introduction to photoboks
Photo books are almost like being able to hold a whole photography exhibition in your hand, weather it includes photos from various different artists, with various different styles, it does not matter. They are a way for photographers too publish their work, and ge their images out there and seen by the world whilst also making a living through publishing and selling them. Book making has slowly become a way in which we judge the artists who produce them, as the layout, composition and style of the diptychs involved are also very important and impact the way we interact with the images, their almost like little portfolios.
Photo books have become popular because of the fact that people like the sense of owning something physical and real that they can hold feel and take home too be yours, especially if your part of a photographers fan base, unlike other artworks which are usually exhibited in a museum with security, behind bullet proof glass only too be observed and nothing more.
Photo books also encourage photographers too look at their work differently as they have too choose out of thousands of photos they might've taken and narrow them down too only a few, so it really makes them think about which photographs deserve too be included and weather these photos suit the style of a diptych, or theme of the overall book, which can often be very challenging.
Photo books have become popular because of the fact that people like the sense of owning something physical and real that they can hold feel and take home too be yours, especially if your part of a photographers fan base, unlike other artworks which are usually exhibited in a museum with security, behind bullet proof glass only too be observed and nothing more.
Photo books also encourage photographers too look at their work differently as they have too choose out of thousands of photos they might've taken and narrow them down too only a few, so it really makes them think about which photographs deserve too be included and weather these photos suit the style of a diptych, or theme of the overall book, which can often be very challenging.
history of photo books
Photo books have been being published and sold for many many years, with some of the oldest ones dating all the way back to around the 1850's for things like research; With the oldest recorded photo book being the book- "Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions", Which was simply a book full of photos of british algae.
Photo books in Japan started to become popular quite early on to, with photographers like Shinzo Fukuhara publishing photo books as early as the 1920s, and with most notable Japanese photographers having published photo books around the 1950's they were growing in popularity quickly. |
analysing a photo-book (julian germain- No mundo maravilhoso do futebol)
No Mundo Maravilhoso Do Futebol is a hard back photo book with a mixture of photographs and children's paintings on the inside. Upon reading the text at the beginning of the book I found out that all of the images in the book were taken in Cascalho (South American shanty town) which is a very popular location for reportage photography, which is one of the main reasons that the photographer chose this area. Since in the past Cascalho has been seen very largely through the narrow and cliché view that reportage photography offers, the photographer wanted to find a way to show Cascalho through a completely un-biased view. So he gave 50 girls and boys who were actively involved and interested in football between the ages 8 and 30 some simple "point and shoot" cameras, and over a period of two weeks they exposed around four of five rolls of film each. None of the children going around taking photos had never actually done so before, and so none of them were restrained by notions like composition, and what makes a good photo meaning that the photographer had found the perfect way to put across a completely un-biased set of photographs.
This is the front cover to the photo book. I like this front cover because it is a full page spread, which I like, and the photo itself clearly illustrates the subject the book is based around, which is football. But its not only football, you can see a rough, well used, old football with someones bare feet on dry dusty ground, which makes it instantly clear that the book is about football in less economically developed countries. I also like that there is no title for the book as it breaks conventions.
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I like this page because like the front cover, the photo relates to the subject of the book as there is a football flying through the air. I also like that it is a fully page spread with no negative space as I prefer this over negative space because I feel like negative space makes a photo seem like an addition to the page whereas having it as a fully page spread makes it feel like the page is the photo and it feels less awkward.
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I also like this full page spread for similar reasons that I liked the two previous photos. I enjoy the full page spread and the fact that the photo includes a battered run down third world goal post as it again relates to the subject of the book. However I also like the enhanced colours of this photo, its almost like the photo is trying to illustrate the positive side of things like football and the weather instead of things like their location which could be considered unfortunate.
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In comparison to the pages before that I said I liked I'm going to analyse this one which I done prefer to any of the previous pages. First off it is unclear weather these photos are two different photos, or if they are the same photo but cut in half and put in box outs in different pages as both photos look so similar. To me this is almost frustrating as it just adds a level of wonder and confusion that doesn't really need to be there because even if they are two different photos, for me they are way too similar to be in a diptych with each other as there is no comparison.
