WHAT ARE PHOTO ZINES ?

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 :

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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.

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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.

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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 :

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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.

STORY: What is your love story?

• 3 words – father
• A sentence – following the life of my dad
• A paragraph – learning and documenting the life of my dad, taking photographs of significant places, things or moments in his life.

NARRATIVE: How will you tell your story?

• Images > of my dad and possibly his siblings/relatives who were my grandparents children, possibly imitating past photos in same locations and highlighting similarities in looks and characteristics in close up portraits. Taking photos of previous houses/farms they lived in and comparing them to what they look like present day. Aiming to capture real Jersey/French roots aswell as showing our families strong history.
• Archives > old photos from family albums and SJ/Jersey archive, family trees
• Texts > letters, documents, poems, text messages

AUDIENCE: Who is it for?

Everyone and anyone of any age, but mainly myself, for my personal interest but also for anyone who shares the same situation of never meeting their grandparents. Possibly also for my family, which would bring a sense of nostalgia back to them.

IDEAS: What am I planning to do?

• A focus on the families strong history and individuality
• Capture differences and similarities between relatives who have deceased and those who are still around today.
• Keep it interesting and maybe even weird, use metaphors
• Don’t just do portrait images, also aim to photograph the family tree, archival images and also buildings/places of residence, whether it is now or was previously, or places they frequently visited, or had a close connection to, local church, local pub, local beach, parish hall, but also photograph objects of potential heirlooms, objects that have a special meaning to someone, all in the aim of adding context to my families unique story.

IMAGE IDEAS: How am I going to tackle this?

• Portraits of my dad or other siblings/relatives of his/mine
• Archival imagery of people such as my grandma and grandad as well as significant/relevant places/buildings
• Candid Images of my dad just being himself in his daily life, unstaged, unprepaired and natural. (Images of him working, doing chores, or enjoying life/pastimes and hobbies)
• Tableuax images, of him posing the same way as his dad to reenact an old photo
• Close up images, abstract images, hand images. (I want to stay away from the overused abstract theme, I want my story to be more clear and emotional as a pose to confusing and mysterious as I am trying to learn and share my families history
• Images of environment/buildings/areas of significance/local places
• Unexpected images
• Surprise photographs
• Standard Iphone photographs, use images from my camera roll from the past year
• DSLR camera photos for higher quality/better resolution photographs

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WHAT IS LOVE?

LOVE

When we love someone we experience the same positive thoughts and experiences as when we like a person. But we also experience a deep sense of care and commitment towards that person. Being “in love” includes all the above but also involves feelings of sexual arousal and attraction.

Love is a very vague, broad and complicated feeling, that can be felt by everyone in many various different ways towards many various different things. Below are the different types of love one can experience…

1. Agape — Unconditional Love – Often referred to as the ‘highest’ form of love. It’s given without any expecting a reward or something in return.
2. Eros — Romantic Love. – The most primal form of love experienced in each person. (displayed through physical affection)
3. Philia — Affectionate Love. – Love without romantic attraction. It occurs when both people share the same values and can respect one other.
4. Philautia — Self-love. – Recognising self -worth and attending to personal needs.
5. Storge — Familiar Love. – This is naturally occurring between parents, children and best friends. It’s love built upon acceptance and deep emotional connection.
6. Pragma — Enduring Love. – This matures over many years between a couple that puts equal effort into their relationship and has both commitment and dedication to one another.
7. Ludus — Playful Love. – The immature and early stages of intimate love.
8. Mania — Obsessive Love. – An unhealthy obsession with another person, leading to codependency. Usually found in insecure individuals who need their partner to find a sense of self-value.

STUDYING PORTRAITURE: ARTIST STUDY OF HENRY MULLINS

Henry Mullins was a British photographer who moved to Jersey in the 1800s, and opened a studio photography business in St Helier. He stayed for 20 years where he photographed over 9000 islanders out of Jersey’s entire population of 55,000 at the time. His main focus was on portrait photography in which he succeeded very well in, of which he tried many styles including candid, environmental and headshots. To be precise, Mullins started working at 230 Regent Street in London in the 1840s and moved to Jersey in July 1848, setting up a studio known as the Royal Saloon, at 7 Royal Square. Initially he was in partnership with a Mr Millward, about whom very little is known. By the following year he was working alone and he continued to work out of the same studio for another 26 years.

All these images above are examples of Henry Mullins work, taken during his years on the island: Portrait of Miss Rocke (Top left), Portrait of Mr S Sauer (Top right), Portrait of Mr Oldfield (bottom).

For a brief period in the 1860s he also worked in London, but judging by the collection of his photographs which is now held by La Société Jersiaise, he found plenty of willing sitters in the island prepared to pay half a guinea (promoted as “one half of that in London”) to have their portrait taken by him.

