion while schmoozing. I am sure it was fun, but couldn't he just put the music aside and have a party?

[Edited 10/30/17 20:36pm]

[Edited 10/30/17 21:57pm]

I love the book and I even think it is a nice size. Sure, it could have been bigger, but how many people would have been willing to pay the price for a 11x14 coffee table book, or even for an 8x10? With regard to the leaks online, that was beyond his control. And even with those sneak peeks, there were still lots and lots of photos that I had never seen. Honestly, the only thing I didn't like was the inclusion of M2 in some of the photos; however, I realize that she was a part of P's life. Still, I'm just saying...

BTW: I didn't find it to be vague at all. If I were a betting person, I'd say that the closeness between P and Mr. Shahidi was very real, perhaps even understated. Remember, he worked with him for over two decades!! If I'm not mistaken, he might have been with Prince even longer than Mr. Hayes. To the extent that he was "holding back," I would bet that was done out of respect for Prince's privacy.

Lastly, the Rembrandt story brought me to tears. I think that might have been the only revelation that P wouldn't have liked, as I feel sure that he wouldn't want to be pitied. I think he would have, however, loved the "artsy" photo of him and his Love Symbol that accompanied that recollection. Bottom line: I understand why Afshin included that short, but incredibly revealing narrative, and I think its placement near the end of the book was deliberate. In fact, now that I think about it, that image is arguably the most profound and unforgettable in the entire collection. It's certainly the one that I've been unable to get out of my mind.

All in all, IMHO, I think Prince: A Private View is "sheer perfection" and upon its release, without question, it became an instant classic. Hopefully, this will not be Shahidi's last photographic biography of the Purple Yoda, from the heart of Minnesota.

[Edited 10/31/17 0:26am]

[Edited 10/31/17 4:36am]

[Edited 10/31/17 4:37am]

purplerabbithole said:

I think the pictures are much more telling than the text. I do think he presents Prince as a respectful boss but there is a lack of personal details about P (antecdotes, jokes etc). The dream sequences are so much more detailed than any of the actual encounters. Many of those amount to "I told P an idea. He said sure and chuckled." for example, he mentioned P telling him to bring his family to Maui but did P actually spend time with Afshin's family or did they just tag along. I have seen more personal details on facebook pages about P. For example, Sam Jennings told a funny story about Prince and his family having dinner. Prince led their 4 year old kid out of the room while they were eating dinner. P and the little girl came back about a half an hour later and she is dancing around in an afro wig and he and his wife are hearing Prince laughing in the hallway. That is a fun personal anecdote. Its a good photography book but the text disappointed me. Howver, I do agree that that last anecdote was quite moving.

FlyOnTheWall said:

I love the book and I even think it is a nice size. Sure, it could have been bigger, but how many people would have been willing to pay the price for a 11x14 coffee table book, or even for an 8x10? With regard to the leaks online, that was beyond his control. And even with those sneak peeks, there were still lots and lots of photos that I had never seen. Honestly, the only thing I didn't like was the inclusion of M2 in some of the photos; however, I realize that she was a part of P's life. Still, I'm just saying...

BTW: I didn't find it to be vague at all. If I were a betting person, I'd say that the closeness between P and Mr. Shahidi was very real, perhaps even understated. Remember, he worked with him for over two decades!! If I'm not mistaken, he might have been with Prince even longer than Mr. Hayes. To the extent that he was "holding back," I would bet that was done out of respect for Prince's privacy.

Lastly, the Rembrandt story brought me to tears. I think that might have been the only revelation that P wouldn't have liked, as I feel sure that he wouldn't want to be pitied. I think he would have, however, loved the "artsy" photo of him and his Love Symbol that accompanied that recollection. Bottom line: I understand why Afshin included that short, but incredibly revealing narrative, and I think its placement near the end of the book was deliberate. In fact, now that I think about it, that image is arguably the most profound and unforgettable in the entire collection. It's certainly the one that I've been unable to get out of my mind.

All in all, IMHO, I think Prince: A Private View is "sheer perfection" and upon its release, without question, it became an instant classic. Hopefully, this will not be Shahidi's last photographic biography of the Purple Yoda, from the heart of Minnesota.

[Edited 10/31/17 0:26am]

[Edited 10/31/17 4:36am]

[Edited 10/31/17 4:37am]

Personally, I appreciate that he is not spilling his guts. The public doesn't need to know everything. Besides which, I think it's clear to most that P was very fond of Afshin and his family. Case in point, it is an established fact that Prince kept an adorable photo of young Yara on his desk at Paisley Park, where it will now remain for posterity. It doesn't get much more personal or familial than that.

