We launch a really fabulous Tour de France exhibition at the end of June, featuring an amazing body of work created by renowned artist James Straffon. In addition to the one off original pieces in the show, James has also created a series of nine limited edition 'King of the Mountains' prints, in a beautiful small size, at a very affordable price, all in a reassuringly low worldwide limited edition.

The series of nine limited edition prints is based on historic photographs of key mountain stages in the history of the tour, subtly referenced by James with patterns of red dots, which echo the famous polka dot jersey worn by the rider who collects the most king of the mountains points during the Tour. British cycling legend Tom Simpson features in one of the prints (shown alongside) and the other eight prints in the series are shown below.

Specifications and content

Each print has an image size measuring 15 cm x 15 cm and is signed and numbered on the front in the white border under the image area by James Straffon. The overall paper size is 20 x 22.5cm. Each print is offered in a limited edition of just nine worldwide and can be supplied unframed or framed.  Subjects featured in this series include Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Lance Armstrong, Marco Pantani, Tom Simpson, Jacques Anquetil, Charly Gaul, Louison Bobet, not to mention the famous mountains themselves. 

You can get a good appreciation of the span of time covered by these images when you look closely at the changing types of support vehicles that accompany the riders in may of the photographs.

These prints are available to order now.  They work well on their own, and in combinations, or as a set of nine. They can be purchased individually, or as set of nine. We will endeavour to supply matching edition numbers to purchasers of a complete set.

You can view them individually, in greater detail, with full details of price and size info here

Historical Background

The first 'King of the Mountains' was René Pottier, in 1905. At that time this title was  bestowed on the best climber. This continued until 1933, with the first recipient of the Grand Prix de la Montagne being Spaniard Vicente Trueba.

The highly recognisable polka dot jersey first appeared in 1975 - the design courtesy of long-term Tour sponsor Chocolat Poulain (one of the oldest chocolate brands in France) with input from then Tour organiser Félix Lévitan.

The first official mountain stage appeared in 1910, with the introduction of the Pyrénées, and Le Col du Tourmalet. Having conducted a recce for the proposed climb, Alphonse Steines, sports journalist and assistant to Tour organiser Henri Desgrange, cabled back "Tourmalet crossed. Stop. Very good road. Stop. Perfectly acceptable. Stop. Steinès." The first rider over the summit was Octave Lapize, who famously cried at the race organisers "Vous êtes des assassins! Oui, des assassins."

The Alps arrived in 1911, with the Col de Galibier, about which Desgrange wrote "Oh Col Bayard, Oh Col Tourmalet… beside the Galibier you are nothing…"

This is very exciting!

Here's a very first peek at the front cover of Ormond Yard Press' second book, I Saw Nick Drake: Photographs by Keith Morris. This ultra large format 96 page hardcover book is being produced in a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies worldwide.

The 'Running Man' photograph that wraps around the cover is the definitive Keith Morris Nick Drake portrait and appeared on the back cover of Nick Drake's first LP, Five Leaves Left. This is such an important photograph that it was a complete shoe-in as the cover image for this amazing book. Talking of shoes, look carefully at the bottom left hand corner near to the spine, one brick up, and you will see the foot of the aforementioned running man, a blurred rush extending around the corner and filling the back of the book - at the bottom of this news item you can see the front and the back.

The proportions of the book have been specifically designed to show the photograph full frame, without cropping. One of Keith Morris' biggest bugbears was that he hated his photographs to be cropped, and this image was, to his horror, cropped on the back cover of Five Leaves Left. We are showing it in all its glory, 24 x 36 inches.

Other little details you can see in this photograph are the three bookmark ribbons, each one chosen to represent the single colour most associated with each one of Nick Drake's three albums.

A separate slipcase houses the book. This has a completely different design to the front and back cover of the book. We will be revealing that separately in due course. So it's a different look to our first book, Born To Run Revisited: Photographs by Eric Meola, where the slipcase and the book carried the same cover design. When you see how we've done the slipcase for I Saw Nick Drake, you will understand completely.

If you are interested in receiving details when the pre-order process kick off at the end of May, and haven't done so already just send us an email to info@snapgalleries.com with your details.

To find out more, and to follow news on the book before it hits the website, please be sure to check out our blog (which in turn links through to our twitter account.) There's a new blog post that takes you behind the scenes on the cover design process here.

With our own publishing arm, Ormond Yard Press, up and running, we are always very supportive of other publishers producing big books, because we know how much effort goes into producing books on an epic physical scale.

