The Local by Nick Meyer
How to Approach a Good Photobook
We had an interesting conversation this week comparing two photos. It’s an eye-opening thread. Which one do you like best and do you like them at all? And there was a great followup discussion about two quotes related to ideas of context brought up during the comparison.
I think we’ll share some member work in this way soon to get some community critiques as it’s fascinating to see everyone’s thoughts.
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Since we will be starting more hangouts based on projects and photobooks, I thought I’d write about things to think about when going through a book.
The photobook is an artform inside the artform of photography. It transforms the individual photograph and can give it more power to tell a story, create an emotion, or push along a narrative.
Whether creating a project or reading a photobook, you can see that a whole new set of parameters exist. How do you most effectively tell a story? What’s the right amount of photographs to use? Do you show a broad array of photography (portraits, closeups, wide environmental shots for instance), or do you keep the type of photography very tight and consistent? How much work do you allow the viewer to do to figure out the story? And how do you sequence the work for maximum effect?
It’s a tough puzzle to figure out. This post is going to ask more questions than give answers.
Here are some thoughts about photo books.