1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating  with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.– visualisation of her family culture, the way the images have been altered could suggest her relationship with her family.

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.)- carolle benitah,

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.- like a childrens book , no text only pictures.
• Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both.- use of both and textured to the eye.
• Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages.- all different shapes and sizes.
• Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leperello- hard back cover
• 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.- each image is a different size on each page
• Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process.– each page has either one or two juxtapositions.
• Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others.  Use of captions (if any.)

UNDERSTANDING PHOTOBOOKS:
NARRATIVE, EDITING, SEQUENCING, DESIGN, FORM, FUNCTION 

Earlier in the academic year we looked at narrative in photography. Let’s refresh our memory and revisit some of the theories around visual storytelling.