When one of our clients (thanks Howard!) told us about The FoxladyProject, we had to get in touch with the publishers. It is, quite simply, an incredible book of lifesize guitars, produced in a limited edition of 2,500 copies. We thought Ormond Yard Press books were big, with a 24 x 36 inch spread, but The FoxyLadyProject comes in at a whopping 43 inches high x 37 inches wide when opened up.If you love guitars, you will be like a kid in a sweetshop.

All the full scale photographs in the book are by FoxyLadyProject's creator, Maxime Ruiz, and each image is accompanied by commentary by music historian Christian Seguret. The detail in the images is, as you might expect, incredible. 

We have a display copy on show at the gallery that you are welcome to browse, and we have copies of the book in inventory ready for you to take away. They come in a beautiful bespoke box with a built in carrying handle, along with the declaration, in big letters on the box " Yes, this is a book".

If you would like to purchase one please get in touch with us at the gallery or you can order online. This would make a stunning gift for a guitar fan.

Limited edition 8x10 inch silver gelatin photographs

Photographs can be supplied unframed or framed

A single unframed 8x10 inch photograph, in an edition of just 9 worldwide, signed and numbered by Gered Mankowitz on the front under the image area, costs £695.

Usually we would add VAT to the price of Gered's photographs for purchasers in the UK or any other EU member state, but for this exhibition we will be absorbing the cost of any VAT. This means that the price for a single unframed photograph is £695, wherever you are in the world.

Additionally, discounts apply where you purchase two or more different photographs, as follows.

Quantity discounts for unframed photographs

Any two different unframed photographs.............................. £650 each
Any three different unframed photographs........................... £625 each
Any four different unframed photographs..............................£600 each
Any six different unframed photographs................................£550 each
Any eight or more different unframed photographs...............£500 each

Frames

Cost for a single frame.........£55 each.

Quantity discounts do not apply to frames.

We are using a very slim profile black metal frame for the photographs in this exhibition. For aesthetic reasons we recommend mounts are cut to cover the signature and number rather than show them. We always photograph the signature/number before framing in this way, so that you have a record of the position and size of the signature/number, and we attach this photograph to the back of the frame. You read more detail about the frames here

Shipping

Unframed photographs:  no shipping charges anywhere in the world
Framed photographs: shipping charge apply - UK £25 / Europe & USA £50 / Rest of world £65.
Prices for shipping framed photographs are quoted for single items. Quantity discounts will apply on shipping. We can give you a price based on your quantity/location

You can view thumbnails of the complete collection here

Image sizes and paper sizes

Each archival photograph on show in the exhibition is made on 8 x 10 inch (20 x 25 cm) paper.

Image sizes are as follows:
Square images from medium format film: 7.5 x 7.5 inches / 19 x 19 cm
Landscape orientation images from 35mm film: 6.3 x 9.5 inches / 16 x 24 cm
Portrait orientation images from 35mm film:  6 x 9  inches / 15 x 22.5 cm

Edition sizes are very low for these 8 x 10 inch photographs

Each photograph is made in a limited edition of just nine worldwide in this 8 x 10 inch paper size. Gered traditionally offers his work on 16x20 inch paper and larger sizes, and these large sizes continue to be available, but no other small sizes are being offered once the 8x10 editions are sold out.

You can view thumbnails of the complete collection here

The frame

We are using a very slim profile black metal frame for the photographs in this exhibition. In the photograph below you can see the framed exhibition print of Joan Armatrading, taken from the side so that you get an idea of both the side view and the front view of the frame. As you can see, the frame is substantially deeper ( 35mm / 1.4 inches) than it is wide (5mm / 0.2 inches). This is a deliberate choice. The depth adds real presence while the thin front profile is important for two reasons - firstly it ensures that the focus is on the image not the frame, and secondly it allows you to hang a number of photographs close together without the frames dominating

This photograph, like the majority of work in Gered Mankowitz' retrospective exhibition, was taken on medium format film, which produces a square image.  When framed, it has an overall framed size of 12.5 x 12.75 inches /32 x 32.5 cm.  

