A friend of mine who is a book publisher says that books are the main technology for ideas and emotions to endure. This is more eloquent when the book it’s about photographs.
Books give a realness to the photographic process. It gives us a chance to appreciate the entire process that the photographer took to make the book. From the photo, editing, paper and layout. It’s offers mystery and a learning experience.
Print and books indeed shape us because we engage with them sensorially through touch. Holding a photo book, feeling its weight, and turning its pages are tactile experiences. The smell of the pages and the texture we feel as we pause and pass our fingers over them make the entire process an embodied experience.
Photography, particularly through photo books, is an ongoing process. We continuously experience the spaces and places depicted in the images, and these spaces remain with us, imprinted on our embodied selves.
To be clear, I don’t believe I’ve ever properly looked through a photo book, although a friend gave me a Zine he made the other day for helping out another friend who had an accident and needed a bit of help. So maybe that’s a photo book? I’m fairly new to photography, and although perusing Instagram images is wonderful, holding the Zine brought back memories of reading through Disney’s Encyclopedia set my Grandparents had when I was a child. Maybe those were photo books? I did buy a book the other week dedicated to the work of Vivian Maier…I marveled at each page, although I didn’t consider the efforts, and story, the curator placed into creating the work…mostly because I was absorbed into another world and time foreign to my experiences. After reading your article, I’m beginning to think that is exactly what a photo book is meant to do. Thank you asking us to share a bit. Pausing to remember how I felt, looking through these publications, has me relishing the idea I may be one of the three fortunate participants to experience something new! Grateful.
Photobooks are wonderful for learning. I’ve been focusing on historical photographers as I’m starting my photography journey. But even with the separation of time, I’ve found ways to connect with and be inspired by each photographer I’ve discovered through books: Margaret Bourke-White, Lee Miller, Lilian Bassman, Carrie Mae Weems, and Imogen Cunningham.
Great list of photographers and their books you are listing, Mary!!!! These are great photographers of our times. And these, as many other "historical photographers" are, IMHO a MUST to discover and look at to understand what photography is about and where it comes from and to understand how today's great photographers work and by whom in the past they were influenced.
Not all photobooks are created equal. When I spend time with a good one I feel as if I’m having a conversation with the photographer; one of discovery for me and of presentation for them. Their job is done and mine is just beginning. All the parts of the conversation are there; the images, their sequencing, the page design. Decoding those elements, working out what they are “saying” is where my work begins.
When I find myself spending time with a bad photobook (poor images, bad design, uneven sequencing) I regret the waste of time and the lack of an interesting conversation. But bad photobooks tend to be thin, which makes them ideal for slipping under a short table leg.
There is an irony to writing about the importance, durability and archivability of books on an ephemeral digital platform. I think it’s crucial for the work being done to make itself eligible at least for cataloging and archiving. The work, words and images, takes our societal creative temperature and gives evidence about the zeitgeist. Valuable insight for future (optimistic here) generations to try and understand where our heads were in this crazy time. Books necessitate libraries, which are foundational for a functioning democracy.
I love the fact of being able to feel the weight of the book, touch the pages, smell the paper and experience the photographs in the order the photographer/editor chose to publish them. We take the time to absorb each page before flipping to the next. It touches all our senses in a way that digital publishing will never be able to do.
I like photo books because they allow most people to share and organize photos in an effective and concise manner. While websites are great and Instagram is technically functional they are far from permanent. Their printed nature also gives them a permanence, and with that a life of their own, that few other things in this modern digital world.
Books are essential to me. I treasure them, and i love to share them with other people. They give you an opportunity to experience the work of other artists, and consider it at your leisure, again and again as the need arises.
I have a small collection of photo books and I love the way they spark my senses - the touch of the cover, the texture and smell of the paper as I turn each page not to mention the anticipation that turning each page brings...what new place or story will be revealed.
I remember the fear that with the onset of digital, print and books would die - it may be true with newsprint and some magazines, yet with photo books I think the opposite is happening because of physical engagement with the art within and the fact that they are an accessible way to collect a photographers work.
I love the escape a book provides. With photography books, I can immerse myself in the photographers vision again and again and see/feel/learn something new every time.
I love art books because they tell us about the artists and the stories behind the works. You often learn things that you didn't think of before. It's amazing but I wouldn't say that about just books on photography but books on all sorts of visual art. Curious minds want to know why you chose photography only?
Print is a physical connection, a tangible link between artist and viewer. Signed editions become precious items, the knowledge an artist has leafed through the pages and signed their name, giving a book to a loved one as a gift, seeing an image in it's printed form as it should be viewed, having books on your bookshelf, a reflection of your taste and personality. All this and more is why print will always matter...
A friend of mine who is a book publisher says that books are the main technology for ideas and emotions to endure. This is more eloquent when the book it’s about photographs.
