Photobooks have always been an important part of sharing photographs and have been being used since photography began. There is lots to be thought about while making photobooks, inclusing the layout, the paper, the style and the size. All of these factors can massively affect the impact of the book and can help create the desired effect. Through photobooks, the photographer is able to send a message through to a wide audience in a unique way, with every aspect being thought through, something that is just not possible to do through the means of things like social media. There is something special that people enjoy about being able to hold a physical form of the photo and not be looking at it on the screen, it makes everything feel more personal and translate the message and thought the potographer has put through it.
Aaron Schuman - Slant
Slant began when Aaron was visiting his parents in Amherst, Massachusetts, in summer 2014. Whilst browsing the local newspaper, Aaron came across a section called 'Police Reports', a section where arrests and activities of the police were listed from the past week. Aaron says that due to Amherst being a small town, most of the reports were of minor incidents, however some were more interesting and surreal, crimes that you would be surprised had even involved the police, let alone made the newspaper. Aaron laughed with his dad at some of these reports, leading to his dad sending him some cut out police reports when Aaron was back in the UK. Aarons archive grew and he began to think of ways he could take photographs that stood up to the text. Aaron thought through multiple ideas, including trying to document each incident like a newspaper reporter, however realised this would be impossible, or using archived images he had. Eventually he decided that it was perhaps best to just let the text speak for itself so he scanned them at huge resolutions, planning to make large scale prints, however after making a couple of test-prints, Aaron decided that as a photographer this wasn't satisfying enough for him, and the work was missing an important visual element. Following his fathers health deterioration, Aaron went back to Amherst to visit his parents, and saw the opportunity to rethink the police reports. It was whilst he was here that Aaron began to think about a poem that has always stuck with him since he first became interested in photography. Emily Dickinsons poem 'Tell all the Truth but tell it slant' inspired Aaron to look at the project in a more slanted way and decided to take "photographs that at first appear rather straight, spare and ordinary - mimicking the tone of the police reports themselves - but have within them some subtle element that's slightly strange, surreal or off-kilter". Aaron was taking pictures around Amhurst and once he had some he began to try and pair them with the police reports that connected in a "slant rhyme" kind of way. By doing this, Aaron has created new meanings and interpretations within both the texts and the photographs.
War Primer Series
Bertolt Brecht - War Primer
War Primer was written in World War Two, in an attempt to understand the truth of war. Brecht was strongly against war and wanted to create something as a way to attack war under modern capitalism. War Primer was created by taking photographs from newspapers and magazines and adding a short verse underneath each. Brecht was a refugee from Nazi Germany during the war, and it was along this journey that he collected the 85 images for his book. Some of the poetic pieces of text throughout the book display controversial ideas and show strongly how much Brecht disliked and how critical he was of the war. One of these texts say:
And with their blood they were colour red A shore that neither owned. I hear it said That they were forced to kill each other. True. My only question is: who forced them to?
This can be seen as a way of Brechts dislike towards Hitler, and other leaders. He saw World War 2 as "masses duped, betrayed, hijacked and murdered by corrupt rulers". He believes that the Germans being ruled by Hitler did not know what they were doing and were duped by him. Another extremely controversial view he shows in the book is after he follows a. picture of Winston Churchill with the caption:
Gang law is something I can understand. With man-eaters I have excellent relations. I've had the killers eating from my hand. I am the man to save civilisation.
This was a way of Brecht showing how he believed that there were no heroes or good guys during war. While many people saw Winston Churchill as an important, admirable character, Brecht saw him the same as other leaders, controlling their victims,
War Primer 2 - Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin
War Primer was published in 2011, and appropriates the original war primer. Broomberg and Chanarin shift Brechts critique from the World War to more contemporary narratives. Broomberg and Chanarin overlay Brechts pictures with images taken from the internet This book connects two histories, with Brechts 20th century images, juxtaposed by the digital images of the Twin Towers attack, the execution of Saddam Hussain and torture in the Abu Ghraib jail. War Primer 2 was a limited edition book with only 100 handmade copies made. Whilst making War Primer 2, Broomberg and Chanarin felt it was very important to ensure that as much of the original War Primer remained visible because they felt it was a book rarely seen and not known enough. Originally, the pair were planning on finding contemporary images that linked in with Brechts original poems. They began by looking at images from newspapers but then moved on to looking through the internet, browsing thousands of images. This resulted in most of the images being screen grabs, many still having the watermarks on them. To try and find images they attempted to set up a system, such as typing in the first words of the poem into Google and seeing what images came up. Because of the quantity of images, the pair had to set a time frame for finding these images and create a reasonable cut-off point. The images were not placed to completely cover Brechts photos and instead are placed somewhere on top, creating a juxtaposition between the old and new.
Different types of photobooks
There are multiple different ways and types of photobooks which can be made. The main difference is whether you handmake it or send it to be digitally printed. Both have pros and cons, with different final effects. If you handmake a book, you will not be able to make as many and each will be slightly different, which can make it more personal, however you will not be able to sell a lot of them and therefore making less profit. Handmaking them can also give you a wider variety in what type of finish you have and can leave the process open to experiment a lot more. Through handmaking it you are able to experiment a lot more with the type of paper and binding used for the book, giving you options with how you feel the book will create the greatest effect. By getting a book printed, you can print a lot more a lot easier. This would be effective if you wanted to sell more, such as in shops or online. It is also a lot quicker to create a book, making for quick turnover. By printing a book you are limited to how it comes out, it may be hardback or paperback and different sizes but the binding and result of the book will be much like every other book. You will also be limited to the type of paper which can be used. If you want every book to be the same, then sending it off to be published and printed would be the best option, however it does limit you on the individuality of your book. But if you have more time and a more personal feel is what you want from your photobook then handmaking it is definitely the better choice. I think I am going to handmake my book because it fits with the theme of my photos. My photos are all of a protest, where people have handmade signs and there is a very communal feel, with everyone wanting the same thing. From my book I want to translate this by having a more personal touvh and reflect the handmade signs in the design of my book.