I found photos of my dad and his band mate Jim from when he was travelling around the world to places like Australia and New York. He played at gigs around the world and became very popular around the 1980’s. Although his band was popular he still didn’t have much money and got by due the gigs he got and part time jobs on the side; he did this in order to travel to different places. He used to share flats with strangers as he travelled and earned a bed there by doing work fro the people who owned the flat.
Studio Photoshoot
My dad has a music school in St. Helier and on the top floor there is a studio for recording music. I decided to take photos of him playing his guitar as his school is his biggest achievement in life after all his hard work. The contrast between where he came from and what he has now is quite drastic; going from travelling around the world and not having much other than his music to owning a whole school, still gigging and still having his passion for music. He’s been playing the guitar for over 40 years and still loves his guitar as much as he did back then.
In Light Room I selected several images using the rating tool and colouring different images to show which ones I liked the most and which ones I thought were the best quality e.g. green being the best quality and red being the worst, 5/4 stars are photos i like the look of due to their composition or the vibrancy etc and less than 5/4 stars are photos i don’t like the composition of.
I left all the amps in their place in the background as I wanted it to look as natural as possible. I used a macro lens for the close up photos of my Dad’s hands and used flash for a lot of the photos as I thoiught the lighting looked better that way.
The first half of the zine consists of high key images of Paulina and her sister where as the second half of the zine progresses in a darker lower key set of images. I am trying to tell the story of someone who has an almost split personality ( a caring and loving side against a darker more emotional side) The text on page 2 and 6 is going to change as it is only there as an example for now and I am likely to replace the image on page 5 as I feel it does not posses enough meaning or represent my narrative well.
My opening image is a strong portrait of the sisters to show the connection between them and develop a first idea of Paulina as an individual.
My middle image is an extreme close up of Paulina and also the first and colour image. I chose this image to separate the halves of this zine as it best represents the sense isolation and separation from love she feels.
My last page consists of two similar portraits of Paulina that both convey different emotion. I am using these images to emphasise the split between her feelings.
Final sequence
My first and final image have remained the same as my first sequence however I have selected a more powerful image for the middle of the zine. This image is still the first colour image but is also now the only photo in colour. This further emphasises the importance of this image and it’s meaning.
Although the order of my images are not in separate halves any more the high key vs low key theme is still relevant and shows the split in her personality.
My new front / back cover shows two things that are meant to be together, however they are separated by the book. I liked this for my cover as it is an appropriate metaphor for the themes of this Zine and it is different from the rest of the photos showcased, this difference amplifies the meaning of the image.
I ended up with three alternate layouts. After some feedback I went with the 3rd layout shown below. This was the best layout as there was a constant and clear narrative throughout the sequence and it used my best images.
Overall I am pleased with my zine and I think it represents a good narrative with high quality images and an interesting sequence. I believe I could have completed an extra photo shoot to further develop the quality of my zine and therefore would have been able to follow my original specification more closely. I am happy with the final print of my zine as the dark images appear to merge with the black background of the pages. This brings the book together and incorporates it within the narrative demonstrating confinement and isolation. The images from different photo shoots are never shown on the same page as I wanted to truly enforce the idea of the split between her personality and the difference in the way she acts around loved ones and by her self. The final spread is the only bridge between these two feelings. I used this to finally compare the two sides to this story side by side so it was clear to the viewer.
Sequencing is merely ordering the visual flow, in this case in order to create a narrative of love. Sequencing a zine is a fairly subjective topic, as every narrative has the possibility to be expressed in multiple ways, depending on the photographer’s own individual thought process and general style.
“Some photographs, irrelevant as lone images, will trigger interest when combined with others in a series of photos.”
Alexis, www.film-photography-blog.com
Sequencing helps us in defining precisely what we want to convey, whether it is a positive emotion or a negative one, or whether the image is meant to trigger self-analysis or observation, or whether it is simply for aesthetic purposes in that particular section of the narrative.
Overall, it’s about balance and creating/enhancing meaning to a set of images.
HOW DO I SEQUENCE MY IMAGES ?
There are many different methods of sequencing a group of images, depending on the amount of images, how they are being presented, the photographer’s intentions and their personal preference.
1.