Here we can see 3 photos taken by Mullins in his studio in the 1800s . Ironically, I’ve chosen these photos as they all share my surname and thus means i am distantly related to them showing evidence of his work in Jersey a couple centuries ago.

Each of the images has been set up in a very formal classical format, stereotypical of the time. The images are taken very simply, with a clear focal point, being the models face, in every image. There is minimal depth of field as the background is relatively empty, being taken in a studio, therefore again placing a main emphasis on the model. The low resolution and poor quality of the images, compared to modern photography, are due to the cameras at the time being the first cameras invented. The exposure and capture time would take an excruciatingly long time to produce an image, hence the models neutral facial expression and standard upright position.

By studying Mullins work I intend to be inspired by his portrait images, particularly in the way he frames his environmental portraits, however, I do not intend at this point to follow his classic style of imagery as I want to create images linked more towards modern portrait photography, merely using Mullins images as a way to learn about the art.

Studying photography enhances your creative, social and cultural understanding, while developing your specialist technical knowledge around equipment, techniques and style

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don’t restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

Work experience

You’ll need a portfolio of your work to demonstrate your ability and style. You can develop this through work experience or volunteering, as well as getting involved in university projects, local competitions and final year degree shows.

Degree courses may provide opportunities for you to get work experience through placements and to undertake live briefs. Use these experiences to build up a network of contacts that can be helpful for finding work. Attending industry talks can also provide access to contacts.

You may be able to find relevant opportunities in image archiving, print services, framing services and photo developing centres within pharmacies, supermarkets and department stores.

Interpersonal skills are critical for photography careers, so any experience which promotes customer service skills will be useful, as is experience at events, particularly social ones, where you can observe structure and organisation and practise your photography skills.

There are many online courses and tutorials available which could help you to develop skills in photo editing and image processing.

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

Relevant employers can depend on your specialist area, which may cover:

Employers include:

A large number of photographers are self-employed and work in a freelance capacity.

It’s also possible to use your creative skills in related areas such as marketing and digital marketing, advertising, web design, graphic design, publishing and curating, where opportunities exist with a range of businesses and consultancies. Teaching is another option for photography graduates.

Find information on employers in creative arts and design, marketing, advertising and PR, media and internet and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

Studying photography provides you with expertise in sophisticated photography techniques, such as composition, manipulation, editing, processing, colouring and visual effects, as well as practical skills in relevant technologies.

You learn how to curate and exhibit your photography and develop the marketing skills needed to sell and promote it. You also learn about the key legal, ethical and cultural issues around taking, editing and selling photographic images.

The course also allows you to gain confidence in relationship building between image maker, subject and client.

In addition, you acquire a range of skills that are highly valued by employers. These include:

Further study

There are a range of photography-related postgraduate courses available both in the UK and internationally. These courses may help develop the skills you need for self-employment, or improve employability in what is a very competitive field.

Some courses focus learning into a specific area of photography, such as clinical photography or photojournalism, while others offer a more in-depth look at photography generally.

Other areas of postgraduate research, study and training commonly taken up by photography graduates include advertising, design, film, editing, journalism, teaching and creative enterprise.

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search for postgraduate courses in photography.

What do photography graduates do?

Over a third of graduates working in the UK six months after graduation are working as photographers or audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators.

Destination	Percentage
Employed	78.9
Further study	7.8
Working and studying	3.8
Unemployed	4.3
Other	5.2

Graduate destinations for photography

Type of work	Percentage
Arts, design and media	42.9
Retail, catering and bar work	20.3
Marketing, PR and sales	7.9
Secretarial and numerical clerk	4.5
Other	24.3

DEFINITION: “A photo zine is a self-published, often handmade collection of photographs laid out in a magazine style. It can include written text and illustrations as well as photos. They are designed to display and share photo stories.”

Photozines can be incredibly idiosyncratic and personal. They allow photographers and artists to experiment with their work, enabling them to portray their images in ways that oppose the traditional publishing of a photobook. A photographer’s zine can connect the artist more directly with their intended audience, appealing to them through not only the images but the placement of the photo within the book, the relevance of the page or the juxtaposition created between images throughout the book can make the presentation of the artist’s work much more meaningful and expressive.

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Rita Puig-Serra Costa

Many photographers use photo-zines to tell a narrative. In Costa’s zine ‘Where mimosa bloom’, she has created a story about her own family (starting her zine off by introducing family members in her family tree) and her connection to her mother.

‘Among the most arresting photographs is Little Bird, a double-page close up of a premature baby bird cradled in Puig-Serra Costa’s softly lit hand. Life-size and featherless against a black background, it evokes abandonment and fragility, but also the strength to rescue and attend to life’

¬Janelle Lynch, on her review of ‘Where Mimosa Bloom’

Costa focuses on the depth of love that can be expressed after experiencing an immense amount of grief. The zine took over two years to create, as she spent the time collecting materials and taking photographs of places, objects and people that had an impact on her relationship to her mother. The photo zine is dedicated to her mother, who passed away from cancer in 2008.