Also, during a recent interview, Afshin revealed that when then nine-year-old Yara's first movie, Imagine That, was released, Prince rented out the Chanhassen theater for three night and invited everyone at Paisley Park to watch. He also said that Prince had contacted Yara just two months before his passing, telling her how proud of her he was and how much he loved her character on Black-ish. He also reportedly told her to, "Say 'Hi' to [your] Pops." As well, there is a photo of her on Instagram proudly holding her dad's book, noting that not only had Prince left a mark on the world, but also on her family.

purplerabbithole said:

rogifan said:

purplerabbithole said:

I have mixed feelings about the book. I am glad I bought it. They are great pictures. But the book is small (size wise) and the photos being leaked on line (where they can be enlarged etc) didn't help matters.

Plus, I wasn't crazy about the dream sequences which were longer and more 'intimate' than the actual accounts of P. I sense that it was more of a very respectful working relationship with some nice moments than a "friendship" per see. The stories felt vague at times. I liked the Rembrandt, and seat belt stories. I respect that he was willing to sit through P's preaching and still maintain his own beliefs (seems P understood that as well) . But he referenced P's goofy side but told very few stories that indicate his sense of humor.. I wanted more text and a bigger book. I am glad I bought the book and I thank Afshin. But I wish there was a bit more. The vagueness made me think there wasn't much there in terms of real closeness. Either that or he was holding back a bit. Also, in a way, the book made me sad. Prince just seemed extremely lonely at times. The party pictures were cool but like Chris Rock pointed out when he saw P in St. Bart's--the dude seemed like he was still working to some extent. 3121 promotion while schmoozing. I am sure it was fun, but couldn't he just put the music aside and have a party?

[Edited 10/30/17 20:36pm]

[Edited 10/30/17 21:57pm]

I agree that the text left me wanting more and I didn’t much care for the dream sequences. My guess is the vagueness is because they were so close and he’s respecting the private relationship they had. When Afshin did that short interview with Good Morning America he got emotional and had to wipe away tears.

The dream sequence initially left me confused. I think it would have been better if he had offered some explanation in the Introduction or a special note letting us know what to expect. Really, I think, for the dreams to be fully integrated into the flow of the book, the word "dream" would need to be somewhere in the title or subtitle. That was, in my estimation, an editorial oversight by St. Martin's Press. Having said all that, I still think "Prince: A Private View" is nothing short of a masterpiece.

[Edited 10/31/17 16:47pm]

I just purchased mine

I'm glad these photo books coming out are hardcover
Katz is the next one we need

OldFriends4Sale said:

Someone mentioned on another thread about pictures of Prince and Manuela that are in the book; are there any of Prince and Mayte? If so about how many? Was thinking about dropping hints to family members about what would be a cool Christmas present, but not sure if I can hold off until then.

Asenath0607 said:

Someone mentioned on another thread about pictures of Prince and Manuela that are in the book; are there any of Prince and Mayte? If so about how many? Was thinking about dropping hints to family members about what would be a cool Christmas present, but not sure if I can hold off until then.

I don't think he became Prince's photographer until 2002. By that time, Prince had divorced M1. He married M2 in 2001.

Asenath0607 said:

rogifan said:

Asenath0607 said:

Someone mentioned on another thread about pictures of Prince and Manuela that are in the book; are there any of Prince and Mayte? If so about how many? Was thinking about dropping hints to family members about what would be a cool Christmas present, but not sure if I can hold off until then.

No photos of Mayte. I think the photos start in the 2002 time frame.

Thanks for that confirmation, rogifan.

Strawberrylova123 said:

rogifan said:

I saw it’s getting mostly 5 star reviews on Amazon. I don’t have mine yet. If you have Steve Parke’s book how would you compare/contrast the two?

I personally liked Afshins book more than Steve's because the pictures are more intimate.

I absolutely agree with your opinion Strawberrylova123. I also like Afshins' book a lot more. And I do like the book of Steve. Afshin captured Prince during intimate moments, also when he did not expect that he was photographed. It results in a much more personal set of photo's. It is more event driven instead of staged. For me it gives a more accurate image of the person and musician Prince that I remember over the last decades than the pictures in the book of Steve Parke.

