1. Research a photo-book –
‘For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness’ – Julian Germain
Overview
In a series of photographs made over eight years, Julian Germain captured the quiet, contemplative existence of an old man living alone in a small house in a city on the south coast of England.
‘I met Charles Albert Lucien Snelling on a Saturday in April, 1992. He lived in a typical two up two down terraced house amongst many other two up two down terraced houses… It was yellow and orange. In that respect it was totally different from every other house on the street. Charlie was a simple, gentle, man. He loved flowers and the names of flowers. He loved colour and surrounded himself with colour. He loved his wife. Without ever trying or intending to, he showed me that the most important things in life cost nothing at all. He was my antidote to modern living.’ – Julian Germain
For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness was first published in 2005, selling out soon after its release; Germain’s affectionate portrait of Charles is now in its third edition, the success of this photobook is evident, genuine and unique image making may be the cause of this success. Elements of tableaux/documentary photography are seen throughout, along with the use of family archives in the form of a photobook as seen below.
2. Who is the photographer?
Julian Germain was born in London in 1962. He studied at Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham and the Royal College of Art, London.
As a photographer, Germain is interested in the documentation of diverse social groups and in the notion of the amateur. He often utilises vernacular photographs, collected from archives, catalogues and family albums, lending his work an anthropological quality and indeed it can be seen to reflect on photography’s place in society as well as record the passage of time.
3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design –
- Book in hand: how does it feel? Cover has a rough texture, inside pages are smooth/glossy
- Paper and ink: Use of coloured Images throughout along with grainy/vintage style archived images
- Format, size and orientation: Portrait/235 × 280 mm 80 pages 42 colour plates
- Cover: Hard cover/graphic
- Title: Poetic/quote – For Every Minute You Are Angry, You Lose Sixty Seconds of Happiness.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Narrative: A series of photographs made over eight years, Julian Germain captured the quiet, contemplative existence of an old man living alone in a small house in a city on the south coast of England.
- Design and layout: Pages consist of single image/page layout, minimalistic. Double-spread/archive images
- Editing and sequencing: Effective selection of images/tell us a story
- Images and text: Imagery/ text are linked, text gives us deeper understanding of the narrative –
“I met Charles Albert Lucien Snelling on a Saturday in April, 1992. He lived in a typical two up two down terraced house amongst many other typical two up two down terraced houses, close to Fratton Park, the Portsmouth football ground. I was on my way there to photograph the Portsmouth v Nottingham Forest cup – tie, when I noticed Charlie’s house. It was yellow and orange. In that respect it was totally different from every other house on the street.
Mildly interested and with plenty of time to spare, I crossed the road to have a closer look and discovered that this was actually a kind of shop. In the large front bay window there were a few plants on sale for unusual prices; for example 57p or 34p or 83p. I went inside and there I found some more plants and fiowers sitting in plastic pots on a table covered with newspaper. The bottom half of the walls were wood panelled and painted bright yellow; above that they were decorated, probably in the 1970’s, with a bold paisley / floral style wallpaper.
Charlie appeared; quietly spoken, elderly, polite. He told me what the various flora were and said that yes, he would be happy to put some to one side for me until after the match. We talked for a while and then I asked if he would mind looking after my camera tripod, since I had decided I wouldn’t be using it at the game. He took me through to his living room and showed me where he would put it, ‘just to be safe’
On the walls of this equally brightly decorated room there were numerous photographs of a lady I immediately understood was his wife. I said I thought they were lovely pictures and he told me that Betty had died, ‘a few years ago now.
After the match Charlie gave me tea, a sandwich and some biscuits. He showed me some more photo’s in an album and said he wouldn’t mind when I asked if I could take his picture. A week or so later I sent him the prints and a letter asking if it would be alright to come and visit him again. That is how our friendship started.
Charlie was a simple, gentle, man. He loved flowers and the names of flowers. He loved colour and surrounded himself with colour. He loved his wife. He seemed totally unambitious; all he wanted was for his children to be happy.
Occasionally he would ask if I’d like to listen to some music and then he might play, for example, just three songs from a Nat King Cole LP; but we would really listen to them. Music was never something to have on in the background. He loved words and had the most well thumbed dictionary I have ever seen. He did the Daily Mirror crossword every day. He was not a thinker, but he wondered. I bought him an atlas and he studied it in such detail, amazed by the world. Without ever trying or intending to, he showed me that the most important things in life cost nothing at all. He was my antidote to modern living.”
