Lee Slaymaker's Blog
2007 Dec 11 Well I never thought I would find myself saying this... But I actually enjoyed this project. From my initial rant about the project as a whole, and my doubts about the functionality of lulu, I have managed to put all of that behind me and actually get really involved with the project. I have found myself really engaging with the subject matter in a way that I didn't foresee 12 weeks ago. For me, the chance to go back and work with an archive of my work was the most challenging, and rewarding, aspect of this project. It has taught me to realise that just because the exhibition is over does not necessarily mean that the images then become redundant. Working with archived work has given me fresh insights into my work and how it is constructed, mostly because it got me to challenge my working methods from the previous year. Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of this project was seeing the final product. To be able to hold in my hands a book that I created, from conception to editing, was deeply fulfilling and has encouraged me to continue with self publishing in the future. For me it is not about the fact that someone may buy my book (although that is a big plus… so make sure you all go buy one  ), but the process that I really enjoy with self publishing. Having complete control over production, independent of outside influence, has enabled me to really focus not only on the content of my work, but also the context in which it may be viewed/perceived. It has given me a deeper understanding of visual coding and also helped me to analyse work in a series to understand the deeper artistic merit. Playing the role of photographer, editor, and designer has given me a unique insight to an area of photography that I never thought I would experience. I’m not saying that it was all easy. I have to admit that I am less then impressed with Lulu as a service. The fact that I put so much work into creating my book, only to have them charge so much for production seems kind of counter productive to me. The fact that I am only making a pitiful amount of revenue per book, in comparison with the amount they charge, is laughable to say the least, especially considering the general quality of the final product received. Which I waited three weeks for by the way. It fell apart. Yep, the second I opened it all the pages fell out. Admittedly the customer services team have been kind enough to send me another copy free of charge, but this just means that I am spending yet more time waiting for the delivery of a book which should have been perfect the first time round. I can understand why we used Lulu, seeing as it one of the cheapest POD sites available, but I can’t help feel that for future projects I will take my work elsewhere, as I am willing to pay that little bit extra for quality. I want the finished product to reflect the effort I put into its production. Overall I found the site to be slow, cumbersome and actually quite obstructive in the process of creating a photobook (uploading through ftp was a major issue I can tell you). For me the strength of this project lay not in the use of Lulu as a print on demand service, but in the way that it challenged me to view my photographs and working processes. I am glad that I have had this introduction to POD as it has opened my eyes, not only to another format with which to present my work, but also to how to create visual structures within future work… Both exhibition based and POD. 2007 Nov 21 Our group consists of:
Myself, Nicky Penfold, Paul Lincoln and Mark Westlake... quite obviously a superior group by anyones standards lol
Our basic project idea:
For our project we are focusing on the online social networking/ art submission website DeviantArt.com. More specifically the theme of the magazine is 'The Developing Photographer' and it's role is to basically give publicity to photographers who have as yet gone relatively un-noticed on deviantart. To do this we are looking for people whose gallery is either new or who have had very few people view their work.
We are going to split the magazine into 3 parts, each section will focus on a different genre of photography. We are going to look at Portraiture, Landscape and Night Photography, each section will contain between 3-5 photographers. For each photographer we hope to incorporate the best work from their gallery as well as a very small bio of each artist. We are aiming to produce something quite similar in style to L.I.P magazine, in that the overall purpose of our magazine is to showcase the photographers work.
As well as developing artists we are hoping to have, for each section, a well established photographer (also from deviantart) to which we can compare their work to. The section for the well established photographer shall be slightly more in depth, possibly containing an interview. Based upon this 'established photographer' we will identify one technique which features quite heavily in their work, and produce a 'how to' tutorial, thus continuing with the theme of developing artists. Not only is the magazine a showcase but also a chance for the buyer/reader to gain some tips to improve on their own work.
The aesthetics of the magazine:
As we are working with developing photographers we wanted to have a very sketch/work book style to the magazine. To do this we are going to use a lined paper background, and make it look as if each photo has been taped/paperclipped in to the magazine. We are going to use a type writer style font to write any text needed for the magazine but we are trying to keep text to a minimum where possible. Because we are publishing through Lulu we are limited as to the format the magazine can take, therefore the book is going to be spiral bound so as to make it look like a notebook and is going to be 'comic book' sized to allow for the maximum space to display the photographs, and yet still keep the magazine a portable size.
