Rare unseen photos of Amy Winehouse captured in months prior to her death are to be publicly released for the first time in a photography book titled Before FRANK. The book consists of shots for her debut album cover of ‘FRANK’ taken by photographer Charles Moriarty in London and New York.

Very few photos from these shoots have been previously seen because Moriarty felt attached to the private moments he had with Amy during the shoots. Now, he has been raising funds to bring the series of photos to life in a London-based exhibition and in the photography book. Moriarty explains why he has now decided to publish the photos, ‘I realised that they weren’t just a special memory for me to hold onto, they were really beautiful images that everyone should see and everyone should experience’.

The foreword of Before FRANK will be written by Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia, who also directed the biographic documentary, Amy and designed by award-winning designer Sybren Kuiper.

For a greater insight into Before FRANK and the story behind the featured photoshoots, watch the video created by the creative media partnership Between Friends and check out the above gallery for a glimpse at some of the featured photos.

• Words: Monique Buccheri