Two Frame Films:
Two frame theory is where we have 2 images places parallel to each other in order to bring light to a connection that links the two picture. The two film theory concept came from Luke Fowler when he created a series of "half-frame" images, the juxtaposition of each image may affect the way that each person experiences the photograph, in other words how the images next to each other inspires the interpretation of the viewer of the work. In other words by placing these two images together Fowler expresses a greater idea than if he were to only make a single photo.
Fowler, although creating images in order to emphasize an idea using two images side by side, he never reveals much about the idea that he is attempting to portray instead he allows the viewer of the images to determine their own thoughts on his work and believes that it is enough.
Fowler, although creating images in order to emphasize an idea using two images side by side, he never reveals much about the idea that he is attempting to portray instead he allows the viewer of the images to determine their own thoughts on his work and believes that it is enough.
Diptych:
Diptychs are photos thats are placed next together to create a pair of images that is greater than if they were to be placed singuarly. This direcly relates to montage theory of thesis and antitesis where 1+1 = 3, one image placed with another image makes a greater one.
On the left was a diptych I created after undergoing a challange to draw 2 discriptions of ideas for images and create an image based on these discriptions. My first was to take a picture of a full bin and my second was to take picture of a path, through photoshop I then placed the images next to each other and thus created a diptych from them. |
Montage Theory:
Montage Theory derived from when Eisenstein saw film editing (montaging) as a process operating according to the Marxist dialectic which is a way of looking at the Marxist human history and experience as a everlasting conflict in a thesis with an antithesis to create a synthesis which is described as two forces combined together to create a greater force in simpler terms it becomes 1+1 = 3. Eisenstein said that Montage Theory is a series of "ideas or impressions" created from individual images just like individual words that string together to a sentence, I believe that this sums what montage theory
The Photozine:
A photo-zine is a type of book created by folding paper with photos printed out onto it. It is a way in order to simply create a book to display an artists work within a book form, however, it is limited in that it only has the capability to display a number of images which is not preferable when creating a photo book with more than 16 images.
For example bedspread is a photozine created by Jennifer Lo, which displays several intimate photos of beds taken by many photographers all over the world. It attempts to bring light to the universal language of the personal experiences that everyone goes through such as joy and sadness, love and loss, sexuality and mental health. |
The History Of The Photobook:
There are many kinds of photographs a person can take in the effort of expression and creativity, whether this is documentation of events, a display of a new product or as a work of fiction holding a deeper metaphorical meaning. There are different types of photographs which mean that there will be different types of photobooks as a result.
The photobook is simply put as a book created to display photos that can contain text or not. Generally within modern photography photobooks contain an allegorical message that expresses the concerns that the photographer has and thus displayed through a series of images strung together as a string. However, this is not always the case, in photography before a photobook can serve the purpose of documentation of product, scientific evidence and the storing of history. Which makes photography a hybrid created out of science and art.
Within a photobook the photos don't necessarily have to be equal to each other, some may be better than others: larger more noisy photos, to the smaller quieter photos. However, by having a photobook like this it creates a depth that help to express the deeper meanings hidden within the photos. As it is put in The Photobook: Between the Novel and Film "we have considered the photobook as a specific event" meaning that it is an object full of variety the serves as the cogs within a machine, it makes it whole.
The photobook is simply put as a book created to display photos that can contain text or not. Generally within modern photography photobooks contain an allegorical message that expresses the concerns that the photographer has and thus displayed through a series of images strung together as a string. However, this is not always the case, in photography before a photobook can serve the purpose of documentation of product, scientific evidence and the storing of history. Which makes photography a hybrid created out of science and art.
Within a photobook the photos don't necessarily have to be equal to each other, some may be better than others: larger more noisy photos, to the smaller quieter photos. However, by having a photobook like this it creates a depth that help to express the deeper meanings hidden within the photos. As it is put in The Photobook: Between the Novel and Film "we have considered the photobook as a specific event" meaning that it is an object full of variety the serves as the cogs within a machine, it makes it whole.
William Henry Fox Talbot: |
Anna Atkins: |
Henry Fox Talbot created the pencil of nature with the intent to make it a commercially viable book containing the images that he created. Although this did not work out for him, he is know as one of the first people to ever create a photo book with the idea of creating a contemporary collage of images.
The title of the book is very interesting, "The Pencil of Nature", this title emphasises how photography can be considered an art form using light instead of paint of pencil lead/graphite. I came to this conclusion through comparing "Nature" to light and the "Pencil" the tool to control light, therefore we are just drawing an image except without a pencil and with a camera instead. |
Anna Atkins created a photo book showcasing the different types of Algae and as a botanist it was a good way in order to share detailed images of the plant. She is considered one of the first people to create a photobook, creating a small number of books and publishing them in 1843 by sending them to her fellow friends and collegues.
