Passport Photo Service

‘A wonderful collection of famous faces as they appeared in everyday travel documents.’ – Kirkus, STARRED review

‘At this truly radical moment in our current upside-down, out-of-control world, the heat of cultural fame without substance is sure to burn many into irrelevance. Forget Met Balls or magazine covers – being HUMAN is the new celebrity. As we watch power-hungry, mind bogglingly rich nobodies being worshipped as somebodies, what a relief it is to soak in the pages of this perfect book, filled with so many brilliant cultural legends as their true everyday human selves, snapped simply on their way to pick up their passports. Passport Photo Service hits the nail on the head, reminding us that we are all just regular people after all, and it’s what’s inside that counts.’ – Kim Hastreiter, Cultural Anthropologist/Co-founder of PAPER Magazine

‘An A5 hardback in navy blue reminiscent of the old-style British travel document. Inside are never-before-seen images of film and music icons of the 20th and early 21st centuries … the memories Sharkey and his late father have of meeting these often-enigmatic figures give us even more of an insight into the real people lurking behind the famous facades.’ – Telegraph LUXURY

‘A remarkable slice of visual history hidden in plain sight … In an era dominated by curated self-image, Passport Photo Service celebrates the quiet power of unguarded portraits and reminds us that even the most functional photographs can carry enduring emotional and historical weight.’ – All About Photo

‘Will delight film buffs, music fans, and photography lovers alike.’ – Publishers Weekly

‘ Captures a vanished time.’ – Digital Camera Pro

‘A charming little book … [includes] firsthand accounts of the appointments give color to these mostly black-and-white portraits.’ – Wall Street Journal

‘While getting passport photos can be an annoying chore, this collection of familiar faces is a delight.’ – New York Times

‘An artefact of a time when air travel signified glamour and prestige, when airports were futuristic and passengers were playfully known as ?‘the jet set’.’ – Huck

Philip Sharkey is a photographer living in London. He began working at his family’s business, Passport Photo Service, when he was sixteen, until it closed in 2019 after sixty-six years. Sharkey is a member of the Boxing Writers Club and a recipient of the prestigious Reg Gutteridge Award for services to boxing media.

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