[Edited 11/3/17 10:51am]

Keri Shahidi, the wife of Afshin Shahidi, made this exciting announcement on Facebook today:


TOASTING TO Afshin because he is on the NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST!!!!! Thank you to EVERYONE who has supported and purchased his beautiful book. #Prince:APrivateView 💜💜💜💜💥💥

Hardcover Nonfiction

[Edited 11/3/17 16:16pm]

FlyOnTheWall said:

rogifan said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I just purchased mine

I'm glad these photo books coming out are hardcover
Katz is the next one we need

Also Brian Ach. Though he says he has thousands of photos but they’re not his to share. What does he mean? Who owns them then? EDIT: I see in the comments Brian says Prince held all the copyrights to the photos he took on tour. Man I hope the Estate works with Brian to release them someday. https://www.dpreview.com/...-brian-ach

What is your favorite memory from working with Prince? Before the last show I photographed, I left a handwritten note for Prince on the table in his dressing room. I told him how I'd never have believed that the kid in Ohio watching Prince perform 'Purple Rain' at the 1985 American Music Awards on TV would some day be living his dream photographing Prince on tour. I thanked him for the opportunity. Prince didn't say anything to me before the show or after the show, so I was worried that he didn't get the note. But at 4am as the night was winding down, he put his arm around me and said, "Thanks for your note; that put me right to go on stage tonight. You make art. These aren't photos; it's art." That was one of the best things anyone has ever said to me. As a photographer I don't get feedback or validation very often, so to hear that from one of my heroes was huge for me. Prince never shared most of the photos I took of him during this tour. By the third show, he said that he wanted to keep the photos for himself rather than send them out on Wire Image. At the end of the tour he told me that the photos were art and needed to be shared, so he picked a few from each show to send to Wire Image. By then the tour was already over so the photos weren't seen by many people, and Prince kept the rest in his personal collection. A number of news agencies have called me asking if I have unpublished photos of Prince. I do - I have tens of thousands of them. But they aren't mine to share.

[Edited 11/1/17 16:19pm]

interesting. Yes that is another we need.
Also there are two different photographers from the 1980-1984/85 period

I need those in hard cover too

laurarichardson said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Keri Shahidi, the wife of Afshin Shahidi, made this exciting announcement on Facebook today:


TOASTING TO Afshin because he is on the NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST!!!!! Thank you to EVERYONE who has supported and purchased his beautiful book. #Prince:APrivateView 💜💜💜💜💥💥

Hardcover Nonfiction

[Edited 11/3/17 16:16pm]

This just shows the growing interest in him.wil

Not to mention the love for him. And, this is just the first week of sales!! I predict that this will be the first of many weeks on the list, certainly through the holidays. Plus, I fully expect it to work it's way up to the top of the list.

Strawberrylova123 said:

rogifan said:

I saw it’s getting mostly 5 star reviews on Amazon. I don’t have mine yet. If you have Steve Parke’s book how would you compare/contrast the two?

I personally liked Afshins book more than Steve's because the pictures are more intimate.

I just received both of mine. And I agree Afshins is so much more (behind the scenes). Even the performing shots look behind the scenes.

I'm loving the photos of Prince & Joni Mitchell.

Going through this book, again, brought a level of sadness.
Many of the party photos, so intimate, reminded me of when my cousin passed away.
She lived away for about 30yrs so of course her life was more a mystery than if she lived near.
And we she passed friends from all over flew in for the funeral. And there was a segment of the funeral where the family asked for words of remembrance from people who knew her.
Her friends talking about her really brought a level of sadness and drove home how much I was going to miss her. They talked about things, intimate regular things that happen with friends.
And seeing many of Afshins photos remind me of similar with Prince.

FlyOnTheWall said:

Keri Shahidi, the wife of Afshin Shahidi, made this exciting announcement on Facebook today:


TOASTING TO Afshin because he is on the NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST!!!!! Thank you to EVERYONE who has supported and purchased his beautiful book. #Prince:APrivateView 💜💜💜💜💥💥

Hardcover Nonfiction

[Edited 11/3/17 16:16pm]

This is Mr. Shahidi's statement on reaching the Times Best Seller List, #14 in Week 1:


"Really proud and thankful that Prince A Private View made it onto The New York Times Best Seller list our first week out. Proud to have collaborated with such an immensely talented innovator and disruptor as Prince. Thankful for the Purple Fam and all my friends and family who have supported and purchased this book!"

Asenath0607 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Afshin Shahidi

CADY LANG @CADYLANG

NOV 3, 2017 4:05 PM EDT

Why do you think that Prince trusted you so much to document his life?

I think he got to know me. He got to know my family, and I think he realized that I was passionate about what I did like he was passionate about what he did, so our collaboration benefitted both of us.

Did you ever get over being star-struck by him?

[Laughs] No. But even 15 years in, that would hit me. When other celebrities — and I’m not star-struck, I’ve been in the industry for a long time — but we would be in this situation where J. Lo or Tom Cruise would be in a room and they would be star-struck by Prince and so that would make me star-struck again.

....

How do you honor Prince and the legacy that he’s left?