A few of the pieces in the exhibition are from 35mm film, which produces images with a 1: 1.5 ratio of height to width. The framed dimensions for the 35mm photographs in the exhibition are: Landscape orientation: framed size 11.5 x 14.5 inches / 29.5 x 37 cm
Portrait orientation: framed size 11 x 14 inches / 27.5 x 35.5 cm

The mount

The mount we use is thicker than we have used historically, but is important as it helps to draw the viewer in to the photograph. Each photograph is signed and numbered on the front under the image by Gered Mankowitz. For aesthetic reasons we recommend mounts are cut to cover the signature and number rather than show them - because with this small size photograph, it is important that nothing detracts from the power of and exquisite detail in, the image.

We always photograph the signature/number before framing in this way, so that you will always have a record of the position and size of the signature/number. We attach this photograph to the back of the frame. 

You can view thumbnails of the complete collection here

This is a whopper, and the launch show in our new gallery space that we move into at the end of April. More than 100 photographs from Gered's entire career, spanning four decades of music photography. Gered has an archive of unmatched breadth and depth and we needed to make this a 100 piece show to do justice to his incredible archive.

This is Gered’s first ever career retrospective and features many well known faces and previously unpublished gems.

Everything in the exhibition has been produced in an exquisite small size, which draws you in to the incredible detail in each piece. Each 8 x 10 inch silver gelatin photograph has been made in the darkroom from the original negative. Edition sizes are very, very low - just nine examples of each photograph are being released in this 8 x 10 inch paper size.  Once they are gone, that’s it. For that reason if you do fall in love with a piece, it pays to act quickly. You can read more about the exhibition prints here

We have come up with a beautiful slimline frame that works brilliantly with the photographs - an example is shown alongside, featuring Gered's classic Yardbirds image, 'Bowler Hat'. You can read more about the frames here

A single unframed 8x10 inch photograph, in an edition of just 9 worldwide, signed and numbered by Gered Mankowitz on the front under the image area, costs £695. We encourage you to mix and match a selection of images on your walls, and there are quantity discounts available if you do this. You can read all about pricing and quantity discounts here

You can view all the exhibition images here

We are now open in our lovely new space at number 12 Piccadilly Arcade, two doors down from our old gallery. It looks fabulous. We have the same amount of hanging space as before, but spread over two floors rather than three. People keep coming in and asking where we put the stairs. We didn't put them anywhere - its a different location!

We were honoured to have a visit from Jimmy Page on our very first day - for the launch of Gered Mankowitz' restrospective exhibition.

Come and see us soon at number 12 Piccadilly Arcade. And no questions about where we put the stairs.

You know that at £395 for a limited edition book, Born To Run Revisited is not cheap.

We know that it is huge and epic and beautiful and important, and definitely worth it, but we are the publishers, so we are biased!

What do other people think?

Well, here's the verdict from the Financial Times in The FT Weekend Magazine on 31 March 2012.

"Is It Worth It?  Yes. It's the boss "

If you would like one, you can order online, or get in touch with us at the gallery

We have received many requests for Eric Meola to release limited editions of some of the previously unpublished photographs that appeared in his new book, Born To Run Revisited.

We are delighted to be able to offer collectors the chance, from today, to order two of the most commented upon spreads in the book, as limited edition photographs to frame and hang on your wall.

The photographs

There are two choices, and both feature Bruce with Clarence.

The first piece, titled Big Man Joined the Band is shown alongside, reproduced in a frame effect (to give you an idea of how it might look once it is framed up on your wall). This is a tight close up, taken over Clarence’s right shoulder.

You will find price and size info here

The second piece, shown below, is titled Walk Like the Heroes and features Bruce and Clarence twice, as this ‘duo’ combines two frames on a single sheet. This has been a very popular spread in the book, and the left hand image was used as the book's title page.

Price and size info for the limited edition photograph is here

Other details

Eric’s photographs are extremely collectible, and edition sizes are very small.  Just 30 of each photograph are being released worldwide, in a choice of two size options

15 will have an image size measuring 12 x 18 inches on 18 x 24 inch paper.
15 will be much larger - with a 20 x 30 inch image on 24 x 36 inch paper.

Each photograph is signed, numbered and dated by Eric Meola in the white border under the image area and each one is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Eric.

They are sold in sequential number order, starting with the number 1 photograph in the edition of 15.

Click on any of the images to go straight to price and size info.

The book: Born To Run Revisited. To find our more about this stunning ultra size limited edition book, the first in a series by our new publishing arm, Ormond Yard Press, go here

British photographer Martyn Goddard has been reunited with a long lost Debbie Harry / Blondie image. Used on the picture disc version of Blondie's seminal LP Parallel Lines, the image features Debbie licking the edge of a 12 inch vinyl LP, with a lipstick 'kiss' on the label - as shown below.

