The third installment of Dr Strangepub features a conversation I had with photographer Harry Watts about self publishing and the innovative distribution of his project FINDS.
Find out more about Harry Watts here.
See the rest of the Dr Strangepub conversations here
I wrote just a wee while back about the ‘DIY: Photographers and Books’ exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art which looks at the role of print on demand books in 21st century photographic publishing. Not being able to get to Cleveland I have instead been looking through the catalogue available here.
There is an introduction by Barbara Tannenbaum followed by a primer on POD photobooks. While the information here will be nothing new to those in the POD-game, it is a well written and accessible introduction to anyone with an interest in photobooks and self publishing. What is frustrating however is only having a list of books featured in the exhibition at the back. Perhaps it is pure laziness on my part as all books can be viewed online with a quick search, but to see a spread/image/cover of each would have been especially nice for those who could not attend the show.
– Matt
If you are in San Fran this September you are in for a treat as Gallery Carte Blance run by Gwen Lafage has teamed up with Darius Himes and Larissa Leclair of the Indie Photobook Library to put on a great event for photobook lovers and anyone with an interest in documentary photography. I shan’t waffle on and instead will introduce Darius Himes’ framework for the event:
The early- to mid-20th century produced a handful of photographic styles with a photojournalistic or documentary vocabulary at their core. This “documentary tradition” flourished in the latter half of the century, as photographic equipment shrunk, film speeds increased and world-wide traveled became easier and cheaper. The last decades have seen an explosion in art-photography educational programs and self-publishing, coupled with a continuing desire to explore the world, near and far. As we stand in the morning light of a new century, already some 12 years old, it is worth considering the question, What of the documentary style? When it comes to approaching the world around us—its people, places, conflicts, development and intertwined societies—how have the languages within the growing world of photography changed and shaped the conversation we have in images?
There will be workshops, lectures and of course a San Francisco Photobook Club meetup on the Saturday. For all you need to know, head here and enjoy!
– Matt