imageshop update

new ‘imageshop’ selections

It may seem hard to remember now, but not that long ago information about, and access to, Steve’s photography was pretty hard to come by……18 months ago, the only sure-fire way of being able to find his images was by trawling through his website and ogling the few prints available for sale via his ‘imageshop’ or in the ‘archival shots’ sections. You could of course spend a good few hours lost in the world of ‘tumblr’ and come across random photos he had taken, but these were often not credited, so you were not always certain they were definitely his.

Then, all that changed; up popped his ‘sleepyard’ tumblr, followed a year later with this very blog, whose sole intention was to (unofficially) celebrate the world as seen through the lens of Mr Jansen. Then, at the back end of last year we had the utter joy of the publication of ‘through a quiet window’ which answered my oft repeated question ‘just how many photos must Steve have in his archive?’ with a resounding ‘bloody loads of them!’

Marvellous, isn’t it?

With the publication of the book, came the realisation that maybe, just maybe, that was it. Maybe he had published all the photos he saw fit to release and the heady delight of seeing a notification ping up on your phone saying ‘sleepyard has just posted a new image…..’ may well be over? When I asked Steve about this his answer was typically modest – “I guess I have more to share if there are people still interested. We’ll see.”  

Well, people are still interested and guess what? – he definitely still has plenty to share!

Since September, the odd new image has appeared on ‘sleepyard’, including this rather trippy double-exposed Sylvian shot which is pretty beautiful, and the absolutely joyful Karn/Punter double-act image from the Quiet Life sessions. And then, just as we were preparing to say ‘adieu’ to 2015, with little fanfare and just a small notification on his tumblr/facebook pages Steve announced that the ‘imageshop’ had been updated to include shots from his book……and things got a bit giddy!

412 – david sylvian double exposure, tokyo hotel

It went from offering a few dozen, mainly monochrome, images of his ex-band mates, alongside a couple of stunning Japanscapes and hotel interiors, and the odd shot of a random stranger or a glinty-eyed dog, to hosting a couple of hundred prints, all available to purchase directly from Steve. That was some leap, it has to be said, and it caused as massive flurry of excitement amongst the many Japan/Jansen related fan-sites which exist on-line. Even more excitingly, there were even more never-before seen pictures; some of them so eye-achingly perfect, you had to wonder why they weren’t included in his book?

There was one image which caused a certain amount of hilarity amongst a few folk, with the identity of the unknown jogger testing the imaginations of many. There was definitely a festive feel to the air, as some rather short-sighted people claimed they thought it was David Sylvian (wearing joggers and running? really?? surely he would have at least have had a fag in his hand?) dashing past a beautifully gurning Karn in Holland Park. To my eyes, it looked more like legendary grumpy-as-feck drummer Ginger Baker (thanks to Rob Dean for helping me to put a name to a chin!) but whoever it was, it certainly made for an entertaining hour over on TMK……..

is it sylvian? is it baker? who knows……. 308 – mick karn, holland park (2)

The array of images available to own is slightly mind-boggling and I am seriously considering moving home to somewhere with bigger walls and fewer windows, just so I can accommodate all the ones I now covet………although that may be a tad extreme?  I once thought that owning 6 Jansen prints was rather OTT but seeing all the new ones available, I am now certain that I am a mere amateur and until I hit double figures, I cannot really call myself a bona fide ‘collector’……

For those of you who have not yet succumbed to the slightly addictive joy that comes from being a member of the Jansen Print Owners Club, I am now about to dangle a metaphorical bag of powdery white substance in front of your eyes and tempt you to ‘become one of us‘……for it is ridiculously easy to get your hands on one of these beautiful images.

The process is quick and simple.

You simply choose the image you want and pay via paypal.

Once the print is ready you get an email informing you of the delivery date and time.

The prints are sent via courier and are securely packaged – in fact, getting into it is akin to a playing a particularly physical game of pass the parcel! – and they are signed and numbered by Steve.

And that, my friends, is it. What are you waiting for?

http://www.stevejansen.com/imageshop/

324 – richard barbieri, suggestive

all photographs on this site are © 2016 steve jansen all rights reserved unless otherwise stated

Mick Karn and John Punter at Air Studios during the recording of ‘Quiet Life’