The sharp eyed will notice that the image was reversed when it appeared on the disk - the correct orientation of the original photograph is to have Debbie on the right.

This photograph is now available to purchase as a limited edition photograph in a range of sizes.

I'm a late comer to the genius of Nick Drake, but I'm making up for lost time. I guess when the body of work released during your lifetime consists of three peerless, 10/10 albums and just 31 songs, catching up is relatively straightforward, but Drake was a major, major talent who departed too soon, and deserves to be much more widely known. Not heard of him? Then try out his three albums, Five Leaves Left, Bryter Later and Pink Moon, and you will thank me, I promise. Drake's record sales during his lifetime have been eclipsed by posthumous sales, particularly in the USA as a result of Volkswagen using his song Pink Moon in the promo advert for their VW Cabrio in September 2000. He has a stellar range of celebrity fans including Paul Weller, REM's Peter Buck, Elton John, not to mention Brad Pitt, who fronted a BBC radio documentary on Drake in early 2005. 

I Saw Nick Drake: photographs by Keith Morris is the second ultra large format limited edition book by our publishing arm Ormond Yard Press. We have been working with the estate of Keith Morris to create what will be the definitive book of photographs from the late photographer's outstanding Nick Drake archives. Nick Drake was an enigma. He has never been the focus of a specific photographic study before now. Couple that with the the fact that Keith Morris, a superb photographer, has the definitive Nick Drake photographic archive, and you have a pretty heady cocktail.

I Saw Nick Drake is going to be a different kind of project to our first book, Born To Run Revisited by Eric Meola. It will be on the same epic physical scale as Born To Run Revisited - with a mammoth 24 x 36 inch spread size when the book is open. However, because we need to include, at the last count, 200+ photographs within the confines of a 96 page book, the logistics prevent us from including everything over double page spreads (an important feature in Born To Run Revisited.) So parts of the book will be more traditional, if anything can be called traditional within the confines of that huge page size. It is an incredibly exciting project to be working on, and I feel a real privilege as I review hundreds of previously unpublished photographs.

We have a book launch event scheduled at the gallery in London - dates to be advised. Will superstar Nick Drake fan Brad Pitt be at the opening party? Who can say..... but plenty of news on this indispensable book will follow in the coming weeks.

This is a 'heads up' to save your pennies in a big jar, and to let you know that this book is coming. 

If you would like us to contact you as soon as we start to take pre-orders, we can do that - click anywhere on this sentence.

 You can read some more news about I Saw Nick Drake here

From now, through until 4 April we have turned over the ground floor of the gallery to the wonderful work of Kevin Westenberg.

We rate Kevin's work extremely highly on the collectibility scale. People always ask me "Which contemporary photographers will stand the test of time?"  Well here's the answer - Kevin Westenberg. His photographs are exquisitely composed, beautifully lit, technically accomplished and somehow, he just seems to have an innate ability to capture a band at their peak. He is genuinely classy operator. But don't just take our word for it. The Japanese are supreme arbiters of taste and style and a major museum in Kobe, Japan are hosting a 70 piece show for Kevin later this year.

We have 11 examples of Kevin's work framed and on the walls on the ground floor of the gallery. The work covers both ends of the rock spectrum: mainstream and indie. Artists featured include Coldplay, Radiohead, REM, Keith Richards, U2, White Stripes, Pixies, Jeff Buckley and Oasis. Three of those photographs are presented ultra large with a 40 inch / 100cm image size.

Physical scale does something really dramatic to Kevin's work. On the gallery wall right now I'm looking at a 40 inch wide version of the Radiohead photograph shown alongside. I don't recall ever seeing an image of Radiohead with the impact of this piece. Taken in Oxford in 2001 for Mojo magazine, Kevin is rightly proud of this important photograph. It was the first time he had worked with the band and, as a huge fan of their work, he was understandably excited and very nervous. Kevin had been experimenting with the idea of lighting specific parts of his subjects faces (his Pixies photograph, also on show at the gallery, is an earlier incarnation of this approach). Kevin remembers some kind of "weird magic" in the studio that day, with the band completely in tune with what he was trying to do. The band were thrilled with the photograph.

A note for edition junkies: All the pieces on display are number 1 in their editions. I mention that because I know that some people like the idea of having a number 1 in the edition. Kevin's edition sizes are small (either 10 or 25 depending on physical size). 

Please come and see for yourself. It's a small but perfectly formed showcase of what a major league talent behind the lens can achieve in his craft.