However, despite the upsetting context behind the project, the zine itself avoids the self-pitying, isolating effects of grief. Costa acheives this through her bright colour scheme and implantation of significant people, places, objects and nostalgic photographs that captures her relationship with her mother both before her diagnosis, during and after her passing.

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Her use of double page spreads for particular images of locations and old photographs amplifies the importance of these contextual places and the prominence of these childhood memories to Costa herself. The incorporation of these images on a large scale includes her audience in a private, personal part of her life, intensifying the rapport Costa has created with them.

My personal zine

For my own personal zine, I wanted to incorporate a similar colour scheme. Because my photo-zine presents the stages of becoming intimate with someone, I intend to adapt the colour scheme of the portraits throughout. I plan to experiment with black and white monochromatic images, shifting to more vibrant and colourful images as the zine progresses. Additionally, I aim to try and match the colours of my portraits with the image they are directly adjacent to. To do this I may choose the colour of my subject’s clothing based off of the image I want to place them with.

I was inspired by the way Costa used photos of simple objects that have deeper context- acting as staples of her relationship with her mother. I aim to include objects, places and people that have significance to my subjects, which have had a clear impact on their character and personality. The objects and places in particular will allow the viewers to feel more connected to the subjects in my zine as they will have seen the places that are sentimental to each person as well as their passion towards their hobby or a person that is dear to them.

Furthermore, I want to set context in a similar way to Costa. Her use of double page A4 spreads for significant photos stood out to me. I plan to experiment with this idea, to see the effect of placing context so prominently.

This photographer has a theme of finding patterns in life and linking two completely different things together through different shapes or patterns e.g. water droplets and slides link together because they have the same circular shape and in the mood board below, it shows that they link because they have the same cool tones and colours. This Japanese photographer is also associated with the aesthetics of Wabi Sabi, where imperfections are accepted as beautiful in life and should be loved. Her work is described to have a dream-like quality to them, which a lot of people find soothing and want to look at her work more often in order to relax.

Kawauchi depicts the ordinary things in life and makes them into something meaningful. I’m going to try display this in my own photography; to find love in the simpler and finer things in life. Love doesn’t necessarily mean a connection with a person, it can mean many things; finding love in the imperfections of your life could lead to a lot more happiness as you would see try to the problems in your life as something to learn from and appreciate rather than a flaw that has top be fixed.

“If an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi.” – Andrew Juniper

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“Photographer Rinko Kawauchi discusses her interest in the small mysteries of everyday life, which she explores in her series Utatane (2001). She explains why she was drawn to the sublime beauty of the controlled burning of grasslands in Japan for her series Ametsuchi (2012–13), and reflects on how her photography comes from a state between dreams and waking.”

Photo Analysis

When looking into the technical parts of the photo and the way the photo was taken through the camera lens the lighting looks like natural lighting, possibly from a cloudy day. The lighting also allows there to be cooler tones in the photograph and contrasts nicely with the warmer tones coming from the burning cigarette. As well as the contrast in colour, the contrast in in darker and lighter tones in shown on the person’s hand in the photo; where the skin shines from the direst light and then the darker cool toned shadow contrasting with it. The contrast between the shadows and highlights isn’t too drastic, the only black shown in the photo in on the cigarette which pin points it as the focus of the photo. When looking the aperture the depth of field doesn’t seem to be very shallow in this photograph as the whole photo seems to be fairly blurry and out of focus.Looking into the ISO, the photo seems to have a very low sensitivity meaning it the photo appears to be a bit grainier than the average photo. There is also not a lot of tonal range and contrast, the tones and colours seem to quite neutral.

Observing the visual representation in this photograph, there doesn’t seem too much tonal range when it comes to the main focus of the photograph (the cigarette being hold in the models hand), although the burning part of the cigarette in contrast with the cool background, makes the photo have some differentiation from the background compared to the warm light tones coming from the burning cigarette. Due to the lack of sharpness being shown in the photo, defined textures are difficult to pick out. The photograph is clearly 2D and due to it being blurry it can’t have the 3D concept of coming alive through the photo. There is a repetitive theme throughout Rinko Kawauchi’s photographs of cool tones which has connotations of gloominess and calmness.

Contextually and conceptually, this photograph is meant to make the observer think about imperfections. The way humans destroy their bodies due to addiction is a imperfect part of humans. The actual photo reflects imperfections due to the blurriness and empty space. The cool toned empty background show the coldness surrounded in people’s lives and where there is room for improvement and happiness. The only warm toned part of the photo the imperfection in a persons life which is a cigarette. I think the meaning behind this is meant to be that anyone will try and find happiness in anything and sometimes they take a wrong route and follow through with addictions, which in the long run, will only bring less happiness.