Picturing Prince: An Intimate Portrait Hardcover – Illustrated, September 5, 2017

This touching love letter to Prince is as simple and as overwhelming as the multi-faceted relationship that photographer/artist Steve Parke beautifully presents to us. Prince was a force of nature, and Parke was lucky enough to share 13 extraordinary years with a man who remained somewhat of a mystery to most. Little treasured stories about working with Prince, accompanied by gorgeous photographs, are gifted to the reader, and the full force of these years of anecdotes is a very emotional ride...I smiled, cried, laughed out loud and felt an even deeper love for Prince which I didn't think was possible. The book is unique because Steve Parke is special, and the stories he tells come from a place of deep love, respect and great admiration for the icon who he could call a friend. A good photographer serves his subject well with great lighting, a comfortable atmosphere, an authentic approach...all in an effort to reveal an honest, beautiful portrait that is compelling. Parke does this over and over and over again in this book that you wish would never end. JAlythia

My favorite Prince read so far and I've read almost every book I can get my hands on. Incredibly well done. I am truly grateful to the author for writing this book. I devoured it in one sitting and have been smiling all day thinking about the incredible memories I read. Fantastic pictures too. It's seriously a must read.

"Picturing Prince" is a gorgeous photo-book that manages to perfectly capture the beauty (inside and out) of the amazing artist, Prince. The photographs are stunning (many never seen before) and show the playful, contemplative, serious, and (of course) sexy side of His Royal Badness. Just as Steve Parke's photos highlight Prince's beautiful exterior (body, clothes, set), his personal stories highlight the artist's beautiful interior (his hard work ethic, his playful personality, and his generosity). Steve's stories about Prince are not just the run-of-the-mill stories that someone has heard second-hand from someone who knew Prince! Rather, his stories are personal and told from the viewpoint of someone who wasn't only Prince's employee but also a friend! If you are a Prince fan, I'm sure you will find the stories heartwarming, funny, and a peek into Prince's personality - something his fans have been waiting for a long time to hear! If you love Prince (as I do), do yourself a favor and get this gorgeous photo-book! If the pictures don't win you over, I'm sure Steve's great stories will!

This is a great book for Prince fans. If you haven't really dug through the internet for pics of him, you will see many that you haven't before. The photographer's short stories of his interactions with Prince over 13 years are entertaining and gives little glimpses into the man behind his music. The pictures are mostly from the '90s - when Parke worked for Prince.However, THE PACKAGING! lUgh! This really disappointed me. The box arrived in perfect condition, but was significantly larger than the book, thus the book banged around in the box in transit. Its corners were worn. The binding had been compromised - so when laid down on a table, the top of the book was skewed past the bottom. There was also a shallow cut of about 4 inches down the front of the book - almost as if someone was holding a box cutter while packaging it and grazed the book. I've ordered a replacement and really hope they protect the book more effectively. It should be bubble wrapped and put in a smaller box. Hopefully, you won't have the same problem.

All I can say is that this book is pretty amazing. Many of the photos pictured here have never been seen. Steve Parkes stories that accompany the pictures are very informative where you really get an insight on how Prince was, Serious, a boss, music lover and a prankster. It was great seeing Prince outside in his home town with all the trees in their glorious Fall colors.The only thing though I wish Steve Parke would have included is a few pictures of the amazing art projects that he did for Prince such as album covers, stage art and set ups, posters and T shirts. I would have loved to have seen them. Overall a great book and nice part of my Prince collection.

I loved this book! There have been so many Prince books and I have purchased the ones I was the most interested in but have not gotten every single one. This is one I had looked over. WHAT A MISTAKE! I saw yesterday that there was a free Kindle download on the book and so I downloaded it, and then proceeded to read it all in one sitting! The pictures are wonderful but the stories are even better! I will now most certainly be purchasing the hardcover because this is certainly a book I want to own and have on my coffee table. I know I will re-read the stories many times.

I absolutely love the book! The imagery is pure Prince & the stories give a personalized insight into the genius that will forever exist as Prince. I rated it 4 stars because there was nothing protecting the outside of the book & as a collector, it was disappointing to have it scuffed upon receiving it.