You can check out the images on the wall online here and view a wider selection of Kevin's work here

If you don't like it I'll eat my lunch.

28 June 2012 Tour de France and Olympics: James Straffon

With London hosting the Olympics, it would be remiss of me not to host something Olympian this Summer. Couple that with the fact that my favourite sporting event of the year, the Tour de France, occupies the three week slot just before the Olympics starts, and I realise that it is the perfect time for me to extend the gallery's offering into other areas of popular culture beyond music. And so, we are delighted to be working with artist James Straffon who is creating a back to back TdF and Olympic extravaganza. James shares my love of cycling and its history and traditions, and is pulling out a blinder with these two back to back exhibitions. 

The TdF exhibition will feature James' unique artworks on the wall, created from historic early cycling magazines and other items of cycling memorabilia from the history of the sport. Here's a sneak preview of one installation piece - still in progress. This is one of Bradley Wiggins' actual shoes, decorated with vintage magazine clippings (the sharp eyed will spot 1960s British legend Tom Simpson). The finished artwork will consist of the MOD-ified Wiggins shoe, in a special cycling related mounting ( I don't want to give the game away yet ) presented framed on the wall.

James has a fascinating blog where he discusses the work he has in progress for the show - check it out here

If you have a cycling buddy, please tell them about this show. We have a launch event on Thursday evening, 28 June 2012. Let us know if you would like an invite. That Thursday evening will be the first opportunity to buy one of James' new artworks.

Martyn Goddard photographed AC/DC in 1976 during their first UK tour, when they played five gigs at the Marquee Club. He recently unearthed some early AC/DC gems from his archives for a feature for Classic Rock magazine. Classic Rock loved them so much that they are using this one (alongside) for the cover of their current issue.

Limited editions are available to purchase in a range of sizes here

It's doubly rare when the photograph is a live one, but that is exactly what happened last week when we had a visit from photographer Harry Scott.

Harry had been commissioned to photograph Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band's performance at the 2009 Hard Rock Calling concert. Unfortunately, his station at the mixing desk didn't put him anywhere as near to the action as he had hoped.

Recently he revisited the photographs he took that day, and realised that with a significant investment of his time and his editing skills, he could create an amazing panorama of the stage showing the entire band - as a huge horizontal panoramic. Harry has combined five individual photographs to create the overall effect, which I have to say is stunning. Harry challenged me to find the joins, and I couldn't. The detail is incredible, and I know you will get a lot of pleasure out of this photograph. An extract is above, the full panorama is below, and there is a larger version of the image for you to take a look at right here

I am currently eyeballing a version at the gallery which is 12 inches high and five feet wide, and it looks stunning. That's the basic size, but it also comes bigger. It is available to purchase in two size options - 1ft x 5 ft (30 cm x 150 cm), which would work brilliantly in a home environment, eg above a sofa or side table, or a whopping 2ft x 10ft version ( 60cm x 300cm), which would be amazing framed up in a boardroom setting or on a big wall at home. The smaller size is GBP 650, while the larger one is GBP 1,500.

If you would like one, you can order one here or by getting in touch with us at the gallery.

When we launched our new publishing arm, Ormond Yard Press, we were taking a step into the unknown. Would you go for the idea of ultra large format limited edition photography books on niche subjects within the rock & roll genre, presenting images in their entirety across double page spreads?

Well, the eagle has landed, books are hitting doormats around the globe, and the answer so far is a resounding "Yes". The feedback from the first clutch of customers to receive their Born To Run Revisiteds has blown us away. In particular we loved this photograph that Jim from Marietta, Georgia sent us of him with his book. That is the smile of a satisfied man. As he put in his note, "received the package yesterday and I am loving it!" One really important thing that this photograph of Jim hammers home is the sheer physical scale of these books. They really are like nothing you will have seen before.

