Jack Leigh

John David Leigh II (November 8, 1948 – May 19, 2004) was an American photographer and author, known for the cover photograph on John Berendt's novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.[1] The photograph itself, largely considered a major factor in the success of the novel, featured the Bird Girl statue from Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah.[2]

Jack Leigh
Jack Leigh's portrait from his book Nets & Doors: Shrimping in Southern Waters
Born(1948-11-08)November 8, 1948
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
DiedMay 19, 2004(2004-05-19) (aged 55)
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Known forPhotography
Notable work
Bird Girl

Leigh was a native of Savannah, Georgia, and a graduate of the Savannah Country Day School and the University of Georgia. Already well known locally as a portrait and documentary photographer, Leigh was commissioned by Random House for the photograph. Leigh wrote and published five books on photography. His former photo gallery was a popular tourist attraction in the historic district of downtown Savannah.[3] He died May 19, 2004, in Savannah of colon cancer. He is buried in Bonaventure Cemetery.[4]

Published works
  • Oystering: A Way of Life (ISBN 0910326177 with James Dickey and Charles L. Wyrick, Jr.; Carolina Art Association, June 1983)
  • Nets & Doors: Shrimping in Southern Waters (ISBN 0941711129, Gibbs Smith Publishing, October 1, 1989)
  • Seaport: A Waterfront at Work (ISBN 094171134X, Gibbs Smith Publishing, July 1, 1996)
  • The Land I'm Bound To Photographs (ISBN 978-0-393-04931-2, with Pat Conroy; W.W. Norton & Company, Sept 2000)
  • The Ogeechee: A River and Its People (ISBN 082032650X, Wormsloe Foundation Publications, April 28, 2004)
  • Ossabaw: Evocations of an Island (ISBN 0820326429, with James Kilgo, Alan Campbell, and John Lane; University of Georgia Press, April 28, 2004)

References
  1. English, John, The Land He's Bound To, Univ of Georgia Essay Feature, 2000
  2. Aberjhani, "Bound Moments: Jack Leigh's Beautiful Southern Adventures," The American Poet Who Went Home Again, 2008, pp. 91–108.
  3. Aberjhani, "Bound Moments: Jack Leigh's Beautiful Southern Adventures"
  4. Thurber, John "Cover Photo Helped Sell Midnight Novel" Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, June 8, 2004


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