I know four photographers who currently have a photobook underway and all in varying stages of production. With a background in graphic design, I’ve found it fascinating to sit down over a coffee or two and discuss the approach these very different photographers have opted to take in bringing their images off computer hard drives and onto the printed page.
So this weekend the Newsletter takes the form of a discussion prompt to ask you, photographer or fan of the medium, to share what attributes (other than good photographs) you appreciate in a photobook. Think about one or two of your favourites either purchased or handled - what pleases you in terms of creative format, design, binding, paper etc?
If you like, feel free to name one or two favourites as examples - these might just introduce others to an as yet undiscovered photographer and gem of a photobook!
To get the ball rolling, I’d like to introduce a book I purchased back in 2015: Photographers' Sketchbooksby Stephen McLaren & Bryan Formhals is big and heavy - 320 pages. It’s not strictly a photobook but is jam packed with photographs and related images. Instead, as neatly described by one reviewer, it provides “a fascinating insight into the various ways that photographers develop concepts for their images and projects”.
Hello! It's so crucial because design choices need to do more than match the photos, but actually be an extension of them. When I look at Paul Graham's super luxurious "The Whiteness of a Whale" for example, the prints just *belong* in this book. From the embossed title in the shiny red cover to the gentle yellow pages inside; the same balance of "comfort" and careful saturation exists in the images. Also, there is a lovely 1976 publication of Brassai's photos "The Secret Paris of the 30's" with the cover in a neon style font, where the photos inside are full bleed and interspersed with his stories of the photos. It's thick and slightly rough paper, and the feeling of finding these fantastic details peeking out of the black darkness is grounding and important to the whole selection. I'm half a bottle of wine into my evening... Can you tell?!
Dog Days Bogota by Alec Soth sprang to mind when I read your call-out. Looking at it again now, it has a comfortable almost square format (approx. 9"sq.) that suits the medium format square images and presents them at a size that keeps their 'qualities', ie. the feel they have for place and mood. It has a state-of-mind flow. Another book that is coherent in that way is The Shipping Forecast by Mark Power - much larger prints of square images that give the extra information we need and allow the eye to roam and give a sense of texture. The last book I was going to mention was for the quality of printing and the layout. Lewis Baltz (FM - Fundacion Mapfre and Steidl) is comprehensive and gives thumbnail pages of all the images from each of his series, showing his preferred grid layout for exhibiting. Similar books by these publishers are New Topographics (Steidl) and by FM, Vanessa Winship and Emmet Gowin - the printing of both of these brings the work alive, especially important with Vanessa Winship as it is the subtle qualities that define the work. Also got to mention For Every Minute You Are Angry You Lose Sixty Seconds of Happiness by Julian Germain - wonderful portrait of a life and has similar qualities to the Alec Soth book. Last thought, I always like the 1980's Cornerhouse publications (where Dewi Lewis started publishing) - they are straight-forward and generally no nonsense and show the work in a good light without being overwhelmed by design ideas that came in during the 1990's as computers allowed more graphic input. The Red River (Jem Southam), A Green & Pleasant Land (John Davies), White Peak, Dark Peak (Paul Hill), Every So Often and Murmurs At Every Turn (Raymond Moore, although not Cornerhouse publications) are examples. As I look at the shelf I see Two Blue Buckets (Peter Fraser) and I Can Help (Paul Reas) - the list seems endless. I had better stop there :) Cheers.
I think the first thing is the quality of the paper and the printing of the photographs - seems obvious but in the process of planning my own work I have fretted at length over how the two things go together and how it can go horribly wrong. A feeling of durability in the publication is important too, as most photobooks etc are relatively expensive (limited runs etc) they should be of a suitable quality. I also think the quality or relevance of writing that accompanies the photographs can be a bit of deal breaker - tremendously easy to write a lot of waffly flannel so I do appreciate authors who understand the work they're writing about or interviews that get into the thinking of the photographer. Some say photographs need to stand alone but that is bullshit - photographs and words were meant for each other. A good example, in my opinion, of good writing, excellent photographs and that important combination of print quality and durability is Uncommon Places by Stephen Shore. Looking at it gives a real sense of place and the writing conveys Shore's thinking at the time and his subsequent views over the years. It's probably a book that finds its way into many bookshelves and it's easy to see why. Plus, I'm biased as Shore is pretty important to my way of photographic thinking. It's a benchmark I'd want to aim for in terms of clarity and layout if it were possible. Of course, Shore's book is published by one of the major players but the smaller publishers like Another Place, for example, have a track record of making well made, well printed and well designed publications by photographers who not so famous. The combination of quality, print & design whilst being pretty well priced is quite remarkable. Summing up, I think I just want to see that the photographer is on the pages in both thought and vision - I want to know their thinking and why they do what they do. Mysteries can be fun but if I come away from a book none the wiser then what was the point.