We're posting reviews on our blog as they come in - http://ormondyardpress.tumblr.com/

Here are some of our other favourite comments so far:

Received!
I received this morning a big black and white baby,
extraordinary,
he is really magnificent,
so happy ;-)   Nathalie M, France

The book arrived safe and sound on Friday and I had it wrapped and under the tree before my wife got home.  She opened it today and was absolutely "blown away."  I didn't look at it beforehand so my first viewing was when she opened it.  All I can say is that it is a wonderful piece of work.  You, Mr. Meola, and everyone involved should be proud of what you have created.  This is something we will always treasure.  We are huge Bruce Springsteen fans so this means a lot to us.I thank you for making this happen and for adding so much to our holidays this year. All our best to you,  William G, Virginia USA

Your "Born To Run Rev" book is awesome!   Guido H, Italy

Took delivery of the above last week, and I have to say I'm thrilled with the content, format, and quality! A superb initial publication from Ormond Yard Press. I await with interest your next edition, trusting that now you have set the benchmark it will be in the same ' class leading ' bracket ?  Ray C, Warks, England  [ Ray - it will ! ]

The books arrived just in time. They are beautiful!  Well done!  The gift was a big hit and I, of course, love mine.  Thanks for all your help and happy new year. Craig B, California, USA

The book and case arrived safely on Friday. Thank you.It is stunning ! and my husband is over the moon with it. It looks wonderful in the wall mounted slipcase. Many thanks for your help. Karen J Shrewsbury UK

Please bear in mid that the clock on the edition is ticking. Books are selling fast, so the practical timing issue is simply when we run out and sell all 500 copies in the edition. So our advice is, if you want one, best to get it now and avoid disappointment.

You can order online here, or call us at the gallery

Special acrylic slide in slide out wall display case

Make no mistake, Born to Run Revisited is a big book, and we wanted to give you some different display options. Of course you can put it on your coffee table or (big) bookshelf, but we felt it deserved something a bit special. At the design stage of the book/slipcase we took a conscious decision to keep the cover free of text, so that nothing detracts from the power of the chosen front and back cover images. That notion gave rise to the idea of this display unit - because it means you can, should you choose to, display your book just like a piece of art on the wall - which is what it is, after all.

Constructed from 5mm clear acrylic, this is a solid, elegant and practical way to display your book on your wall in its slipcase. It measures 18.5 inches (w) x 25 inches (h)  x 1.5 inches (d). That's approximately 47cm x 64cm x 4cm.

It is open sided on the left and right, allowing you to slide your book (and please read 'book' as 'book and slipcase' here) in and out whenever you want to look at the contents. You also have the flexibility to show the front or the back of the book and flip it over if you feel like a change of view.

It has curved edges, and a split baton hanging system on the reverse. Special acrylic 'feet' at the bottom ensure that it hangs parallel to the wall.

It is a nice, simple, solid piece of work. The cost is GBP 350 + shipping.

If you would like a display case, you can order one online here or get in touch with us at the gallery.

The first example (our gallery display copy) has just arrived from the manufacturers. We haven’t had time to get it on the wall yet, but these photographs should show you just what you need to know.

Constructed from 5mm clear acrylic, this is a solid, simple and practical way to display your book on your wall in its slipcase. It measures 18.5 inches (w) x 25 inches (h)  x 1.5 inches (d). That’s approximately 47cm x 64cm x 4cm.

At the design stage of the book/slipcase, we took a conscious decision to keep the cover free of text, so that nothing detracts from the power of the chosen front and back cover images. That notion gave rise to the idea of this display unit - because it means you can, should you choose to, display your book just like a piece of art on the wall - which is what it is, after all.

It is open sided on the left and right, allowing you to slide your book (and please read ‘book’ as ‘book and slipcase’ here) in and out whenever you want to look at the contents. You also have the flexibility to show the front or the back of the book and flip it over if you feel like a change of view.

It has curved edges, and a split baton hanging system on the reverse. Special acrylic ‘feet’ at the bottom ensure that it hangs parallel to the wall.

It is a nice, simple, solid piece of work. All future books that are published under the Ormond Yard Press banner will have the same physical dimensions, which means you can also use it to display future books we publish as well.

Turnaround time is 4-5 weeks, excluding public holidays. First orders will ship in January 2012. 

If you would like one you can place an order online here or alternatively get in touch with us through the gallery

We've added some new images from the archives of the late great Keith Morris to the gallery, and these are now online.

The selection includes important photographs of Nick Drake from the Five Leaves Left session, and of Marc Bolan from 1971 and 1972, including this beautiful Maida Vale studio portrait shown alongside. This studio shoot with Marc Bolan is one of Keith Morris’ most famous sessions. This photograph would look incredible in the 30 x 40 inch size, reverse mounted in perspex - a frameless frame where the pure image appears to float off the wall. We've mocked up the effect in the picture alongside. As you can see, you get a slab of 30x40 inch art for you wall. Amazing!

You can read about Keith Morris and view other images including Elvis Costello and Motorhead here.

Wow.

