Introducing a Photo Book in Remembrance

Looking back to Autumn 2011 I photographed my Nana’s vanity case in homage to her life. I promised my Grandfather that I would make him a photo book solely dedicated to her life.

Over Christmas I sat with Grandad and looked through artefacts of hers: her violin which she played at the Royal Albert Hall at a young age accompanied with programmes and tickets. Here are these images, of which I took on 120mm medium format black and white film. I would like to make a photo book with an edited collection of images that can perfectly portray her kindness before tragically a degenerative disease, dementia, took her away from us. This is a homage to her life and I am going to start here from something she was always very proud of- her appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Tree of Lights © Kate Green, 2012, All Rights Reserved

Crowded by Kate Green

So here it is! The book is bound! I chose a teal cover which is hard back to bind the book. I had the photographs printed at the Print Bureau on matte paper so that it would not crease the same way in which glossy would; however, the paper does scratch and tarnish, which makes it more precious to handle. The photo book is tiny and easy to hold in the hands and the photographs appear to want to be bigger because of the tight border, which I think highlights how the characters in the narrative want to escape. The fact that it’s a concertina and can be pulled out further consolidates this.

I enjoyed binding the book; however, carelessly I over glued the spine and so the paper has become a little tarnished and the last photograph has been damaged by the glue as well. However, as a first copy I am happy with the size and how it looks so if I wanted to make more, they would be of a higher quality. I like the texture of the title on the front: I printed off the title and backed it to thicken up the paper then covered it in tissue paper to give it a more home made feel.

Overall

Despite having a tight deadline, I have enjoyed this task very much and making an artefact that can be physically held. I feel that looking at other photographers and speaking to my colleagues has greatly helped this experience. If I did it again, I would definitely have spent a little more caution on those finer things in making my book.

Joel Meyerowitz – La Natura delle Citta

This photo book, published in Italy and written in Italian has a collection of photographs from Meyerowitz in New York, San Pietroburgo (Saint Petersburg), At;anta and Saint Louis. Meyerowitz documents the three cities at different times of day: New York, being so built up with skyscrapers, feeling claustrophobic, it is less clear what the times of day are.

The series which I most prefer is san Pietroburgo: Meyerowitz charactaristically uses the time of day in which he shot the image which gives the viewer a clear indication of how the natural light has an effect on its environment through a day.

The other series I like it Saint Louis: it has hazy sunrises with mist looming over the ground. This is an idyllic scene, very soft on the eye.

I personally have looked through this book knowing that I was looking for how light effects the environment at different times; what a brilliant photo book for it.

© Joel Meyerowitz, 1994, All Rights Reserved

© Joel Meyerowitz, 1994, All Rights Reserved

Saint Louis © Joel Meyerowitz, 1994, All Rights Reserved

Joel Meyerowitz – Cape Light

Cape Light is another photo book by Joel Meyerowitz. In it is a collection of colour photographs of the late 1970s as colour photography was in a ‘noticeable accleteration’ (Clifford Ackley). The series of photographs are somewhat romantic as we follow Meyerowitz around his Cape home in Truro: looking down corridors and over the balcony at different times of day which shows just how the light has different poetic effects on the environment, offering different moods to the collection.

Plate 7 is a night scene on the porch with warm orange light coming from inside which contrasts the deep blue sky. This fiery tone illustrates destruction or possibly huge passion and desire: this is coupled with the lightning strike in the background of the image.

The book guides the viewer from house to beach, to swimming pools, to shops giving a clear view of the area. Meyerowitz seems very confident with the area and how light has an astounding effect. Throughout the book, there are images that follow one another which are of the same place but at different time with different lighting and weather. This offers the viewer an insight into not only the climate, but how the space is used and how it changes. This is, for me, an excellent part of this series of light and colour and gives the viewer something more to consider; at the same time, although the same place, people’s different ‘horizons’ and views will dictate which photograph they prefer.

