Discover one of England's best street photographers in a brand new book

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Tony Ray-Jones' street photography shows a special side of England, and now you can see his images in a new book

Discover one of England's best street photographers in a brand new book
(Image credit: RRB Photobooks / Martin Parr Foundation)

The Martin Parr Foundation have put together a new book and exhibition to celebrate the contribution that photographer Tony Ray-Jones made to British documentary photography. 

Born in 1941 in Wells, Somerset, Tony Ray-Jones won a scholarship to Yale University in the United States at just 19, where he ended up studying alongside fellow students including Robert Frank, Irving Penn and Garry Winogrand. In 1966, he returned to England and travelled around the country in a VW camper van to document English social customs and what he saw as a disappearing way of life. 

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His distinctive body of images was part of an evolutionary shift in British photography, placing artistic vision above commercial success. Tony Ray-Jones developed his strong individual style by constructing complex images against uniquely English backdrops. Often, the spaces between the components of his photos were as important as the main subject matter itself. 

Beachy Head boat trip, 1967

Beachy Head boat trip, 1967 (Image credit: Tony Ray-Jones/National Science & Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)

Martin Parr says, "Tony Ray-Jones was one of my initial inspirations as a photographer. His imagery showed me what was possible in shooting my own country. In 2012 I went through his contact sheets and found previously unseen images… 

"There has not been a book of Tony Ray-Jones' work in print for many years, so this new publication from Martin Parr Foundation and RRB Photobooks will correct this oversight and the accompanying show will give us a chance to enjoy this important photographer's immense contribution to British documentary photography." 

'The English Seen' exhibition by Tony Ray-Jones runs from 16 October to 21 December 2019 at the Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol. The 'Tony Ray-Jones' book is co-published by RRB Photobooks and the Martin Parr Foundation and will retail for £48. You can pre-order the book from RRB Photobooks or the Martin Parr Foundation. 

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Derby Day, Epsom, c.1967

Derby Day, Epsom, c.1967 (Image credit: Tony Ray-Jones/National Science & Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)

Isle of Wight Festival, c.1968

Isle of Wight Festival, c.1968 (Image credit: Tony Ray-Jones/National Science & Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)

Unknown circa late 1960s

Unknown circa late 1960s (Image credit: Tony Ray-Jones/National Science & Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)

Beauty Pageant, Newquay, c.1967

Beauty Pageant, Newquay, c.1967 (Image credit: Tony Ray-Jones/National Science & Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)

Morecombe, c. 1967

Morecombe, c. 1967 (Image credit: Tony Ray-Jones/National Science & Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)

Ramsgate, c.1968

Ramsgate, c.1968 (Image credit: Tony Ray-Jones/National Science & Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)

Eton, 1967

Eton, 1967 (Image credit: Tony Ray-Jones/National Science & Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)

Butlins Holiday Camp, Clacton-on-sea, 1968

Butlins Holiday Camp, Clacton-on-sea, 1968 (Image credit: Tony Ray-Jones/National Science & Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)

Self-portrait, late 1960s

Self-portrait, late 1960s (Image credit: Tony Ray-Jones/National Science & Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)

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Louise Carey
Louise Carey

With over a decade of photographic experience, Louise arms Digital Camera World with a wealth of knowledge on photographic technique and know-how – something at which she is so adept that she's delivered workshops for the likes of ITV and Sue Ryder. Louise also brings years of experience as both a web and print journalist, having served as features editor for Practical Photography magazine and contributing photography tutorials and camera analysis to titles including Digital Camera Magazine and  Digital Photographer. Louise currently shoots with the Fujifilm X-T200 and the Nikon D800, capturing self-portraits and still life images, and is DCW's ecommerce editor, meaning that she knows good camera, lens and laptop deals when she sees them.