There shall probably be a maximum of 45 pages to the publication, allowing space for a double page spread for each photographer as well as interview/ tutorial space.
Team roles:
As a team we are each focussing on a different section of the magazine. We shall each chose a different genre and then search through deviantart to find candidates that fulfill the criteria for the magazine. We shall then email all in question, asking them whether or not they would be interested in submitting to the magazine. As we are focussing on developing artists this should be a relatively easy task to complete. Depending on response we may have more then enough interest to jusitify producing a series of issues rather then just making this a one of publication.
Lee: Portraiture photography
Nicky: Landscape photography
Paul: Night photography
Mark: Tutorials
As Mark does not have a deviantart account it would be quite difficult for him to gather photographic material as he does not have an active online presence within the deviantart community. We shall choose the contents of the magazine as a group, sorting through the galleries of those that agree to contribute to choose the photos that we feel best sum up their gallery. However, in the end each group member will be responsible for their own section.
Photo Dummy:
It is currently impossible to upload photos of a book dummy as we still do not have any photographic material submitted
2007 Nov 21 And here, ladies and gents, is my del.icio.us bookmarks list. I have to admit that I have never used social bookmarking before, mostly because I barely use normal bookmarking as it is  I have yet to form a decent opinion on the usefulness of this tool, but i can say that by using del.icio.us I was able to find at least a few extra links to add to my own bookmarks list. my del.icio.usI am starting to find this magazine project to be a bit overwhelming  Once the material is gathered it should be relatively easy to put together a publication, it is just the gathering of images that is proving to be a bit of a bugger. Here's hoping I will be able to get my section completed on time *fingers crossed* 2007 Nov 09 Finally! After a lot of stressing and screaming at my computer the PDF has finally uploaded onto Lulu via FTP and i have been able to put the book into my Storefront. YES!  *Lee does a little dance* It's actually surprisingly satisfying to have this done, I feel a real sense of achievement. What makes this even better for me as well is the fact that I can keep adding to this book in my own time, adding more photos, or essays, as they are written. That is a huge comfort to know, that the version available in my store at the moment needn't be the final version and this project doesn't have to end here. I guess this is mostly because the project is really personal to me, especially as it is about my best friend. I think that all you lovely people should go and buy my FABULOUS new book  Go on... You know you want to... 2007 Oct 18 With my book i will be exploring the concept of Pop Cosmopolitanism and how my subject went around adapting her subculture based upon external influences. As I stated in my project analysis of the Visible Girls project, Alex (my subject) builds her identity by using new media to research different cultures/lifestyles and subsequently she introduces this research into the way she portrays herself to society. Therefore with this book i really want to focus on the influences that help make up Alex's identity, how the parts help to construct the whole.
To do this i am going to try using several different approaches to the project. Firstly I have the six images that I used within the exhibition at the end of the project last year. For me these show the 'final product', the result of Alex's research and her influences. I want to use these to help set the story within the book, and they shall be spaced at intermittent points throughout the pages. I will make sure to keep the studio shots and the corresponding bedroom shots together, preferably next to each other on a double page spread using full bleed.
Spaced throughout the remaining pages I am going to take several other approaches. I plan to crop the photographs that I took of Alex, concentrating on images in the background, looking at the set up of the room and how she structures her environment. These small square photos will be centred in the middle of each page, leaving a sizable area of white space around each one. I have also asked Alex herself to contribute to this project by choosing five items for each "personality" and then photographing them. This will help me to get a better idea of the influences behind each persona, and it will also help make the book much more personal. I am also thinking of photographing the websites that Alex uses in her research, to help introduce the fact that New Media has a significant influence on her subculture, these shall also be spaced throughout the book, each screenshot/photograph being matched to the persona it helped influence.
I feel that text will be very useful to help identify the story i am trying to tell with this book as well. Although I know of the narrative and the flow, I would like to make it more easily accessible to people who do not know what Pop Cosmopolitanism is. Therefore on pages where I place the small square photos i am also planning on taking quotes from my project analysis last year and inserting them in the whitespace surrounding the images. I feel that this will really help drive the narrative of the book, and help give people that little bit more background information about the book, thereby making it accessible to all.
