Life as a Night Porter [Hardcover]

Chris Shaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2005

Chris Shaw spent ten years working in London hotels, all the while using his camera to both document the hotels unexpected human spectacles and keep himself awake through the long hours of his shift. Whether capturing prostitutes waiting between Johns, weary hotel staff, the inebriated and profligate guests, or the details of the hotels faded grandeur, Shaws images transcend the physical boundaries of a place, and instead capture a state of mind in which few people would choose to stay more than a night. "The thing I like most about the pictures is the large element of what I call the chance meeting, the times I was so tired I lost the artifice and techniques of photography. I just took photographs to keep me awake. It became artless. The people I photographed, these episodes in the social fantastic would heighten and illuminate my whole night, often making a difficult job and my twelve-hour shift bearable. The sum of the book is really a hotel of my own imagination constructed from several hotels I have worked in and some Ive stayed in as a paying guest. In reality these hotels bear little or no resemblance to my actual pictures. It just depends on how you look at things. In my experience heaven and hell are places right here on earth, and you can stay in either one." --Chris Shaw

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Twin Palms Publishers (February 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931885508
• ISBN-13: 978-1931885508
• Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 12 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,211,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what's new with the old????, July 23, 2010

By 

Boursat Sophie "scriptologo" (France) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Life as a Night Porter (Hardcover)

This young old fashioned photographer is typically english working class, hungry, cynical and posh. Chris Shaw follows his Weegee class to show up the eternity of trash in society.... A great book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, October 25, 2007

By 

Justin Guariglia (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Life as a Night Porter (Hardcover)

This is one of my favorite photo books of all time - Chris Shaw shows us the underbelly of 1 and 2 star hotel lobbies, staircases, and hallways during the darkest hours of the day - when unfortunate souls lock themselves out of their rooms nude, guests pass out in the lobby couches, and everything else you could ever imagine happens late at night. All photos are accompanied with Chris' handwriting scrawled around the border of the images. If you like Martin Parr's work, you'll love Chris Shaw's work - they share the same spirit. 3 thumbs up!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pictures capture the chance meeting and the finer world of hotel life, July 24, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life as a Night Porter (Hardcover)

Photographer Chris Shaw spent ten years working in London hotels, using his camera to document the hotel's patrons and oddities and keeping himself awake on the late shift. LIFE AS A NIGHT PORTER offers a shelving challenge to libraries; but as an exhibit piece or addition to a serious college-level photography library holding, it can't be beat. Pictures capture the chance meeting and the finer world of hotel life, with large-size, often murky, black and white photos of employees and residents alike capturing and documenting another night world. It's a rich world of the underworld and comes to life in Shaw's presentation.

Diane C. Donovan

California Bookwatch