Blackwell & Ruth

Blackwell & Ruth Stories – a series of snapshots of special projects we’ve made over the past 25 years. M.I.L.K. – the project that started it all! M.I.L.K. was a global photographic competition dreamed up by Blackwell & Ruth co-founder Geoff Blackwell to create a series of books that celebrated what it is to be part of a family, to have friends and to be loved. His idea was to celebrate our essential humanity and our fundamental need for love, with photographic images that captured moments of intimacy, laughter and kinship in every country in the world. A record prize pool of US$750,000 was offered with the hope of finding photographers in every country on earth. In 1999 the internet as we know it today was just getting started so Geoff and a small dedicated team set about researching the names of professional and award-winning amateur photographers in every country in the world – at the time there were 192 – scouring phone books and writing to photography associations in places they had never heard of. Ultimately 40,000 entries from 164 countries were submitted and legendary Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt helped Geoff with the almost impossible task if whittling that number down to 300 winning images. The images became the basis for three internationally bestselling books, "Family", "Friendship" and "Love", and an international touring exhibition in locations including New York's Grand Central Terminal, London's Regent's Park and the Sydney Opera House. A decade later, Geoff had the idea of creating MILK Tailor Made Books, a print-on-demand photo book business inspired by the idea of allowing people around the world create books and albums with their own moments of intimacy laughter and kinship.

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead." - Nelson Mandela Let's honor his legacy this Mandela Day by putting service before self and making a positive impact today. Blackwell & Ruth | Telling stories of selfless service and enduring impact Nelson Mandela copyright © Nelson R. Mandela, image by Andrew Zuckerman.

This Sustainable Gastronomy Day, we celebrate René Redzepi’s inspiring journey as shared in I KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE. From his humble beginnings in rural Macedonia, where he learned the value of farm-to-table cooking, to founding the world-renowned noma, Redzepi’s story is a testament to his passion for sustainable food. His words, "I want to be a creative, active, inspiring person, leader, chef when I’m seventy-five. Still going into the kitchen and thinking of things," remind us of the enduring power of innovation and dedication in the culinary world. Blackwell & Ruth | Telling the stories of inspiring leaders Image from I KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE copyright © Geoff Blackwell

This World Oceans Day, embark on a visual journey through our most remarkable oceans with stunning photographs from Lewis Blackwell's THE LIFE & LOVE OF THE SEA. Blackwell & Ruth | Telling the story of the world's precious oceans Image one: Sand patterns. Photographer: WIN-Initiative. Image two: Southern stingray (Dasyatis americana), Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Photographer: Alex Mustard. Image three: Barracuda (Sphyraenidae) hunting a seasonal aggregation of silverside minnows (Menidia) in the Minnow Caves Key Largo, Florida Keys, Florida, USA. Photographer: Stephen Frink. Image four: School of fish swimming in the ocean. Photographer: Alexa Rae Smahl. Image five: Left: Flamingo tongue snail (Cyphoma gibbosum) feeding on a sea fan (Gorgonia ventalina) Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Photographer: Alex Mustard. Right: Clownfish (Amphiprioninae) on a coral reef Similan Islands, Phang Nga, Thailand. Photographer: tunart.

We are celebrating Global Day of Parents by showcasing Phillip Toledano's DAYS WITH MY FATHER. This poignant collection of intimate portraits, captured over three years, chronicles the final chapter of Toledano's father's life. Through these images, we witness his father's enduring sense of humor, his battle with memory loss, and, above all, his indomitable spirit. Blackwell & Ruth | Telling stories of human connection

Today is the International Day for Biological Diversity, aiming to highlight the importance of biodiversity for sustainable development, human well-being, and the health of the planet. Celebrate through the lens of Tim Flach, one of the world’s most pre-eminent and multi-award-winning photographers, with his stunning collections DOGS, EQUUS, and MORE THAN HUMAN, now available in Kindle format for the first time! Blackwell & Ruth | Telling stories of the timeless beauty of our world and its creatures DOGS: https://lnkd.in/gJM7ve3C EQUUS: https://lnkd.in/g_Yz9mhR MORE THAN HUMAN: https://lnkd.in/gbTE52YH

Happy World Bee Day! Delve into the captivating world of bees with insights from leading bee experts featured in THE SEDUCTION OF THE HONEYBEE. Blackwell & Ruth | Telling the story of the mānuka honeybee Image one: Copyright © Alex Wild Image two: Copyright © Craig P. Burrows

Nelson Mandela Foundation announces our upcoming series MANDELA: LIFE https://lnkd.in/gVDJhphd

“Craig P Burrows uses ultraviolet-induced viable fluorescence photography to mimic the vision of bees, which are able to see the ultraviolet spectrum, enabling them to identify pollen and nectar. The result is extraordinary: alien plants that glow from within, petals in blue and purple tippled with vivid yellow baubles. … this is not just a beautiful book, it’s also a call to arms. Burrows hopes that his apian insights will “get enough people to care to drive meaningful change”.” -- UK Sunday Times https://lnkd.in/gw-Afzya

We are excited to announce a new documentary series, Mandela: Life, Nelson Mandela’s own story in his own words, narrated in his voice. The series has been in development for two years already, and will be ready for global release on Freedom Day, 27 April 2025. “This will be the first documentary or documentary series that we’ve authorised as the Nelson Mandela Foundation and in revisiting his life, especially with the challenge of surfacing his voice, we have authorised the use of archival materials to translate what he wrote to himself into a voice that people can hear,” says Foundation Acting CEO Verne Harris, who was Mandela’s archivist from 2004 to 2013 and directed the Foundation’s archives programme for 15 years. The profoundly personal series is being developed from previously unpublished personal documents written by Mandela in prison, substantial unseen archival film footage, new and original footage, audio recordings, translations of transcripts of secret state recordings, and many hundreds of pages of Mandela’s private writing and correspondence. The #NelsonMandelaFoundation, the official custodian of his personal archive, has granted its long-time creative partner and originating publisher of five books with and about him, Blackwell & Ruth, exclusive permission to create the new documentary series. https://brnw.ch/21wJEpb #MandelaLife #NelsonMandelaFoundation #NelsonMandela