I am planning on making my book 6" x 9", perfect bound and with around about 30 pages (with room to expand if I need more room for screenshots etc). i feel that this format will make the best of the images i have to offer, focusing the onlookers gaze, and making them really study the images. The book will be split into three sections, each section relevant to a different persona and will contain all the images/text relating to that one persona. This will help construct the narrative as to how Alex builds up each character.
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As of yet I do not have any photos of my dummy (apologies paula) because i am still waiting for the photos from Alex to arrive. When they do i shall update this blog ASAP. ''
2007 Oct 04 In the reader "The Photobook: Between the Novel and Film" Martin Parr identifies a photobook as being a work where the message is carried by the photographs: there may be text but the main narrative of the book is carried through the images it contains. Within this work the individual image loses its character and becomes a part of the book, an extension of the narrative expression the photographer/ editor is trying to convey. Individual images on their own, whilst they may be perfectly fantastic images, lose the dimensionality that is added by having them in a collection should they be viewed on their own. The perfect example of this is the fantastic photobook 'Exquisite Pain' by Sophie Calle. The images on their own, whilst they are interesting, hold none of the poignancy that they do as part of the book, which is in itself both a diary of Calle's Far Eastern travels and a documentation detailing the end of her relationship to her lover M. Text is very heavily employed in this book to help give another layer of meaning to the images, and Calle is also very fond of using tactics such as double page spreads to help refocus the viewer into remembering that it is indeed a PHOTOBOOK, not just a diary with the odd pretty picture thrown in for good measure. The best thing about this book is that you are very aware of it as an object, it is in itself a work of art, which to me is what sets the benchmark for a good photobook, it has to have more then one layer of meaning. For more information about the book and what it is all about go here: LinkThe thing I love most about this book is the ongoing theme of the rubber stamp on each page, it makes the book feel much more personal, almost like a diary. Again this adds further dimension to what Calle is saying through the photobook. This is an idea that i would very much like to incorporate into my own book. As some of you may be aware my project was about Pop Cosmopolitanism (how people augment their subculture with aspects of other cultures e.g. people who are heavily influenced by japan etc.) and how my friend Alex created several identities based upon her interests and life experiences. I am currently thinking that i want to concentrate on how she went about constructing these identities and what her influences were. I want to put it together in a scrapbook-type style, with lots of japanese text, arabic symbols etc, as well as art works contributed by Alex herself. I want it to be quite a busy looking book, reflecting how Alex herself is a very hyper-active character who is constantly out looking for the next thing to influence her. I am going to disassemble my photographs, selectively magnifying certain areas of each photo (for example: a teddy bear or a painting) and try to show how this links in to Alex's identity. Also: I am making a retraction of my last blog post. I am actually really getting into this project now, and i think that the archival aspect of this unit is going to be really interesting and fun. I am liking the fact that we are being forced to go back and take another look at our images, it's making me see them in a completely different light. So... yes... Sorry for the initial rant lol2007 Sep 28 Well after receiving the unit guide on Tuesday i can't really help but wonder how constructive this unit is really going to be. Whilst i understand the benefits of self publishing, I just cannot understand why we have a 12 week unit basically allocated to helping us learn how to use Lulu. Now forgive me for sounding slightly cynical but surely this is something we could have learned on our own? It will be interesting to learn about the social implications of social networking but i feel that this would be more appropriately taught in our media units. This unit seems to incorporate very little actual Photography, which let's face it, is what we came to university to study, and keeping in mind the rest of this semester's units, I feel this time could have been spent learning more about photoshop, and the ethics of using the program. After all, at least this would link more to the general direction of the course. I feel we need to start pulling this course away from the media aspect and back towards the Photography persuasion. What with all the media units we already do, and the media heavy content in our photography units, we are basically doing a combined honours course. Media, with a side helping of photography.
That said I am looking forward to the archival aspect of this project, because i have to admit that the archive project was my favourite unit of the last academic year. I am looking forward to seeing how we get our work out into the public forum through a new medium other then a gallery, and whether it actually manages to spark any interest within the Lulu community.
I have my doubts about this unit, but I would like to see which direction it takes and how it will help us develop our photography.
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Print: $28.12 Download: FREE A dual purpose photo book, whereby I set out to study how my best friend, Alexandra Saunders, goes about establishing her identity within the subculture of Pop Cosmopolitanism. This book also looks at the how the rise of New Media has effected how people go about defining themselves, not just in the real world, but also in an online environment. Photos and essays within.
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