Vernon-Jones, Andy. Here in Red Hook. Photographs by Andy Vernon-Jones. Signed.

Apartment Seven Press, 2011. Introduction by Brian Zimbler.  Photographs of mostly Black and Hispanic residents and scenes in Red Hook where Vernon-Jones was a teacher and counselor at South Brooklyn Community High School. French wraps, as issued, 64 full-page color plates. #318 of edition of 500. Signed on title page. With brown envelope printed with title. Book is like new; envelope very good with two short tears. Summary:

Here in Red Hook (2011), published by Apartment Seven Press with an introduction by Brian Zimbler, is a deeply humanistic, intimate photobook by artist and educator Andy Vernon-Jones. The monograph compiles 64 full-page color plates taken over a five-year period (2006–2011), offering a poetic visual narrative of a unique, geographically isolated Brooklyn neighborhood just before it was dramatically altered by Superstorm Sandy and rapid gentrification.

The Origin: An Insider's Camera

Unlike passing street photographers, Vernon-Jones’ connection to Red Hook was deeply embedded in the community. Having moved to the area to work as a counselor and art teacher at South Brooklyn Community High School—a school serving former dropouts—he came to know the neighborhood through the perspective of its young residents. His camera became a tool of daily proximity rather than detached documentation.

Key Thematic Focuses

• A Neighborhood of Contrast and Isolation: Geographically cut off from the rest of Brooklyn by the Gowanus Expressway (BQE) and bounded by shipping shipyards, Red Hook maintains a small-town, "outback" enclosure. Vernon-Jones maps these visual contrasts—capturing the bold, modern architecture of the piers jutting toward the Statue of Liberty alongside the weathered, historic facades of the Red Hook Houses (the largest public housing development in Brooklyn).

• Powerfully Humane Portraiture: The soul of the book relies on its striking, candid portraits of Red Hook’s predominantly Black and Hispanic youth and working-class residents. Heavily influenced by early 20th-century small-town studio portraiture, his images celebrate the individual swagger, vulnerability, and openness of his teenage subjects.

• Resilience Over Suffering: While Vernon-Jones does not mask the reality of systemic oppression, poverty, or the leftover scars of the neighborhood's mid-century economic collapse, his images purposefully lean toward vitality. He tracks his subjects through empty vacant lots, snowy streets, and street-corner social circles, emphasizing optimism and shared community bonds over despair.

Aesthetic and Style

• The Dawn Glow: Visually, the monograph is celebrated for its masterful use of natural light. Many of the photographs are bathed in a soft, radiant dawn light that rolls off the New York Bay, infusing the industrial back streets and brick projects with a dreamlike, life-affirming quality.

• The Cover Image: A key example of the book’s spontaneous yet intimate tone is its cover photo featuring two local boys, Raheem and Javier, sharing hot chocolate on a freezing, snow-covered morning—a testament to the enduring warmth of the community's youth.

Significance

Here in Red Hook stands as an irreplaceable cultural and historical ledger of a neighborhood on the precipice of massive transformation. By capturing the texture of Red Hook's streets before the devastating floods of Superstorm Sandy in 2013 and the modern corporate gentrification that followed, Vernon-Jones preserved an unvarnished, affectionate portrait of a historic Brooklyn community anchored by the resilience of its youth.