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Masahisa Fukase - Karasu (Ravens 深瀬昌久 鴉)
During my intense research of photo books I was instantly intrigued by "Ravens by Fukase" because of the subject matter and black and white photos. To me these images are enjoyable to look at because you only have too look at the images inside very briefly and it becomes easy too gain a sense of what the theme or subject matter that the artist included in the photos might be. For me the photos from the book gave me an instant sense of something quite eerie, or dark, the photos seemed quite isolating to me, and after further research I found that the theme of the book was intact to do with the idea of loneliness which is similar to what came in to my head whilst looking at the images. I chose too look at this book becuase of the good use of black and white which is done really well. Despite liking this photo book, having spent time researching and investigating it; I will most likely not take inspiration from the subject matter as I feel it might be slightly simple and weak, however I will definitely take inspiration from her use of black and white to help convey meaning and matter as she has done while depicting loneliness.
The front cover of this books design is quite suited to the books overall theme and feel as it is extremely empty with only a white boxout on a light toned brown cover with the simple word "RAVENS" in it which is the books title. The photos in this book stand out to me because of the obvious theme of all the ravens, and the large use of black and white with little mid tones making it seem to me similar to Daidō Moriyama. I think that the ravens subject matter, along with the black and white do communicate the photographers intentions because crows can be seen as quite sinister, eerie lonely animals, and have some connotations of death, along with the black ands white which compliments the ravens black colour and I think makes them stand out against their backgrounds. I think that the style of photography in terms of composition does work in favour with the books message about loneliness because it often seems as if the image of the crow has been taken from a long way away, like the ravens are being spied on, or watched, and the book shows images of dead, alone ravens as well further illustrating the message.
unfortunately this book does not stick with me after viewing it, the images were all extremely similar with very little variation between them meaning it was easy to lose interest knowing you would see the same sort of image on the next page as the page your on. For me the only thing that kept in my mind after viewing this book was the use of black and white to create sinister effect however I do still feel that even this was overused in this book making seem even more of a repetitive book. This book does not really contain much text apart from on the front cover, however the font used looks extremely basic, which does tie in to the books idea of loneliness, but for me does make the book feel maybe less interesting.
As for the layout of the book, the photographer is clearly trying to further push the feel of loneliness on to the viewer, Images in this book are rarely put in to diptychs with other images, photos are more often found on a page paired next to an empty page of negative space like you can see in the images of the book above. Although I do think this looks nice and does work well to communicate loneliness I think that having most of the images on every page paired with negative space can become very repetitive with no variation, which is quite bad when everything else in the book has the same feel.
The front cover of this books design is quite suited to the books overall theme and feel as it is extremely empty with only a white boxout on a light toned brown cover with the simple word "RAVENS" in it which is the books title. The photos in this book stand out to me because of the obvious theme of all the ravens, and the large use of black and white with little mid tones making it seem to me similar to Daidō Moriyama. I think that the ravens subject matter, along with the black and white do communicate the photographers intentions because crows can be seen as quite sinister, eerie lonely animals, and have some connotations of death, along with the black ands white which compliments the ravens black colour and I think makes them stand out against their backgrounds. I think that the style of photography in terms of composition does work in favour with the books message about loneliness because it often seems as if the image of the crow has been taken from a long way away, like the ravens are being spied on, or watched, and the book shows images of dead, alone ravens as well further illustrating the message.
unfortunately this book does not stick with me after viewing it, the images were all extremely similar with very little variation between them meaning it was easy to lose interest knowing you would see the same sort of image on the next page as the page your on. For me the only thing that kept in my mind after viewing this book was the use of black and white to create sinister effect however I do still feel that even this was overused in this book making seem even more of a repetitive book. This book does not really contain much text apart from on the front cover, however the font used looks extremely basic, which does tie in to the books idea of loneliness, but for me does make the book feel maybe less interesting.
As for the layout of the book, the photographer is clearly trying to further push the feel of loneliness on to the viewer, Images in this book are rarely put in to diptychs with other images, photos are more often found on a page paired next to an empty page of negative space like you can see in the images of the book above. Although I do think this looks nice and does work well to communicate loneliness I think that having most of the images on every page paired with negative space can become very repetitive with no variation, which is quite bad when everything else in the book has the same feel.
stephen gill- buried
This photo book was published in 2006, and the photos within were all taken in Hackney Wick, where they were also later buried in the earth. Some were buried face to face, some back to back, some alone and some in groups, the amount of time the photos were buried for also varied depending on the amount of rain fall "Not knowing what an image would look like once it was dug up introduced an element of chance and surprise which I found appealing."-Stephen Gill.