Her books contained a set of cyanotypes displaying images of algea she found around Britain hence the name "Photographs Of British Algea: Cyanotype Impressions". By doing this she created detailed images that could only have been hand drawn previously, therefore revolutionising photography within the science field allowing more accurate representaions of plant species. |
How They Impacted The Photobook:
In conclusion these photographers played a massive role in the development of the modern day photobook. Henry Fox Talbot was among the first contemporary artist, displaying that photography can be considered an art form. This inspired a revolution of the photobook making people believe that photography has a place outside the general photographs that are made for documentaries. On the other hand Anna Atkins was among the first women to ever create a photobook, she was a botanist that created a series of cyanotypes that allowed a more accurate display of the detail within algae. Through this not only created an acceptance within photography for women but also ushered in the notion of the use of photography in the science field to create detailed evidence.
American Photos-graphs - Walker Evans:
In 1938 Walker Evans published his photo book (American Photographs). During this time, this photo book Evans made revolutionized photography as we knew it. For the first time photography was considered an art similar to as it is today. The pictures taken by him were ordered like a set of words, stringing together in order to make a sentence.
His work was split into two parts. The first part was ,made to represent American society through images of American people whilst the second showed the Architecture of the country such as churches, wooden houses and factories. It displays photos of the every day life of the average american person, from the images of grand buildings to images of portraits of american people. It very much was an early contempory street photography displaying photography within a new light. |
Lewis Bush Visit:
" I work across media and platforms to visualise different types of power and the links that connect them. "
-- Lewis Bush
Lewis Bush came to Thomas Tallis in order to give a talk about some of the photo books that he has created during his time as a photographer. All of his photobooks were well thought out and was evident that he spent a great deal of time in research to create the pieces that he did for each book.
He created a book title "Metropole" coming from the 1927 sc-fi film "Metropolis" which depicted a massive interconnected world that had only the top earners living within high rise towers whilst the less fortunate lived within the lower level slums, It was also inspired by several other films all dipicting a utopian and distopian view of the city. In this theme Bush created his book based on his concerns about the continuing rise in housing prices within London, a topic that would affect him and many others especially students that have just comee out of university and looking for accomodation to begin work life. The images are of buildings that are double exposed and as you go through it the images become more and more confusing and disoriantating creating a feeling of being lost within something that should be familia. I personally found this book acting on my very fears of not being able to live within a place I have grew up with due to the building being out of reach in terms of money, therefore I felt Bush had demonstrated these very real concerns exemplory and so had a lasting effect on me after the event.
He created a book title "Metropole" coming from the 1927 sc-fi film "Metropolis" which depicted a massive interconnected world that had only the top earners living within high rise towers whilst the less fortunate lived within the lower level slums, It was also inspired by several other films all dipicting a utopian and distopian view of the city. In this theme Bush created his book based on his concerns about the continuing rise in housing prices within London, a topic that would affect him and many others especially students that have just comee out of university and looking for accomodation to begin work life. The images are of buildings that are double exposed and as you go through it the images become more and more confusing and disoriantating creating a feeling of being lost within something that should be familia. I personally found this book acting on my very fears of not being able to live within a place I have grew up with due to the building being out of reach in terms of money, therefore I felt Bush had demonstrated these very real concerns exemplory and so had a lasting effect on me after the event.
Provisional Arrangement - Martin Kollar:
Provisional Arrangement by Martin Kollar was created in order to bring light to the communist regime within Czech. Kollar brings forward his concerns about the post-soviet life of those who were promised an eternal soviet future.
This brings light to a future life that is uncertain in its nature, hence the name "provisional arrangement". The definition of "provisional" is the possibility of change however unknown when that change will take place, this is coupled with "arrangement" which thus suggests that there is plan for the future that will or will not change. This perfectly exhibits Kollars idea that there was uncertainty when the soviet regime was within Czech however the people were convinced that it was an unbending eternal future.
Personally I believe this book thoroughly displays the way in which Kollar
This brings light to a future life that is uncertain in its nature, hence the name "provisional arrangement". The definition of "provisional" is the possibility of change however unknown when that change will take place, this is coupled with "arrangement" which thus suggests that there is plan for the future that will or will not change. This perfectly exhibits Kollars idea that there was uncertainty when the soviet regime was within Czech however the people were convinced that it was an unbending eternal future.
Personally I believe this book thoroughly displays the way in which Kollar
Pillars of Home - Csilla Klenyanszki:
Pillars of home was created by Csilla Klenyanszki whom became a mother recently to her first child. This book was created in order to show the balance of her home life with her child, creating the photos displayed in this book during the time the child slept.