Pre-orders are now well into three figures for Eric Meola's beautiful new limited edition large format book, Born To Run Revisited so a huge thank you to everyone who has placed an order. It's great to know this is hitting the mark with so many people. It's a special book and we're really proud of it.

Four bits of news on this

1.We've started a blog to share some stories behind the making of this wonderful book.

2. Shipping is still on track for the second half of December - best estimates at this point are that we will start shipping on 19 December 2011 and get them to you in time for Christmas

3. Hot off the press we have details on the bespoke hanging system we have commissioned to display the book on the wall - that is covered in detail here

4. We have a preview brochure for the book, which folds out to reveal an actual size spread, 24x36 inches, and gets across nicely the epic scale involved. If you would like one in the post, just ask (and tell us your postal address). No need to widen your letter box - it starts out small and opens out big once you get it in the house.

For detailed information about the book, and to place an order, just click here or get in touch with us at the gallery.

When we first offered this magnificent photograph, 'Darkness', by Eric Meola, in 2006, it captivated a lot of people - and for good reason. The composition is outstanding - and just look at that drama in the Nevada sky. The fact that it was Bruce Springsteen driving the Galaxie 500 towards the camera was an added bonus. Of course the question everyone who came to the exhibition wanted to know was: "How do we know it was really Bruce ?"  Well the answer to that question came in 2010 when a photograph from that same session, showing Bruce sitting on the hood of the car, was used on the cover of The Promise LP. 

Back in 2006, just five signed, numbered examples of Darkness were offered to collectors, all in a very large format, with a 30x30 inch image size. They all sold out very quickly. Well, one is now coming back on the market for the first time, as a client has decided it is time to free up some wallspace.

You can read some more about Darkness here. If you are interested in making an offer for this beautiful piece, please get in touch with us.  

Equally as exciting - we have an example of Eric Meola's Born To Run album cover photograph, from a limited edition of 25 with a 12x18 inch image size. This size sold out on the primary market, and examples only come back on the market when one of the existing owners decides to sell. Now is such a time. If you are interested in this important photograph, get in touch.

We hosted an exhibition of classic photographs from Peter Webb's 1971 Rolling Stones sessions at the gallery this Summer. One of Peter's most famous images is "Falling Stones", a colour photograph of the band members all leaning to their left / our right as you view it . You'll know it: it is one of the most famous images in the rock 'n' roll photography genre.

The 'most asked question' during our Peter Webb exhibition was "What happened next - did the Stones fall on the floor in a huge heap?". Well the answer is a categoric "No" (actually you can tell that from the Falling Stones image - there are plenty of legs about to cross to start breaking the fall.)

Just as interesting for me is what happened before. Here's a glimpse. A previously unreleased black and white photograph of the Stones, lined up in military fashion, Keith being typically rebellious. Peter calls this one "Stone Wall" and it is now being offered for the first time, in limited editions in a range of sizes.

If you would like to join our 'Own a Stone' club, full price/size information is here

We are delighted to announce a new path in the gallery’s development, as we launch our brand new publishing division, Ormond Yard Press.

Now you can’t have a publishing division without a publication, and so we are also releasing full details of our first book: Born To Run Revisited with photographs by Eric Meola.

We hosted the world’s first gallery exhibition of Eric’s Bruce Springsteen photographs in 2006, and five years on, we are hugely proud that he has agreed to be the subject of the first title we publish under our Ormond Yard Press banner. It’s a hugely important subject in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, and deserves the epic treatment we are giving it.

Editions are strictly limited, to just 500 signed, numbered copies worldwide. The plan is for the book to be in your hands by Christmas, so it's a great present, and at a very keen price of £395 ( approx USD 630 / Euro 460 ) plus shipping.

Everything you need to know is set out in detail in a new section of the website devoted to Ormond Yard Press.  

Please do take a few minutes out of your day to check this out. As you will see, this is a book on an epic scale - like nothing you will have seen before. It is, quite simply, extraordinary. See for yourself here.

If you would like to place an order, you can do so online, or alternatively just get in touch with us at the gallery.

We are huge fans of the work of legendary photographer Jim Marshall, who regular readers will know passed away last year.

From time to time, Jim’s estate release signed images from their inventory, and we have just added some late sixties west coast groups to our Jim Marshall offering.

Subjects include Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield and Moby Grape. These are signed silver gelatin photographs held in his San Francisco archives at the time of his passing, and come with a certificate of authenticity signed by the estate.