I really like the front cover of this book, I thinks its really different and interesting having been made to look like its been dug up, whilst still illustrating what the book could be about just by looking at the cover which I think is important. The images in this book stand out because of the obvious, they are images of photos that have been left underground for prolonged periods of time, which i think gives a really interesting, different artistic value to them as it does make them quite aesthetically pleasing to look at and consider how all of the mud and water has effected the images. I think that the images to communicate the photographers intention because they work really well. The images themselves look old and dated, I would expect them to have been taken on film, the colours seem faded and pastel like and to me they feel like images taken around the 1980-90s which does work with the burying idea as it just makes them feel even older when you look at them. This book does stick with me after I view it, the burying factor does make me think more in-depth about the images and the book in general, not so much because of the actual images themselves, I just think that the idea was a really good one. The font on the front of the book works really well with the books theme, feel and style, the letters looking old decayed and muddy, but also in a sort of old, original font to help mix in with the theme of things being old and ageing, makes the front cover look nice. The layout is very simple, and consistent throughout the whole book, this does make the book feel repetitive, however it does work in the way that it feels as if your viewing an image of an image as opposed to the image in the book feeling like the image itself when you look at it, I think this works well because the actual photos do have an exterior quality to them in the form of water damage and mud, which you would have to view externally as opposed to viewing an image on an SD card from a camera. I think that the layout does feel dated, however, I think that the feel works in favour with the books theme and style as the old dated way the book is seems purposeful and works nicely. |
nan goldin-ill be your mirror
This photo book created by Nan Goldin is a selection of her best early images dating all the way back to the early 1970's. To me this book is all about youth culture, having many images and portraits which include her friends which I find extremely interesting because the images really show strong personality about the persons in them, and despite the images including loads of enigma behind them (for example the image of the girl with the brused face, why is she in such a rough state?), they still convey a strong possibly personal story about whats happening, or has happened in them. I also really like the images in this book because it is obvious that she chooses subject matter over aesthetic value in most of the images which I think actually helps pass on the non glamorous, non prettied up lives that they were living at the time, which I think makes the images more brutal and powerful. To me the book is a look inside of a community that includes many things that loads of people would consider taboo or wrong yet Goldin tackles these issues in the book by showing them off making them extremely gritty and interesting. The images are also a peak in to the past, the different clothing, styles, events and personalities that you would probably not be able to find today making them even more interesting which is a value which I would really like my images to have in the future.
After viewing this book I did just want to pick it up again and flick through one more time, I think the main reason for this is all of the un answered questions that appear without having to even loo in detail, in some images it almost feels like seeing a sneak peak back in to their lives from when the images were taken, or like your seeing a snippet of time no one was meant to see.
I really like the front cover of this book as its aesthetically pleasing to look at, and communicates a large amount of the book to the viewer with just one image of herself. I think its good to have an image of herself on the front of the book because the book is all about her experiences, friends and culture that she was a part of when she was younger, so its essentially a book on a section of her life which is why the image is relevant. The font on the front cover I also like for its simplicity, and I also really like the title of this book "ill be your mirror" because its almost like her saying she offered a different way of seeing yourself and other things around you instead of viewing the same things over and over in the same way, in other words she's making things which wouldn't usually seem interesting or aesthetically pleasing and turning them in to successful images that are an art from.
I also really like the layout of this book, it includes full page spreads, double page spreads, negative space, diptychs etc. Its got a very wide variety of different page layout designs for more aesthetic images having pleasant diptychs with similar colour and shape, and full page or double page oreads with minimal if not no negative space to distract the viewer from the image for the more subject matter impactful images.
After viewing this book I did just want to pick it up again and flick through one more time, I think the main reason for this is all of the un answered questions that appear without having to even loo in detail, in some images it almost feels like seeing a sneak peak back in to their lives from when the images were taken, or like your seeing a snippet of time no one was meant to see.
I really like the front cover of this book as its aesthetically pleasing to look at, and communicates a large amount of the book to the viewer with just one image of herself. I think its good to have an image of herself on the front of the book because the book is all about her experiences, friends and culture that she was a part of when she was younger, so its essentially a book on a section of her life which is why the image is relevant. The font on the front cover I also like for its simplicity, and I also really like the title of this book "ill be your mirror" because its almost like her saying she offered a different way of seeing yourself and other things around you instead of viewing the same things over and over in the same way, in other words she's making things which wouldn't usually seem interesting or aesthetically pleasing and turning them in to successful images that are an art from.