Hello! It's so crucial because design choices need to do more than match the photos, but actually be an extension of them. When I look at Paul Graham's super luxurious "The Whiteness of a Whale" for example, the prints just *belong* in this book. From the embossed title in the shiny red cover to the gentle yellow pages inside; the same balance of "comfort" and careful saturation exists in the images. Also, there is a lovely 1976 publication of Brassai's photos "The Secret Paris of the 30's" with the cover in a neon style font, where the photos inside are full bleed and interspersed with his stories of the photos. It's thick and slightly rough paper, and the feeling of finding these fantastic details peeking out of the black darkness is grounding and important to the whole selection. I'm half a bottle of wine into my evening... Can you tell?!
Dog Days Bogota by Alec Soth sprang to mind when I read your call-out. Looking at it again now, it has a comfortable almost square format (approx. 9"sq.) that suits the medium format square images and presents them at a size that keeps their 'qualities', ie. the feel they have for place and mood. It has a state-of-mind flow. Another book that is coherent in that way is The Shipping Forecast by Mark Power - much larger prints of square images that give the extra information we need and allow the eye to roam and give a sense of texture. The last book I was going to mention was for the quality of printing and the layout. Lewis Baltz (FM - Fundacion Mapfre and Steidl) is comprehensive and gives thumbnail pages of all the images from each of his series, showing his preferred grid layout for exhibiting. Similar books by these publishers are New Topographics (Steidl) and by FM, Vanessa Winship and Emmet Gowin - the printing of both of these brings the work alive, especially important with Vanessa Winship as it is the subtle qualities that define the work. Also got to mention For Every Minute You Are Angry You Lose Sixty Seconds of Happiness by Julian Germain - wonderful portrait of a life and has similar qualities to the Alec Soth book. Last thought, I always like the 1980's Cornerhouse publications (where Dewi Lewis started publishing) - they are straight-forward and generally no nonsense and show the work in a good light without being overwhelmed by design ideas that came in during the 1990's as computers allowed more graphic input. The Red River (Jem Southam), A Green & Pleasant Land (John Davies), White Peak, Dark Peak (Paul Hill), Every So Often and Murmurs At Every Turn (Raymond Moore, although not Cornerhouse publications) are examples. As I look at the shelf I see Two Blue Buckets (Peter Fraser) and I Can Help (Paul Reas) - the list seems endless. I had better stop there :) Cheers.
I think the first thing is the quality of the paper and the printing of the photographs - seems obvious but in the process of planning my own work I have fretted at length over how the two things go together and how it can go horribly wrong. A feeling of durability in the publication is important too, as most photobooks etc are relatively expensive (limited runs etc) they should be of a suitable quality. I also think the quality or relevance of writing that accompanies the photographs can be a bit of deal breaker - tremendously easy to write a lot of waffly flannel so I do appreciate authors who understand the work they're writing about or interviews that get into the thinking of the photographer. Some say photographs need to stand alone but that is bullshit - photographs and words were meant for each other. A good example, in my opinion, of good writing, excellent photographs and that important combination of print quality and durability is Uncommon Places by Stephen Shore. Looking at it gives a real sense of place and the writing conveys Shore's thinking at the time and his subsequent views over the years. It's probably a book that finds its way into many bookshelves and it's easy to see why. Plus, I'm biased as Shore is pretty important to my way of photographic thinking. It's a benchmark I'd want to aim for in terms of clarity and layout if it were possible. Of course, Shore's book is published by one of the major players but the smaller publishers like Another Place, for example, have a track record of making well made, well printed and well designed publications by photographers who not so famous. The combination of quality, print & design whilst being pretty well priced is quite remarkable. Summing up, I think I just want to see that the photographer is on the pages in both thought and vision - I want to know their thinking and why they do what they do. Mysteries can be fun but if I come away from a book none the wiser then what was the point.