The most common and visually simple way would be to print all the image out on a normal printer, as high-quality isn’t necessary, then arranging them out on a flat surface and physically ordering and re-ordering them around in a trial-and-error type process until a pleasing sequence is found. This could be replicated digitally, using Lightroom or maybe just in a folder using the thumbnails. The benefits of this method are that it is visually simpler to picture a sequence when you are able to move all of your images about in front of you, physically. However a drawback could be that it may be fairly time-consuming, and may require resources that you do’t have access to.
2.
Another method could be to group the images by themes, whether they all showcase a particular feeling or emotion, or have a similar form or use of light, or even if they just have a similar colour palette that works well together. This has the advantage of creating a good flow of images, however it may be more difficult to deal with the outliers that don’t fit into your preconceived themes.
3.
Additionally, you could think about the zine as a whole and sequence images in “chapters” or as parts of a story. This can build tension in the narrative and is easier done with the use of archival imagery, as they can often provide more context and clarity to the story. These groups of images, or “chapters”, could show the progress of a person’s life or relationship with another person from beginning, to middle, to end, or they could focus on the relationships between different people in each chapter. They have the potential to detail literally any progression of events, depending on the photographer’s creativity, manner of thinking, and skill behind a camera. This is beneficial in that it really helps to create a strong narrative and engage whoever is looking at your images, however it is more complicated and may not work with every narrative or group of images.
The link below is to an interview with a Magnum photographer, who explains how he went about sequencing his photos:
A zine is defined as a product of an individual person or small group of people with the main purpose of exposure or raising awareness of an issue, or simply spreading your own work in a more put-together and professional way. The content of a zine isn’t limited to photography, and the concept of a zine is also used in illustration and design. (also historically forming the basis for comic books)
“A photography zine, for example, is a tool that photographers can use to tell a visual story, to inform an audience about a specific topic or issue, to showcase and advertise a new idea or simply create a preview of an ongoing project.”
www.eyeem.com
There aren’t any set rules for making a photo zine, any theme or topic is possible to present as a zine as they are a form of creativity and self-expression. As a result, they can be incredibly introspective and personal to the photographer or the subject of the zine, often bordering on topics to do with family, personal trauma, mental health or one’s childhood.
INSPIRATIONS / EXAMPLES :
#1-
An example of a successful photo zine is ‘The Epilogue’ from photographer Laia Abril, who documented a the Robinson family and the impact of the loss of their daughter Cammy to bulimia in 2005. As can be seen below, it features archival imagery as well as Abril’s own images, and archival documents as well such as Cammy’s birth certificate, letters between her and other family members and friends, as well as various papers documenting her illness and her funeral. It also has transcribed conversations from her parents, siblings and friends, explaining Cammy’s life story and how she suffered, as well as how it affected them and their lives, and how they dealt with the grief following her death.
the epilogue, by Laia Abril
Much of the archival imagery’s colours are faded and grainy, and the modern photographs are either dark with a neutral colour palette. In my opinion this represents how ……
Overall there is a clear narrative of a young girl’s life, from her childhood and her adolescence to the aftermath of her death and how her family are coping. The reader is following Cammy’s story as told through the eyes of her family, people who knew her, and finally the photographer herself through her camera lens.
#2-
Another successful example of a zine that I can use as inspiration is from a previous Hautlieu student. I find that her editing style, specifically the way certain images had handwritten words over it and the way they look as though they’ve just been doodled on, is very inspiring and interesting, and it adds a more personal tone to the images, specifically as they are of her friends so it makes it seem more intimate and engaging. Her images look as though they were taken on an old film camera, and as a result have a fairly timeless sense about them. Below are examples of screenshots from Lightroom of her finished product before it was made into a physical zine, taken from her blog :
These images all show a narrative of friendship and personal reflection, as well as being creatively engaging and compelling. The person reading this zine is looking at the photographer’s friends through her own eyes, through the medium of the camera lens, which is also emphasised through the angles used: mainly at eye level but occasionally from above, as if standing above that person in real life. This zine, unlike the previous one, does not feature archival imagery, however this works in its favour as it tells a continuous story in the present, instead of a story that began in the past and has ended. Finally, the monochrome throughout adds more emphasis to the red lines/writing used occasionally, and ties all the images together as a single set, or narrative.
