Understanding photobooks – Colberg, J. (2016)

This source increased my understanding of photobooks and gave me lots of good advice. These are my notes:

A photo book is its own unique medium, a book that is viewed because of the images inside it. The photographs should carry a book’s message, ant text is subordinate.

Main differences between an exhibition and a photobook:

• Exhibitions operate in a specific place, has a limited lifespan, viewers enter to view the images, usually in a clinical space.
• The exhibition is constructed around the space someone can cover walking.
• Exhibition images can be larger and be viewed from further away.
• More control over with an exhibition on how it’s viewed than a book
• Photo book has no shelf life
• Photobook is an intimate object, viewed individually as and when wanted
• Photobooks live in the space between a person’s hands and eyes
• Photobooks go out into the world, they are a ‘photographers ambassadors’ (Colberg, 2016:26)
• Photobooks can be viewed over and over again

A photo book as an object:

They have a physicality, is to be handled, the size, the weight, affects how you hold it.

• The end pages, page paper, have an effect on your experience – makes it feel cheap/expensive
• Is the printing good quality?images true, light and showing detail? Does the whole book have an unwanted colour cast?
• A softcover can be too flimsy, though a hard cover might not lay flat
• Is the texture attractive and easy to read?

Colberg says it is important for photographers to ‘be aware of how the process of making a photo book will inevitably entail making compromises’ (Colberg, 2016:33). He divides publishing into 1) production and 2) postproduction stages,

Production:

• The concept
• Editing the images
• Sequencing the edit
• Text production
• Design and layout
• Materials printing and binding decisions
• Preprinting file preparation
• Printing
• Binding

Postproduction:

• transportation to warehouse/shop
• Advertising
• Selling

He usefully lists the challenges as:

• Quality of printing – especially on on-demand printers
• Correct binding – so nothing is trimmed off or unprinted. Perfect binding, which I’ll use,  can be satisfactory if attention is paid to not putting images across the gutter, made cheaply
• Getting the correct overall feel of a quality book
• Preparing a digital file effectively- this I will have to learn to do with affinity software.

His seventeen rules for how to make a photobook:

1. Know why your book has to be made- what will this contribute that hasn’t been in this form before? Don’t make them for their own sake.
2. Do your own research to support your decision making during the process. What are my preferences? What works well?
3. Avoid shortcuts
4. Best made through collaboration. Use other eyes, a designer, use whatever expert help you can get.
5. Have a budget – it’s always a balancing act. Understand the costs.
6. Everything has to be in the service of the book- to desired end, e.g. Edit, sequencing, design, materials…
7. There has to be a good reason for every decision made. As above
8. Be prepared to make compromises. This may well be in my case because of budget.
9. Aim for the perfect book then make the best possible.
10. There is no such thing as the perfect photobook. As above use the best solutions.
11. A photobook plays more than one role, e.g. expression, selling, promotion…
12. Keep your audience in mind – ensure it is understandable.
13. Don’t approach editing and sequencing as if they are dark arts. ‘editing is based on recognizing form and content’ (Colberg, 2016:189)- give the images your full attention over time.
14. Allow the process to take time – do not let the deadline dictate the outcome
15. Always work with physical objects: notebooks, prints, dummies…
16. All aspects of photobook making are important
17. Don’t worry about money. He suggests if you don’t have the money-don’t do it!

My takeaways:

Reading this book has enforced my belief that a book is the best medium for my work.

I know why I am making a book – to share my feelings about community and to encourage others to reflect on community – and by sharing through artist talks only I have control locally about who views the images and poetry.

The book will be an ambassador for my work, but most importantly it is an intimate object that can be viewed where and when liked. I intend my work to be reflective and a book that can be viewed over and over supports this ethos.

Reference:

Colberg, J. (2016) Understanding photobooks. London, England: Routledge.