The photos display ordinary day items found in houses stacked upon themselves in an odd fashion, perhaps revealing her inside turmoil of being confused on how to be a mother and a working human which could only be achieved in the 30 minutes permitted by the sleep of her child. It presents the struggles of a new mother in an exordinary way in that the images feel confusing but seem to belong as it is, which may represent the very ideas that Klenyanszki had when first having to look after her new born. A sense of confusion but comfort was created out of this book that many new parents may find comforting to experience. |
Photograph Of Photograph - Jiro Takamatsu:
Jiro Takamatsu was born in 1936 and later died in 1998 was one of the most influencing artist in the 60s to 70s working with photography in order to create this masterpiece collection of images towards the later end of his life.
To make this photo book Takamatsu asked a photographer to take photos of his family photo album which resulted in images of photographs taken in a new way, creating glare and reflections in order to obscure the original photograph. An interpretation of this work of art is that it " investigated how photography relates to memory and appropriation" - Michelle Jubin. Furthermore by removing himself from the process of creating this photo book, it feels incomplete when viewed which to me causes me to interpret the book as a representation of our memories which is made incomplete with time. So by creating obscured images of photographs of his own family album and distancing himself from the actual creation of the images suggest that it is personal subject that he is bringing to light about how our memories will eventually obscure and fade away hence that obscuring of the photographs. |
Ordinary Fragments - Tyrone Williams & Jean-Christophe Recchia:
This photobook was a collaboration between two photographers exploring both their similarities and differences in their types of photography, whether it was exploring the different shapes or it was exploring the colours that each other uses.
By doing this, these two photographers are bridging a geographical gap between them and creating a conversation through replying to each others photos. every pair of photos are made to be similar in ways however different to each other, they relate and not relate at the same time. By having photos that look similar but are still so different these photographers have created a very beautiful but confusing book displaying the very different styles of each of the photographers but therfore enhancing the overall pairs of images. |
Noir - Martine Stig:
Martine Stig born 1972 and currently active as a photographer within the Netherlands. Noir is a recent photo-book created, the photos being taken in 2014 and 2016, Stig created a number of black and white images taken in Amsterdam displaying a number of people and general photos of the streets. However, within the photos of the people is an emptiness as the people are often alone and appearing to be in a deep thought.
The reason I was inspired by this book however was not due to this, but because of the repetition of images much like a reflection of an image on each page. To me this creates a feeling of eternity, that by having these photos Stig has captured a moment that has passed for ever. This concept inspired me to make my photobook, which as this book does create a sence of lonlyness and meloncholy however still displaying the joy in which is created within these brief moments of eternity.
The reason I was inspired by this book however was not due to this, but because of the repetition of images much like a reflection of an image on each page. To me this creates a feeling of eternity, that by having these photos Stig has captured a moment that has passed for ever. This concept inspired me to make my photobook, which as this book does create a sence of lonlyness and meloncholy however still displaying the joy in which is created within these brief moments of eternity.
Clarity - Stephen Bui (Dummy):
The reality that we live in is home to another world, one we cannot touch it but we can see it. When we take photos on our cameras we are capturing the external form of an object, this object is then stored forever onto an image. However, the moment of the capturing has passed so we are looking at essentially memories. As such I plan to reprint these photos on photo paper, re-photo that print and print that photo onto photopaper again in order to get the reflection point across just as Jiro Takamatsu did within Photographs of photographs to represent our memrories and the fading nature of it.
Binding Technique:
Japanese:
A book binding method would be Japanese Binding wich creates a very clean look and clearly shows the DIY nature of the book itself. I have done this several times to make books as it is a simple stich, It would be ideal for my photobook as it displays the limited nature of the lifespan of the book as if the string was to get cut it may fall apart as is similar to my theme of my book.
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Coptic:Coptic book binding unlike Japanese book binding offers a cleaner look with the thread actually going through the cover of the book making the threading limited from a top down perspective however it comes at the expense of me having no experience of me attempting this binding before and therefore offers a higher challenge to create. Its cleaner look above makes is a good idea for my book as it displays the limited way we can interact with another world however my book displays that in terms of physical touch whilst this displays it in terms of visual which may offer an irony to it.
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The plan:
1.) Print out photos on slightly reflective photopaper
2.)Take a picture of the printed photographs
3.)Print out the photos of the photos onto more photopaper
4.)Order the photos
5.)Begin stitiching the book together
2.)Take a picture of the printed photographs
3.)Print out the photos of the photos onto more photopaper
4.)Order the photos
5.)Begin stitiching the book together
Final Research - After The Photobook:
Arnis Balcus
How did I relate to this artist?
-Arnis Balcus said that “the book is the best way to preserve the work of the photographer” and talks about the way that whilst exhibitions will come and go the book is an eternal documentation of photographs. I relate to this as I know that books such as Anna Atkins “Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions” have lasted even after her death in the 1800s and that we wouldn’t know of her work without the creation of this book.
