Queering portraiture's gaze—facsimile reproductions of all seven issues of Sepuya's sought-after self-published zine
A self-published zine, SHOOT was produced by photographer Paul Mpagi Sepuya from 2005 to 2008. Each of the zine's issues was an experiment by the artist in conceiving of an extended portrait, using contact sheets, outtakes and text. The subjects were Sepuya's friends, muses and collaborators. Like many zines made at the time, these were photocopied on the job and at various copying centers, and the magazine retains much of the artist's hand as well as the idiosyncratic hallmarks of the copy machine that have come to define queer zines since the 1970s. This book brings together, for the first time, all seven issues of the magazine, which are highly sought-after due to the scarcity of the originals today. This early publication by Sepuya showcases the photographic practice that the artist has become known for over the last two decades. Glimpses of the artist can be found throughout the portraits in SHOOT (including one issue devoted to his own self-portrait), as can the mechanics of photography, drawing a line from this early work to his renowned Dark Room series and ongoing portrait-based practice. Paul Mpagi Sepuya (born 1982) is a Los Angeles–based photographer whose projects simultaneously recall and challenge the history of the medium. Sepuya brings a perspective that emphasizes queerness in questioning the singularity of portraits and the dialogue among artist, subject(s) and collaborator.
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Collecting all seven issues of Paul Mpagi Sepuya’s highly collectible self-published zine—in circulation 2005–2008— Paul Mpagi Sepuya: SHOOT is our choice to lead off Pride Month 2026. (See more Staff Picks here.) “I met ALEX through mutual friends almost a year ago,” Sepuya writes in Volume 2, March 2005. “He is one of those people with such striking features that you never forget him, but sometimes can’t quite place where you’ve seen him before. When I met him I knew that I’d have to take his portrait.” continue to blog
FORMAT: Pbk, 6.5 x 8 in. / 140 pgs / 18 color / 67 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $24.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $33 ISBN: 9798991036771 PUBLISHER: Primary Information AVAILABLE: 4/7/2026 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA ONLY
Queering portraiture's gaze—facsimile reproductions of all seven issues of Sepuya's sought-after self-published zine
A self-published zine, SHOOT was produced by photographer Paul Mpagi Sepuya from 2005 to 2008. Each of the zine's issues was an experiment by the artist in conceiving of an extended portrait, using contact sheets, outtakes and text. The subjects were Sepuya's friends, muses and collaborators. Like many zines made at the time, these were photocopied on the job and at various copying centers, and the magazine retains much of the artist's hand as well as the idiosyncratic hallmarks of the copy machine that have come to define queer zines since the 1970s. This book brings together, for the first time, all seven issues of the magazine, which are highly sought-after due to the scarcity of the originals today.
This early publication by Sepuya showcases the photographic practice that the artist has become known for over the last two decades. Glimpses of the artist can be found throughout the portraits in SHOOT (including one issue devoted to his own self-portrait), as can the mechanics of photography, drawing a line from this early work to his renowned Dark Room series and ongoing portrait-based practice.
Paul Mpagi Sepuya (born 1982) is a Los Angeles–based photographer whose projects simultaneously recall and challenge the history of the medium. Sepuya brings a perspective that emphasizes queerness in questioning the singularity of portraits and the dialogue among artist, subject(s) and collaborator.
