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• Self-reflection

  2008 Dec 16

  Adolescence of drink evolved from the idea that drinking a lot and being drunk within youth culture is very common and that all youths at some point drink too much. When the photographs were taken I had never really thought about creating a book on any project which I had done in the past. The concept of creating a book was intriguing and very exciting, to have something which is published/ self-published, can be seen as a starting point for moving a photographer’s career forward and to become well known within that field.
  
  However there is a large difference between being a published photographer, writer etc, to self publishing your own work. The idea of the long tail is the main focus of this. The long tail is a description of all published work and how people sell there items. Within the long tail there is the hard to find, unique items which sell very small quantities. People are now
  
  ‘going deep into the catalog, down the long, long list of available titles, far past what's available at Blockbuster Video, Tower Records, and Barnes & Noble. And the more they find, the more they like. As they wander further from the beaten path, they discover their taste is not as mainstream as they thought’. (Chris Anderson, Wired Magazine)
  
  This is the area in which I am based, where people can look at my work and want to see more of it.
  
  For my work to move up the long tail to be a more successful Publisher/photographer, according to Kevin Kelly I would have to reach the ‘1,000 true fans’ goal. This means that I would need these true fans which are
  
  “someone who will purchase anything and everything that a specific independent creator produces,”
  
  To keep buying the work I produce and keep them interested. What I have found is that because of the use of web 2.0 which has over 80,000,000 sites there is much more published content around. This also means there is more user generated sites which more and more people join and interact with, meaning there is a larger opportunity for users to see my self published work.
  
  Through working on this book it became apparent that to create self published work is relatively easy. Although a time consuming process in creating a book dummy (which ended up being a template which significantly helped in the design of the layout and content of the work) and then using adobe indesign to create a pdf of each desired page, to get an overall product which is then uploaded was easy to create. What is the difficult part is, is to create a community which will buy the photo book and take a solid interest in my work.
  
  This is mainly through using self publishers such as Lulu.com where the work can be uploaded, printed and sold. I found Lulu to have many restrictions when designing the photo book compared to the use of indesign which gives unlimited creativity and freedom in how the photo book will look. Although Lulu does give the opportunity to have the work printed, downloaded and for the user to create a storefront to advertise their work, the site had limitations. The store front was not very good as although could be designed, was very limited in the design and the website was not user friendly as was difficult to locate store fronts, blogs and products. The idea of having a website of my own seems more appropriate and can be set up and designed more appropriately for a possible buyer to search the product effectively.
  
  Although am not a fan of Lulu.com I do think that the idea of using widgets to put on to social networking sites is very good as gives an opportunity to gain more publicity on your work which in turn can gain more ‘True fans.’
  
  Overall in my self publishing experience it has allowed me to look into doing more self publishing and to try to publicise my work as much as possible to gain profit as well as improve my place within the long tail. Although worked within Lulu.com for this photo book would not use it again. Lulu.com is on the lower end of the self publishing chain which makes it cheap to print, which in turn means that the print is not of the quality which I would expect anyone to buy. This self publishing experience has first and foremost put my work out to be looked at and discussed, whether this is criticisms or positives, the idea that I can now try and develop and improve on my first photo book means I have more of a chance of succeeding in the publishing world.
  
  http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html
  http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/01/better_than_fre.php
  
  

• Photobook Proposol and Dummy

  2008 Oct 21

  Photo Book Proposal - Adolescence of Drink
  
  Theme/Concept
  
  The aim of this book is to create a photo book of my own work to do with youth culture within today’s society. There are many different ways to look at this, within sports, social normalities, hobbies etc. This books main subject is looking at drinking within youth culture. How it affects them, the outcomes of drinking too much and the way in which youths of today are perceived. The work also touches on possible things they drink and social locations that they can do it. The title for this book is ‘Adolescence of Drink’.
  
  Photography
  
  The photography in this photo book is mainly tightly confined to the subject, as most of the images show youths at their worst stage of drinking. The photography is close to the subject as shows just how drunk or ill the subject is. The images show all the imperfections of the person. This including the spots on face, running of makeup, that pale look a drunken person has which shows they are dehydrated and struggling to compose themselves. The photography also uses a mixture of blurred and focussed images to help the viewer feel involved with the image, whenever they are drunk and unable to focus fully or just watching a friend make a mistake.
  
  Text
  
  The photo book has very little text. The text consists of a description of the work and what it is about on the second page, a colophon in the back page and a title on the front cover. The text is very clear and in a large font, as if to say that the viewer needs large simple text as is too drunk to read small intricate writing.
  
  Organisation
  
  The photographs within the book are put together within three easy to see groups, but are also obviously all part of one subject/theme. The first group is concentrated on one subject, like a narrative of one person’s night out except that is starts from when they are drunk. The second group of images are a group of images of one theme, looking at people at different stages of drunkenness. This also looks into the type of things that young youths drink and can get their hands on. The last group of images is again a narrative as concentrates on one subject in every photograph, the images do not link straight on from each other like a normal story but emphasise a longer narrative in showing the places and positions the subject has found himself in after drinking too much.
  
  Linking Movement
  
  The book has a static grouping in itself with the images being of all the same subject. The work does in places have linking movement when looking at the narratives of the book, the images link together and tell a story taking it from one image to the next.
  
  Graphic Layout
  
  The graphic layout of this photo book mainly uses a two-page spread. This being the use of one image spread over two pages. Like ‘Rays’ a Laugh’ photographed by Richard Billingham I have utilized the entire page with the photographs. The reason this has been done is that all the groups are part of the same theme and subject and the narratives need to lead on from each other so utilizing the entire page allows the viewer to look at an image and fully understand the next image from the previous. This photo book also uses single page spreads; this is comprised of one image on a single page with a blank page opposite. These pages break up the groups and allow there to be a distinct gap for where groups start and begin. However this is not always the case and these blank pages in some cases disrupt the flow of the book.
  
