photo book

1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating  with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.

2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)

3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:

  • Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper.
  • Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.
  • Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.
  • Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leperello
  • Cover: linen/ card. graphic/ printed image. embossed/ debossed. letterpress/ silkscreen/hot-stamping.
  • Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing.
  • Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told?
  • Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative.
  • Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts.
  • Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.
  • Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others.  Use of captions (if any.)

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