Book Making
Research and advice regarding the making of my own photo book.
http://www.bjp-online.com/2014/05/rising-star-daisuke-yokota-releases-new-book-and-performs-book-making-event/
Rising star Daisuke Yokota releases new book and performs book-making eventJapanese photographer-of-the-moment, Daisuke Yokota, performs a book-making event in London, and releases new photo book - Gemma Padley — 19 May 2014
Rising star Daisuke Yokota releases new book and performs book-making eventJapanese photographer-of-the-moment, Daisuke Yokota, performs a book-making event in London, and releases new photo book - Gemma Padley — 19 May 2014
One of the brightest photography talents to emerge from Japan in the last few years, Daisuke Yokota is steadily making a name for himself in contemporary photography circles.
The photographer, who was born in Saitama, Japan, in 1983, is becoming known for his innovative live photography book-making performances, which offer an insight into his working process – a “performative print-making style that has its roots in the 1970s Mono-ha arts movement.”
Yokota, who was featured in BJP as one of our ‘Ones to Watch’ at the start of the year, takes his images with a compact digital camera, and then re-photographs the printed images using medium format film. He then prints them again, making use of leaked light, overheated developer, and singeing the negatives. The prints are sometimes re-photographed up to ten times, adding more distortion each time.
Part of the reason for this approach is “to portray memory; what we remember, as well as what we don’t,” he told BJP in January. “I can visualise invisibleness, or things I don’t remember through those changes. And to visualise them, I have removed any details on a picture; for example, words on signboards or information to specify the location. All I remember about the picture is, ‘I was there with someone once’. In that sense, the background became the subject, and showing the spatiality in the location was very important for me.”
This is the first account i have come across of the process of a 'live book making'. something which gives the audience a great inside into the artists creative process almost more an act of art and performance with less focus on the final piece.
Robert Adam's view on photo books...
http://www.blurb.co.uk/sequence-design-webinar
A useful Blurb video with advise on sequencing and creating your own blurb books, i plan to keep my first dummy book simple, but will consider more complex layouts for future books.
A useful Blurb video with advise on sequencing and creating your own blurb books, i plan to keep my first dummy book simple, but will consider more complex layouts for future books.
Blurb Blog: https://blog.blurb.com/the-secrets-behind-winning-photo-books/
Darius Himes advice on creating a winning book -
Darius Himes advice on creating a winning book -
Subject Matter
What is this book about? Can you summarize the subject in one clear sentence? The subject matter needn’t necessarily be of deep importance or pressing social relevance –anything is a legitimate subject for a book. But that subject should be readily identifiable.
Strength of the Photographs
It goes without saying that a “winning” book entry contains absolutely stellar work. But you’ll be surprised to know that individual images can be strengthened by the company they keep, which is why editing and sequencing photographs is so important.
Editing and Sequencing
Editing a body of photographs is a unique skill. The goals of the editing process –deciding which images to include and which to leave out – are clarity of vision and a powerful artistic voice. Sequencing those images is the next logical step of the process. I always encourage photographers to research the photography book market and really study the books you like. Be especially attentive to the selection of images and sequence of the overall book.
Page Layouts
The placement of the images on each page as well as the consideration of the entire double-page spread is key to the impression a book makes. Page layout is extremely diverse – images can run across the gutter (the seam joining the two facing pages of the book), can bleed off the page, and may vary greatly from page to page and from spread to spread. When you’re designing a book, does the placement of images seem based on conscious choices or do they feel haphazardly situated? Is there a visible logic to the design of the spreads and the presentation of images? How do the photographs relate to the captions and any other text on the page?
Text
Fonts and typefaces are an art form with a rich history, and typeface design is a craft to which people devote their entire lives. As with any and all aspects of the design of a book, it’s extremely helpful to get advice from designers or those whose design taste you trust. A great photography book will be one that has a sophisticated and considered use of text and fonts. You can really become attuned to fonts by studying some of the classics of any genre.
Cover Design
Consider several different images for the cover as well as the cropping of the image, the placement of the title, and the overall impact of the cover design. There are all sorts of schools of thought when it comes to cover design, and the best one for your book rests on a variety of factors. The first factor is about the type of audience you want to attract. The second has to do with what cover most appeals to you and you feel represents the work.
Voice of the Photographer
When you bring all of these factors together you have something that adds up to more than just the sum of the independent parts. A thoughtful, well-designed photography book represents the voice of the photographer, a symphony of thoughts, ideas, creative expression and photographic delight.
Books that i like!
plain and simple no nonsense books with strong imagery/content/messge