I bought this book because I like Mr Parke's photography. I also enjoy hearing stories about Prince from people who worked for him and this book has an abundance of that. This book is fun and photos capture much of Prince's personality.

Steve Parke delivers much more than high-quality unseen images of one of music's greatest icons of the 20th century, he takes you behind the lens that captured him. Photographs are a mix of Prince in a variety of moods, reflecting the era Parke worked with him, but the anecdotes accompanying the photographs provide a glimpse into Prince's world off camera. His discussions with Parke, collaborations, pride at the success of his Love 4 One Another charities and even an image that inspired Prince to write an acoustic song called "Welcome 2 the Dawn", Steve Parke shares many stories that show Prince as a friend, an employer and the person he was off stage. The book is printed to a high quality with a nice purple inner cover and etched writing. Recommended for Prince fans and those with a casual interest in the man behind the symbol, in photography and Parke's work during the mid 90s to early 2000s era.

I wasn't sure about this book to begin with, when just glancing through the pictures which felt filtered or manipulated, but it only took a few pages for me to be completely hooked. Steve Parke provides such detailed and vivid memories of his time with Prince, the photos just seemed to compliment them.I loved this glimpse into life at Paisley Park and also Steve's friendship with Prince, which seemed so personal and yet he still revered him as a music idol too. He presented this juxtaposition and the surreal feeling of working for/with him really well in the moments he chose to share with us, the reader.I had higher hopes for Sheila E's foreword, hoping to catch a glimpse of her time with Prince, but it was very devoid of anything personal, just a summation of how the world felt about his passing.The only thing I would have liked was an index of the photos with dates & album/location reference. The index in this book seemed very odd to me and not at all fitting with the rest of it.Having also read 'Prince: A Private View' by Afshin Shahidi just before this one, I see how they complement each other, with Steve's time being before Afshin's.

If you are an admirer of Prince then let me introduce you to his professional photographer and friend Steve Parke, a nicer guy you will not meet!Steve's book shares Prince with his admirers like never before with gorgeous photos (the arboretum ones are faves of mine) and sweet insightful stories of Steve's time spent with Prince. Many books have come out in the wake of Prince's death and I have purchased every one. This one ranks right up there in my top faves! Prince's death was sudden and hit me hard so looking at this book can easily bring a tear to my eye as there are so many photos of Prince staring intently into the lens but then Steve's stories can get a laugh out of you and make you see another side to Prince. This book is a must have for the library of any Prince fam or anyone else who is interested in the music icon. You will not regret buying it and those people that come into your home and see it on your coffee table will know what a cool funky person you are!

Steve Parke worked as art director for Prince at Paisley Park for fourteen years, from 1988. His remit included a whole spectrum jobs from designing album covers and products to ingenious sets for Prince's tours and videos.What is included in this pictorial based homage to Prince, are “never-seen-before and rare photographs of Prince”. Each segment has a narrative and pictorials that reveal interesting aspects of a very talented musician and an all-around entertainer. Whether you are a fan or just have a passing interest in Prince, this title makes not only interesting reading but in my case this book offers up a series of visual delights.Since the “Lovesexy Tour” in the late 1980s, I was blown away by the talent and the pure magic that Prince portrayed on stage. Prince used a number of extravagant props on the moving, multi-tiered stage such as a fountain, trellis fences and a full-scale replica of his Ford Thunderbird car. This was a successful series of concerts, which were mostly sold-out. However, it lost money due to the exorbitant assembly and creation costs – and only made money near the end of its run.As a photographer, Steve Parke has had clients that have included Prince, David Bowie, Bon Jovi, Bob Dylan, and the list goes on.To sum up, a great book that I have no hesitation in recommendingA full five stars.

This is a fabulous book ... an absolute must for any Prince fan. The pictures are stunning and are supported by lovely little antidotes and tales from Steve Parke which give us an insight of the man himself. Personally I think this has been published just at the right time, with the 1st anniversary of Prince's death approaching, this book is a joy to behold.