PAUSE by Chris Middlebrook

PAUSE is a hardcover photography book documenting Chris Middlebrook’s work and experiences across more than three decades of skateboarding culture. The project brought together photographs from different periods, cameras and sources into one substantial printed archive.

The aim was to create a book that not only presented the photography well, but also preserved the atmosphere, memories and personal history behind the images.

One of the biggest challenges was achieving consistent and accurate colour reproduction throughout the book.

Many of the photographs were taken years apart and came from different cameras, scanning processes and digital devices. Some were older photographs, while others had been exported from different systems and colour environments.

As a result, there were noticeable differences in colour, contrast, image quality and tonal range between files. Careful colour management during prepress and printing was essential to make the images feel consistent while still preserving the original character of each photograph.

We worked carefully through the colour reproduction and printing process to achieve the best possible balance across the wide range of images.

The final result was very well received by the client. The book was also presented at Chris Middlebrook’s exhibition, where the print quality and overall presentation received very positive feedback from visitors.

Most importantly, the finished book successfully brought decades of photographs and memories together into one cohesive physical collection.

There is something especially meaningful about helping a client turn decades of memories, experiences and images from their youth into a physical book.

A well-made photography book does more than reproduce images on paper — it gives those moments a permanent form that can be held, shared and revisited for years to come.