Books give a realness to the photographic process. It gives us a chance to appreciate the entire process that the photographer took to make the book. From the photo, editing, paper and layout. It’s offers mystery and a learning experience.
Great images need to be on paper, plain and simple. A screen will never compare to printed matter.
Print and books indeed shape us because we engage with them sensorially through touch. Holding a photo book, feeling its weight, and turning its pages are tactile experiences. The smell of the pages and the texture we feel as we pause and pass our fingers over them make the entire process an embodied experience.
Photography, particularly through photo books, is an ongoing process. We continuously experience the spaces and places depicted in the images, and these spaces remain with us, imprinted on our embodied selves.
To be clear, I don’t believe I’ve ever properly looked through a photo book, although a friend gave me a Zine he made the other day for helping out another friend who had an accident and needed a bit of help. So maybe that’s a photo book? I’m fairly new to photography, and although perusing Instagram images is wonderful, holding the Zine brought back memories of reading through Disney’s Encyclopedia set my Grandparents had when I was a child. Maybe those were photo books? I did buy a book the other week dedicated to the work of Vivian Maier…I marveled at each page, although I didn’t consider the efforts, and story, the curator placed into creating the work…mostly because I was absorbed into another world and time foreign to my experiences. After reading your article, I’m beginning to think that is exactly what a photo book is meant to do. Thank you asking us to share a bit. Pausing to remember how I felt, looking through these publications, has me relishing the idea I may be one of the three fortunate participants to experience something new! Grateful.
Photobooks are wonderful for learning. I’ve been focusing on historical photographers as I’m starting my photography journey. But even with the separation of time, I’ve found ways to connect with and be inspired by each photographer I’ve discovered through books: Margaret Bourke-White, Lee Miller, Lilian Bassman, Carrie Mae Weems, and Imogen Cunningham.
Great list of photographers and their books you are listing, Mary!!!! These are great photographers of our times. And these, as many other "historical photographers" are, IMHO a MUST to discover and look at to understand what photography is about and where it comes from and to understand how today's great photographers work and by whom in the past they were influenced.
Not all photobooks are created equal. When I spend time with a good one I feel as if I’m having a conversation with the photographer; one of discovery for me and of presentation for them. Their job is done and mine is just beginning. All the parts of the conversation are there; the images, their sequencing, the page design. Decoding those elements, working out what they are “saying” is where my work begins.
When I find myself spending time with a bad photobook (poor images, bad design, uneven sequencing) I regret the waste of time and the lack of an interesting conversation. But bad photobooks tend to be thin, which makes them ideal for slipping under a short table leg.
There is an irony to writing about the importance, durability and archivability of books on an ephemeral digital platform. I think it’s crucial for the work being done to make itself eligible at least for cataloging and archiving. The work, words and images, takes our societal creative temperature and gives evidence about the zeitgeist. Valuable insight for future (optimistic here) generations to try and understand where our heads were in this crazy time. Books necessitate libraries, which are foundational for a functioning democracy.
I love the fact of being able to feel the weight of the book, touch the pages, smell the paper and experience the photographs in the order the photographer/editor chose to publish them. We take the time to absorb each page before flipping to the next. It touches all our senses in a way that digital publishing will never be able to do.
I like photo books because they allow most people to share and organize photos in an effective and concise manner. While websites are great and Instagram is technically functional they are far from permanent. Their printed nature also gives them a permanence, and with that a life of their own, that few other things in this modern digital world.
Books are essential to me. I treasure them, and i love to share them with other people. They give you an opportunity to experience the work of other artists, and consider it at your leisure, again and again as the need arises.
I have a small collection of photo books and I love the way they spark my senses - the touch of the cover, the texture and smell of the paper as I turn each page not to mention the anticipation that turning each page brings...what new place or story will be revealed.
I remember the fear that with the onset of digital, print and books would die - it may be true with newsprint and some magazines, yet with photo books I think the opposite is happening because of physical engagement with the art within and the fact that they are an accessible way to collect a photographers work.
I love the escape a book provides. With photography books, I can immerse myself in the photographers vision again and again and see/feel/learn something new every time.
Photo books will never die! Thanks to Melissa DeWitt for her informative essay.
I love art books because they tell us about the artists and the stories behind the works. You often learn things that you didn't think of before. It's amazing but I wouldn't say that about just books on photography but books on all sorts of visual art. Curious minds want to know why you chose photography only?
Print is a physical connection, a tangible link between artist and viewer. Signed editions become precious items, the knowledge an artist has leafed through the pages and signed their name, giving a book to a loved one as a gift, seeing an image in it's printed form as it should be viewed, having books on your bookshelf, a reflection of your taste and personality. All this and more is why print will always matter...