Photo Book Research

For my project I have to create my own photo book including a combination of some of my best photos; fitting a particular style that I have explored within my much larger project, Surrealism. The photo book that I feel like inspires me the most is ‘Sleepless in Soho’; in terms of its layout and colour pallet. ‘Sleepless in Soho’ is Joshua k. Jacksons debut monograph: meaning a specialist work of writing or an exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject (often created by a single artist or author). The book contains photos from over a three-year period; between January 2017 and December 2019. It depicts Jackson walking through the lamp-lit and neon-filled streets of Soho, turning to the art of photography as a way of Jackson escaping his frustrations of insomnia. His work from this period demonstrates the complexity of the atmosphere within London’s best known entertainment district. “Guided on by the flickering of neon lights, I know well the hours filled with sleepers dreams, I search them peacefully as I journey through the nights”: an extract taken from Sarah Tucker’s poem included in the book.

For the cover design Jackson used a simple abstract photograph which represented the photo book as a whole. Its simplicity intrigues the viewer, however doesn’t showcase his best photos: drawing the viewer in. It shows the colour palette and the style that Jackson creates within his work in order to give the viewer a taste of his photography. The central placement of his image on a plain black background contrasts with his work; its simplicity allowing the viewer to just focus on his work and not be distracted by anything around it. I love how Jackson uses this dark negative space in order to showcase his work; it makes his photo book seem spacious and gives a sense of  solitude as each photo stands alone. This could be used as a way of depicting Jacksons feeling when taking the shots for his photo book. As he wandered the streets of Soho while he struggling with insomnia, I’m sure he would have experienced feelings of loneliness and solitude; the way in which he structures the layout of his shots demonstrates this and communicates his intentions at the time.  

I think Jackson’s photo book exhibits a range of strong photographs, standing out from all of the other photo books that I have looked at before. The style of photography and camera techniques used are incredibly suited to his subject matter; experimenting with light and focus to emphasise his use of colour and shape depicted by the street lights and neon lights in Soho, London. By using a smaller aperture Jackson is able to create a shallower depth of field, allowing himself to experiment with focus. Within some photos they’re completely blurred and just depict the warm orange and red tones of the neon lights, others depicts sections of faces and the lights on buildings across a dark empty street. Once again Jacksons style is further explored through the layout of his work; dark negative space encircling singular photographs is a continuation of his theme inspired by his struggles with insomnia between the years 2017-2019. The combination of both his layout and exploration of colour and light all contribute towards his aesthetically sophisticated body of work within his finished photo book.

Once again, considering the layout of Jacksons work, we can see that some of his photographs run across the gutter of the pages when placed on a double page spread. The rest of his photos remain divided amongst singular pages against a plain white background. Some quotes in white print sit across some of Jacksons more pattern focus photographs, that once again run across the gutter of his double page spreads. All of his photographs sit equally spaced between white pages of negative space in order to achieve his modern minimalistic style, each photograph equally placed and presented on individual pages for the viewer to experience.

I love how Jackson has utilised the negative space in order to make his work more impactful. The dark and eerie atmosphere that he creates within his work using the street lights and neon lights to insert pockets of colour and add sophisticated aesthetic character to his photographs, is what I’d love to embody within my own photo book.  I also love how he has structured his photo book using a diverse set of layouts following his thought process over the course of three years; the presentation of photos making the overall photo book more interesting. I would love to incorporate a similar structure within my own work, experimenting with layouts and the positioning of quotes, whilst incorporating an effective balance of negative space.