I also really like the layout of this book, it includes full page spreads, double page spreads, negative space, diptychs etc. Its got a very wide variety of different page layout designs for more aesthetic images having pleasant diptychs with similar colour and shape, and full page or double page oreads with minimal if not no negative space to distract the viewer from the image for the more subject matter impactful images.
wolfgang tillmans
Wolfgang Tillmans early photography for me when it comes to subject matter is quite similar to Nan Goldin's earlier photos, in the sense that both photographers experimented with taking loads of photos in their youth, both were extremely interested in the human body in its natural form and they are both interested in and experiment with portraiture. However Tillmans style is different to that of Goldins in many different ways. For me I'm most interested in the way Tillmans captures him and his friends in such a unique and weird way. I like the way that his images have a large sense of enigma about them, for example the portrait of the man in leather trousers and and girl in yellow, its quite hard to tell whats going on in this photo and causes the viewer to ask loads of questions and almost interact with the images by trying to almost solve them (Why is his face so emotionless, are they in a relationship etc.). Like Goldin, Tillmans is also in my opinion extremely skilled in illustrating peoples personalities, even though the man in the photo below has a completely emotionless face Tillmans still manages to construct a story and personality around him through things like clothing and environment which I think makes his photos really interesting. I think that its obvious that Tillmans choses subject matter over aesthetic value in majority of his photos.
I really like the front cover of this book, it shows off at first glance just how weird, strange and interesting Tillmans photography is, and the image lets the viewer know what to expect when they open it, the text is strog and central, and says "Wolfgang Tillmans" which is the photographers name so you also know straight away that the book will include images possibly personal to him or of people close to him.
I also really like the layout of this book, with a variety of different ways that he uses negative space to create a more aesthetically pleasing image and page. He does it in a way again slightly similar too Nan Goldin, however since the subject matter does differ between the books slightly the ways in which Tillmans uses negative space to lay out the book is different to suit the book, and is defiantly been laid out purposefully.
I really like the front cover of this book, it shows off at first glance just how weird, strange and interesting Tillmans photography is, and the image lets the viewer know what to expect when they open it, the text is strog and central, and says "Wolfgang Tillmans" which is the photographers name so you also know straight away that the book will include images possibly personal to him or of people close to him.
I also really like the layout of this book, with a variety of different ways that he uses negative space to create a more aesthetically pleasing image and page. He does it in a way again slightly similar too Nan Goldin, however since the subject matter does differ between the books slightly the ways in which Tillmans uses negative space to lay out the book is different to suit the book, and is defiantly been laid out purposefully.
in conclusion
In conclusion through my research I found out quite a few things about how I might want to make and layout my book, I found out that the photo books where they used up a full page of image with no negative space had more of an impact on me, the images felt more real and important to me when they are the only thing on the page with no focus on any negative space to take my attention away. I also found that I really enjoyed images in the photo books where there was a really strong and interesting subject matter, where something significant is happening in the photo along with aesthetic value when it comes to things like composition, rule of thirds etc. I also feel like an image feels less staged if a person in the image isn't looking in to the camera, I think that images feel a lot more like a captured moment when people are un aware of the photo being taken.
introduction to two frame films
Two-frame films come from half frame cameras which were designed so that the user could take more photographs with the same amount of film. This is because the half-frame camera exposes two shots on too one piece of 35mm film so that you get a diptych, meaning that you can take double the amount of photos as you would usually be able to get. The photographer Luke Fowler recently took a series of photographs on a half-frame camera and published the book "Two-Frame Films". The effect that using a half frame camera gives is it changes the way that the viewer engages with the images in the diptych depending on the juxtapositioning and composition of the photos.
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luke fowlers two-frame films
Luke Fowler is a film maker who has also done some work with photography in a series called "Two-Frame Films" using a half frame camera. Because he is a film maker he says the he believes that "photography is a less reliable film" and he wanted too use the diptychs that the half frame camera produced too try and get the viewer to engage and relate the images too each other, fowlers aim was too try and tell and story with the diptychs which is why his photos are said too look so similar too film stills. Fowler sees the images that he takes almost as like an autobiography for himself, showing what he likes, how he likes too take images and what he's interested in, in his photos, which is why the film making elements have been pulled through.