Quantities of Jim's signed work held by his estate are finite so if this is your thing, don't wait around too long.

You can view the current offering here

Fresh from Lawrence Watson's cover session in Los Angeles for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds debut LP comes this beautiful portrait of Noel with a space age gas station canopy - shaped just like a high flying bird - in the background.

It is available as a limited edition in two sizes, signed and numbered by Lawrence Watson, with prices from £595. Check out the options here

 In the clip below, you can hear Noel talk about the album cover.

Barrie Wentzell was born in England but now lives in Canada - but we won't hold that against him, as his archive of treats from the sixties and seventies is magnificent.

The special thing about Barrie's limited edition handmade silver gelatin photographs is that not only did he take the photographs in the first place (of course) but he also makes the prints in the darkroom himself - so when you buy one of Barrie's silver gelatins, you know that he has made the whole meal, from soup to nuts.

What is particularly exciting for us as we are presenting a number of Barrie's classic images exclusively to the collectors market for the first time. Worthy of note in particular are:

• Pete Townshend, a colour photograph from 1968 taken at IBC studios where Pete was recording Tommy. He still has a very mod look (check out the desert boots and badge) and he's playing a 12 string guitar.
• The Kinks, taken in 1968 on Hampstead Heath. We have always struggled to source good 1960s Kinks material so it is gratifying to be able to plug that particular hole.
• Jimi Hendrix - a staggeringly beautiful solo portrait of Jimi in profile on stage at Woburn in 1968
• Jimmy Page, photographed in an 'Olde Worlde Tea Shoppe' in 1970 and never made available until now

Check out the initial selection of Barrie's images online here. You'll find some classics - Beatles, Dylan, Diana Ross, Led Zep, more Hendrix and Who, Syd Barrett and more.

I am delighted that we are now working with Simon Fowler, who produced some beautiful music portraiture in the 1980s.

I have to admit that the 80s aren't a decade that we have featured heavily in the past at the gallery. I really need to put that right because, as the initial selection of work we are offering by Simon shows, there are some mighty rich pickings to be had.

The first thing to note is that as Simon's work is new to the collectors market, prices are very affordable ( starting at £195 for a signed limited edition ) and so they are perfect for Xmas presents.

Stand outs for me in this selection include

• Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame, photographed with his guitar against a white studio background 
• a portrait of Voice of The Beehive's lead singing siblings Tracey and Melissa. (This one is particularly special and made me dig out my copy of their debut LP Let it Bee, which is a complete classic and you should find it forthwith if you've never heard it)
• Simply Red's Mick Hucknall - from the cover session for their Picture Book LP 
• The beautiful miss Betty Boo in a tight pvc catsuit
• Transvision Vamp's beautiful miss Wendy James - OK, bit of a beauty theme going on, let's pull it back to:
• a New Romantic cornucopia featuring Boy George, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Human League, Talk Talk, and Howard Jones
• one for the ladies, Mr Paul Young from the cover of his second album The Secret of Association

You can view all these images (and more) and read about Simon here

Smile or frown? That's an anagram of Simon Fowler. For me it's definitely a big smile.

Here a blast from the past that we just came across and blew us away. Amalie R Rothschild was the in house photographer at Bill Graham's Fillmore East in New York in its heyday, and captured all the important visitors to the venue, against the background of the incredible light shows that were projected on the screen. These swirling psychedelic light shows formed the backdrop to the musical performances and defined psychedelia in visual terms.

The Joshua Light Show, and later, Joe's Lights, the pioneering light shows that deservedly received separate billing on the Fillmore East marquee, were the best in the business. As Amalie reflects, "These light shows were performances in their own right. The people behind the scenes who manipulated film, overhead and slide projectors, colour organs, strobe lights and a wealth of other equipment were just as much performers as the musicians onstage."

This is one of our favourite pieces - a montage presented in contact strip format of many different psychedelic lightshow effects. The concentrated bolts of colour and designs are a joy.  Behold.....

You can check out Amalie's other photographs here

If you are near the gallery between now and 29 October come and see them in all their glory. They look amazing.

The Dogs are Alright, shown here, is a late addition to the exhibition and doesn't feature in the catalogue - but it is on the walls.

And now a gift! We have a beautiful limited edition 32 page A4 full colour catalogue showing the paintings in the Great Moments exhibition.

Would you like one? Just get in touch and we'll pop one in the post - no charge.

You can see an expanded online version of the catalogue just below, and check out all the interior shots here