Nigel Shafran's work is characterized by the quiet observation of everyday life.

His chosen subject matter is deliberately low-key and often domestic in nature: doing the dishes, his Dad's office, charity shops, flea markets. And yet, his work extracts from this something profound and consistently beautiful, the sense of a natural order in ordinary things, or, as Shafran puts it, "an acceptance of how things are."

This monograph surveys Shafran's work from early portraits and fashion photography for, among others, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, The Face and i-d, through more recent series such as Ruth's Book, Washing Up 2000, and Dad's Office. This publication will also include Shafran's most recent domestic interiors and a new homage to scaffolding, as well as a selection of his favorite snapshots and excerpts from his scrapbooks.

To emphasize the delicate, unpretentious quality of his work, the book will also will be punctuated by the drawings and doodles that often animate his ideas and decorate his workbooks. Nigel Shafran is the first in a new series of Photoworks books entitled Contemporary Photographers that will survey the work of the most important emerging photographers in the U.K. and establish a benchmark for the most exciting photographic work published to the highest standards.