  Photo Narrative and non-narrative
  
  The book uses narrative sequencing as the separate groups within the book are telling a story. The first group is a story of a night out starting from when the subject is already drunk. The photographs lead on from each other, the subject lying down to being stood up to ending up lying down again. The third group is also a narrative but not shown as a conventional story but a narrative of the places and positions the subject finds himself in. The photographs all consist of a repetition of the subject lying down but in all different places. The second group of images however do not have a narrative, there is no sequence to the images, and this disrupts the book as a whole splitting it into three parts.
  
  Book Formatting
  
  Document Size: A5 (6"x 9")
  Number of pages: 28
  Binding: Saddle Stitch
  Fonts: Arial
  
  The book is formatted as size Royal as is around an A5 size book. This allows the two page spreads to be around A4 size. This is done as A4 complements the large images and allows the viewer to fully see the way in which people look after drinking too much. There is also no page number within this book, they are not needed as the book is small and should be read slowly without the reader focussing on anything over than the image in front of them. The fonts used are simple and large to try to influence the viewer too feel like they are involved within the story of the book. This will also be done in a soft back format to make the work look more professional.
  
  There will be some changes from my book dummy to the final product. There are some compatibility issues with the images due to ordering and the page formats have broken up the book as a whole a little too often. This will be rectified when the product is fully designed.
  
  

• Rays's a Laugh by Richard Billingham, Critical Book Analysis

  2008 Oct 07

  Author: Richard Billingham
  Title: Ray’s a laugh
  Publisher: Scalo
  Location: Berlin
  ISBN: 3-908247-37-3
  
  The author of this work is Richard Billingham; it is all his work. However Michael Collins and Julian Germain edited it.
  
  This book is about Richard Billingham's close family, his dad, his mum and his brother, along with where and how they live.
  
  The photographs in this book are all one group. All of them have a common denominator, Richard Billingham’s family life; however they are also in a series as the images lead you on to the next in some cases. Such as Ray Billingham being on the floor by the toilet drunk and then the next image him being in bed recovering as such.
  
  When looking at the book there is no linking movement within it. However the images go in and out of focus frequently but in no particular order.
  
  The book is set out in a few different ways. The books primary composition uses two page spreads with an image across the entire page, but it also uses one page spreads and in two cases a two page spread with two images, one opposite the other. These two images on a two-page spread have no revelence to each other as a series, sequence or group. There are also one page spreads which have an image using the entire page, but opposite to that page is a blank page. These change the way in which people are reading the book as distracts them, it is a part of the book that compositionally is very different as is empty space, and this is unusual as most of the book utilizes all the space available.
  
  This book does not make a self conscious reflection of the book form, however it does make a self conscious reflection about the book page, the book uses visual conventions such as a flat field and utilizes the entire space of the page on printed sheets, this causes the viewer to look at the image as though they carry on from each other, like a series of grouped images. Books such as Marizio Nanucci’s, Universum and David Staris’, Boundless are two extremes of a book as a whole; these books are bound with two spines so that the book cannot be open. This book is not like these books however; this is readable with each page being separate from the next.
  
  Ray’s a Laugh also uses an external determinant. The book is has a certain number of pages due to the amount of photos taken, this is its creation. However it does not follow this convention fully as not every page is the same, such as a double page having a full image across it, but on other pages, there are two images spread across a two page spread. This also makes it a non-narrative book.
  
  This photo book, it is set out in an unstructured way; the images do not lead on to each other all though they try to by utilizing the space of the page. As this is a non-narrative book the images are seen as a collection of photographs, the images are independent and can be looked at and understood without the rest of the book. However although the images are independent there is a flow within the book. The main subject, being Ray Billingham is ever present in the images and so although the work is disrupted with images of wildlife and of other family members the work revolves around him, normally flowing from one image of Ray to another. Because of these interruptions it does not matter how the book is read, the book can be read on one single page due to the independence of the images or can be put together by the reader to understand the Billingham family way of life.
  
  When looking within the book there is no text to explain what the book as a whole is about. There are no titles or descriptions on the photographs; they are no needed as the images themselves clearly describe the subject and feeling of the book. There is however a small insight in to the photographs as text on the back cover of the book, a quote by Richard Billingham,
  
  “This book is about my close family. My father Raymond is a chronic alcoholic. He doesn’t like it outside and mostly drinks homebrew. My mother Elizabeth hardly drinks but she does smoke a lot. She likes pets and things that are decorative. They married in 1970 and I was born soon after. My younger brother was taken in to care when he was 11 but is now back with Ray and Liz again. Recently he became a father. Ray says Jason is unruly. Jason says Ray’s a laugh but doesn’t want to be like him.”
  
  This tells the reader everything which the images also tell us. It is a small account about what the images are showing, life within the Billingham household.
  There are also some important elements of this book that contribute to the book as a whole. The title page and back page have an important relationship as the photograph of Ray curves around the spine of the book to connect with the back; this brings the book to look like a whole, from beginning to end. Another important element is that the images all use colour except one, the very last page of the book, this image looks as though it does not belong with the rest of the book, is out of place, the colour images make the book as a whole bring the book together under a common element. Lastly the size of the book makes a valuable contribution. The images are all of an adequate size in which more detail can be seen than if the images were smaller. The size of the images also clears up details which are blurry. All of these small details, which can be seen because of this size, allow the reader to get a more in depth account of family life in the Bilingham household and in some cases relate to it.
  
  Publisher - http://www.scalo.com/
  Artist - No known site for artist