Mike Mandel - Myself: Timed exposures - 1976

Limited to 1000 copies. Second edition.

Myself: Timed Exposures is the seminal debut photobook by American conceptual artist and photographer Mike Mandel, originally self-published in 1971 while he was an undergraduate student.

The book is celebrated as a playful, pioneering precursor to modern concepts like "photobombing" and the "selfie," blending street photography with conceptual art performance. A newly revised, expanded edition titled Mike Mandel: Myself is published by Eighteen Publications.

Mandel created the project in Southern California by wandering through public spaces with a 35mm camera and a tripod. His process relied entirely on social interaction and a strict element of chance:The Interventions: Mandel would find a lively public setting—such as a sidewalk, city bench, or grocery store—and set up his camera.

He would trigger the camera's mechanical self-timer and quickly run into the frame to insert himself next to completely unsuspecting strangers. The 10-second delay allowed the environment to naturally shift, leaving the final composition up to fate. Mandel used this tactic to jar people out of their daily routines and break the invisible bubble of public isolation. Out of the 39 photographs in the original book, Mandel appears completely alone in only two. In the rest, he pops up alongside strangers like a friendly, unexpected visitor. With his 1970s long dark hair and thick-framed glasses, he cuts a distinct, cartoonish, and peaceable figure next to everyday people.

The casual black-and-white snapshots capture him peeking over a group of kids, standing next to a man opening a car door, or squeezing in next to housewives. Mandel’s approach was heavily inspired by the humorous and spontaneous snapshots of Jacques Henri Lartigue, the street-level self-portraits of Lee Friedlander, and Marcel Duchamp’s fascination with conceptual frames and chance.