Making this book was therapeutic for me. Trying to find closure; everyday, it’s just like, “Really? Prince is gone?” It makes no sense to me still. So I remember him first as a friend and someone who touched me and my family’s life very closely. I mourn him that way, but I also mourn him as a fan and a music lover and the vast amount of amazing music and the archive that he gave us. So it’s funny, some days, I mourn him as a fan, but most days, I mourn him as a friend. He gave so much of himself to the world.

I did it to honor him and a way to let his fans get a glimpse of another side of him that they may not have known. Really, it was all his fans who reached out to me saying, “we know you have these images, make a book, do something.” Like I said earlier, for months, I couldn’t look at any of the pictures I had taken, it just brought back too many memories.

What do you think Prince would think of this book?

The whole time that I was making it and I wanted to make sure that if he was with us and I was sitting with him, he would be like, yeah, this is fantastic, this is great. All of the images are images that he’d seen before that had not ended up on the cutting room floor, so I knew he was happy with all of these images or else they wouldn’t exist right now. I’d like to think that he’s happy right now.

Read More

[Edited 11/4/17 10:10am]

More accolades for Prince: A Private View, this time in Town&Country...

"This collection of photos by Afshin Shahidi, Prince’s personal cinematographer and one of the only photographers the late musical icon would work with, would be striking even if they didn’t depict never-before-seen moments of a musical legend—but they do, which makes them even more compelling. Also, the foreword to the book was written by Beyoncé, so you know it’s special." — Adam Rathe, Senior Editor

rogifan said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I just received both of mine. And I agree Afshins is so much more (behind the scenes). Even the performing shots look behind the scenes.

I'm loving the photos of Prince & Joni Mitchell.

Going through this book, again, brought a level of sadness.
Many of the party photos, so intimate, reminded me of when my cousin passed away.
She lived away for about 30yrs so of course her life was more a mystery than if she lived near.
And we she passed friends from all over flew in for the funeral. And there was a segment of the funeral where the family asked for words of remembrance from people who knew her.
Her friends talking about her really brought a level of sadness and drove home how much I was going to miss her. They talked about things, intimate regular things that happen with friends.
And seeing many of Afshins photos remind me of similar with Prince.

One thing I’m curious about...there’s not a lot of photos post 2006 in the book. Afshin said the last time he worked with Prince was 2011 and he even included one photo from the Welcome 2 tour. Was he not shooting Prince as much from 2007-2011 or could that potentially come out in another book?

I noticed that one photos from the 2009 LotusFlow3r period, that I actually thought was photographed by Mike Ruiz. Who did a smaller amount of photos

but photographer Randee St. Nicholas became the main photographer during the Planet Earth period. 2006-2009 and at the end we got the 21 Nights photo book premiered the Gansvoort Hotel NYC 10.10.2008

I appreciate it more now of course. But the photos were very posed and polished. But good. But not like Afshin Shahidi photos/book.

So these photos were by Afshin Shahidi too

OldFriends4Sale said:

rogifan said:

OldFriends4Sale said: One thing I’m curious about...there’s not a lot of photos post 2006 in the book. Afshin said the last time he worked with Prince was 2011 and he even included one photo from the Welcome 2 tour. Was he not shooting Prince as much from 2007-2011 or could that potentially come out in another book?

I noticed that one photos from the 2009 LotusFlow3r period, that I actually thought was photographed by Mike Ruiz. Who did a smaller amount of photos

but photographer Randee St. Nicholas became the main photographer during the Planet Earth period. 2006-2009 and at the end we got the 21 Nights photo book premiered the Gansvoort Hotel NYC 10.10.2008

I appreciate it more now of course. But the photos were very posed and polished. But good. But not like Afshin Shahidi photos/book.

Why the continued inclusion of other photographers on this thread about Afshin's New York Times Bestselling book? Why not start a separate thread on Prince's photographers through the years??

For some reason I think these 2 shots are more interesting that the one used for the 3121 cover

FlyOnTheWall said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I noticed that one photos from the 2009 LotusFlow3r period, that I actually thought was photographed by Mike Ruiz. Who did a smaller amount of photos

but photographer Randee St. Nicholas became the main photographer during the Planet Earth period. 2006-2009 and at the end we got the 21 Nights photo book premiered the Gansvoort Hotel NYC 10.10.2008

I appreciate it more now of course. But the photos were very posed and polished. But good. But not like Afshin Shahidi photos/book.

Why the continued inclusion of other photographers on this thread about Afshin's New York Times Bestselling book? Why not start a separate thread on Prince's photographers through the years??

Continued inclusion? There are other photos by Randee here?

Well I'm replying to rogifan's post of a book of photos from 2007-2011. The question stumped me until I remembered that we got a book of photos by who I assume was the main photographer at the time, Randee. This is not a presentation of including Randees 21 Nights photos.

There also seems to be an overlap and even certain photos I assumed were Randees or Riuz that belonged to Afshin.