For this photo (taken by Luke Fowler for his series "Two-Frame Films") we looked in too the composition and juxtaposition in both photos, and then compared the two with each other, discussing why he might have chosen to put the two images together, what does and doesn't make the images compliment each other. For example, the jagged, sharp shapes of the broken glass window might compliment the other photos jagged, geometrical shapes of the rocky mountains. Or the fact that both the photos have a large amount of negative space in them, from the sky in the first photo and the silhouetted door frame in the second. However we also looked at how the photos might completely contrast each other and yet still work well together. For instance the two photos have very little similarity when it comes too colour other than some whites, the first having strong blues and greys from the sky and mountains, the second having extremely bold reds from the car and black from the silhouetted door frame.
However despite this the photos still work and tell a story, Luke Fowler actually used these images together trying too connote or reference too car adverts that your likely too see on T.V where there would be a car driving through a scenic mountainous environment on a long winding road.
However despite this the photos still work and tell a story, Luke Fowler actually used these images together trying too connote or reference too car adverts that your likely too see on T.V where there would be a car driving through a scenic mountainous environment on a long winding road.
MORE COMPARING AND CONTRASTONG OF TWO-FRAME FILMS
Here we were simply comparing and contrasting the two images in this diptych made from a two frame film. I looked at the similarities like the pattern of clouds in the sky, patterns in colours like the strong whites and blues in both. Also the correlation in composition, the way the camera is pointed in both photos looking up at buildings with some sky, and a view of the streets below. Both photos also ave very strong geometrical structures so all in all the two photos are extremely similar, however there are some differences, for example the image on the left is a lot more calm and quite in comparison to the photo on the right which is a lot more busy and noisy, with cars, buildings in the four ground and in the background along with a large crane which really stands out in the back. Theres also more of a sense of perspective in the photo on the right than in the left because of the way the photo is taken looking down along a street with more of a sense of four and background as things move further away.
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how to make photo books
There are many ways of creating something to showcase your work, in zines or photo books. to the right in the video are instructions on how to create your own home made photo book with a Japanese binding method. You can also create your own zine, which is a style of photo book with images on a fold out piece of paper, using this method is cheap and easy however not very popular as people usually tend to prefer the normal photo book design. You can also order to have a photo book made for you online professionally with you own design, images and layout etc. However using this method can be very pricey depending on how many pages you want, hard back or soft back etc.
These are a few popular websites people tend to go to... -www.mixbook.com/Photo-Books/Custom-Designs -www.bonusprint.co.uk/Photo-Books/Order-Now -www.optimalprint.co.uk/Photo-Books |
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my first photo book
This is the first photo book that I have made as a draft just to experiment with diptychs, the layout of the book in general, and the photos content in themselves. Its a also a good way of narrowing down images from a large collection to be possibly used in the final one. What I found out through making this photo book was that some of my images worked well, and some didn't, I much prefer the more composed images where I have really though about what I am taking a photo of. I also found that I enjoyed some of the less conventional images where I had really zoomed in and come close to what Im taking a photos of, also images where I had taken them from strange, interesting angles and when an image comes out blurry. I prefer these sorts of images because since this short book is made up of a few different types of images (black and white, landscape, portraiture etc) I think it would communicate a more clear story if the images were all in a more similar in style as well as being more visually pleasing, so for me the next step is to take many more images in this style. I also found that before I thought id prefer all of the images in my book to have no negative space surrounding them, however after creating this book I found that for me having the same layout of images on each page can become very repetitive and that I actually enjoyed the page where I had included negative space and changed up the layout more so than the other pages with the same layout. one of the things I really like about my book is the front and bock cover, I really like how the image is simple and nice, its also dark which I think works well with the black card I used, however the thing I like the most is how the image travels through to the back side of the book, covering the spine and leaving negative space elsewhere which I think works really well for an interesting cover design.
my final photo-book
I am very happy with the way that my photo book came out. I wanted this book to feel similar to journey, as if every image was part of a bigger narrative, which is why I started the book with images which were taken during daylight, with the images slowly becoming darker and moving in to the images taken at night, to help reflect the movement of time from the evening to the night. I also included many more images taken at night time than during day light because I wanted to communicate that during night time we often have a lot more to do as it has a lot more too offer for me and my friends because day time usually means getting on with either things like school or work, which I think works successfully. I am also very pleased with the way the diptychs came out. I used images together that I thought really worked well together from my previous experiments with mock up photo books. I am pleased with the ways that I matched similar colours and subject matter.