Furthermore, in my work I like to incorporate a sense of mortality which comes with the passing of things, my latest being the passing of time relating to memory. This relates to Balcus’ ideal as he speaks on the mortality of exhibitions and the eternality of books, I attempt to mix both of these by creating a juxtaposition of eternality and mortality within my book.
How have they most inspired you? + What did they make you think about in regards to your own photobook?
I merged both of these questions as I believe they have the same answer. Arnis Balcus created a book titled “Myself, Friends, Lovers and others” in 2000-04 which displays many images merging the private and the public. Whilst creating my photobook I would look at old photos within my family album and think about how private these images actually are and what wondered why we are all private about our photos. I came to the conclusion that is because these photos often display us in a state we do not want to show others for the sake of our vanity and that we all hold a deeper connection to the photos than any old still life and portrait. Why? The answer is that we have memories of loved ones or treasured events stored within the photographs. So, in my photobook I display photographs of some personal images.
-Arnis Balcus said that “the book is the best way to preserve the work of the photographer” and talks about the way that whilst exhibitions will come and go the book is an eternal documentation of photographs. I relate to this as I know that books such as Anna Atkins “Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions” have lasted even after her death in the 1800s and that we wouldn’t know of her work without the creation of this book.
Furthermore, in my work I like to incorporate a sense of mortality which comes with the passing of things, my latest being the passing of time relating to memory. This relates to Balcus’ ideal as he speaks on the mortality of exhibitions and the eternality of books, I attempt to mix both of these by creating a juxtaposition of eternality and mortality within my book.
How have they most inspired you? + What did they make you think about in regards to your own photobook?
I merged both of these questions as I believe they have the same answer. Arnis Balcus created a book titled “Myself, Friends, Lovers and others” in 2000-04 which displays many images merging the private and the public. Whilst creating my photobook I would look at old photos within my family album and think about how private these images actually are and what wondered why we are all private about our photos. I came to the conclusion that is because these photos often display us in a state we do not want to show others for the sake of our vanity and that we all hold a deeper connection to the photos than any old still life and portrait. Why? The answer is that we have memories of loved ones or treasured events stored within the photographs. So, in my photobook I display photographs of some personal images.
Bygone Clarity:
The Design:
I wanted the cover to be simple as I believe that it is not the cover that tells the story, it is what is inside. Going with this theme I ultimately decided that a simple binding would work better than a complex one so I chose Japanese binding. The name is "Bygone Clarity", I drew inspiration from Martin Kollar for the name in terms of the positioning, however made the name so it was personal to me. "Bygone" means a time that has now past and "Clarity" means to understand in a manner that is clear, it is clear to me that the past can not be revisited and that it will cloud over time.The first page displays my name and an image of my family album as well as some images to come within the book. This comes with the purpose of setting up the viewer to understand the personal nature of the book.
Throughout the book, a poem by D. H. Lawrence is being recited, it is about the protagonist reminiscing and longing for the past. It tells of a nolstagic person wanting to go "back down the vista of years" even though they know fully well that it is impossible. This idea inspired my photobook, the incapability of going back and the possible clouding of the past. To further emphasise this, I took photographs of photographs on a glossy paper creating a refletion that hides some amount of the image. However, I did not stop there, thes whole book is made of the same glossy paper to add another layer that affects the actual reader. This was heavily inspired by Jiro Takamatsu.
I have a pattern throughout the book: photograph of new photograph captioned with a line from the poem; the full sized photograph that I used to photograph and a photograph of a personal photograph from my family album that gradualy stacks as the viewer carries on through the book. For this patterened, I tried to employ Martine Stig's idea of having the same photograph on a repeat cycle. However, I decided to modify this for my personal photos in that I leave the photos I have previously displayed and added a new one per cycle. The pattern continues until the end of the book where I caption a personal photograph with the last line of the poem, this serves as a conclusion to my story which emphasises my main message.
Throughout the book, a poem by D. H. Lawrence is being recited, it is about the protagonist reminiscing and longing for the past. It tells of a nolstagic person wanting to go "back down the vista of years" even though they know fully well that it is impossible. This idea inspired my photobook, the incapability of going back and the possible clouding of the past. To further emphasise this, I took photographs of photographs on a glossy paper creating a refletion that hides some amount of the image. However, I did not stop there, thes whole book is made of the same glossy paper to add another layer that affects the actual reader. This was heavily inspired by Jiro Takamatsu.
I have a pattern throughout the book: photograph of new photograph captioned with a line from the poem; the full sized photograph that I used to photograph and a photograph of a personal photograph from my family album that gradualy stacks as the viewer carries on through the book. For this patterened, I tried to employ Martine Stig's idea of having the same photograph on a repeat cycle. However, I decided to modify this for my personal photos in that I leave the photos I have previously displayed and added a new one per cycle. The pattern continues until the end of the book where I caption a personal photograph with the last line of the poem, this serves as a conclusion to my story which emphasises my main message.