© Joel Meyerowitz, 1978, All Rights Reserved

© Joel Meyerowitz, 1978, All Rights Reserved

© Joel Meyerowitz, 1978, All Rights Reserved

© Joel Meyerowitz, 1978, All Rights Reserved

© Joel Meyerowitz, 1978, All Rights Reserved

Mary McCartney – From Where I Stand

This photo book by photographer (and daughter of Sir Paul McCartney) Mary McCartney is based on her standpoint as she goes behind the scenes of fashion shows and at theatre dressing rooms. However, there are also series of photographs that are more intimate, which to me are more inspirational. There is only a small handful out of the collection of what really appears to be a portfolio of work; yet it is far more interesting than her celebrity portraits of Madonna and Beth Ditto.

© Mary McCartney, 2012 All Rights Reserved

I love the use of natural light in these that give a soft glow to the characters; it also highlights how the situations are more personal as the viewer is allowed into this intimate space. What caught my attention was McCartney’s quote ” I like the stories that beds tell, the imprints of memories, or safety and peace “. This perfectly sums up my previous blog posts of relaxing in bed in the mornings with the light streaming through. However, I personally would like to see the images in colour: I assume that they are I’m black and white for a reason; yet, from what I understand of this sort of lighting, the colours are soft to the eye.

I particularly am drawn to the child stood on a ned looking out the window: the trees outside look like they are in bloom, so summertime. The swimming shorts consolidate this argument and thus therefore, one can assume that there is something outside that the child longs to do. Not giving the child an identity allows the viewer to identify with the emotions portrayed as he stands on the very edge of his bed.

Colour Calibration

Because I have done my editing on my Mac, I assumed that the back ground had ‘vanished’ how I wanted them. However, the print bureau colours calibration is different to that of my Mac screen and therefore I have found that with some of the prints the background is visible, which I am pretty disappointed with.

 

Looking back over the photoshop tasks we have had to do, I regret taking the ‘lazy’ route and using a simple black paint brush took to mask some of it out; on one image in particular this is very obvious. I know that next time I will use selection tools to remove the area properly.

However, I know that if anyone would like to have a hand made artefact then I would retouch the photographs and are properly calibrated with the print bureau.

Title

Titling my book I think is very important. I do not want it to be cold and blunt, but I would like it to be artistic.

I was looking back through my research and then I looked at the book ‘The Myth of Sysiphus’. The first chapter is called ‘An Absurd Reasoning’ and I have decided to title my book this. I looked into whether I would be allowed to; however, it is not a TradeMark so by law I can use this.

I feel that it does link to suicide but it is not insensitive either. I will be hand writing the title delicately on to the cover when it is bound.

Half-Life – Jay Muhlin

Half-life focuses on the life and suicide of a close friend and my relationship with her.
The book project is comprised of photographs and collected writings that Lauren and I shared throughout the six years we knew each other, and photographs and documents created now, after. Having been confronted by a haunting absence, I want to make evidence of her with my photographs. It is a challenging process to try to document something that is no longer here. I intend it as an investigation of loss and a look into the liminal space between deterioration and permanence, memory and photography. My process of examination is slow and reflective; my understanding of Lauren and the loss is achieved in part by visiting and revisiting sites that became markers of our relationship, influenced by the passage of time.

 

The book costs $75 so sadly I have not seen it in the form that Jay Muhlin has curated: he makes photo books.

http://www.jaymuhlin.com/

There are 20 images on his website and there are 147 pages in the photo book. Most of the photographs on the website are landscapes; one can assume that they are places that they had been to together when Lauren was alive. However, just through the 20, there are some startling images such as this one. Immediately, the connotations I drew from this beaten in door was the desperation of family to get into the room I assumed is where Lauren commits suicide. Although I do not know this to be true. This would be a very difficult time for the family, having to grieve and come to terms with her sudden self inflicted death; and then having the physical proof of their desperation to save her.

Suicide is very delicate, some people argue it is selfish. Others admit that at least they are at peace. This series of work is obviously after the suicide and appears very empty I suppose. There are portraits of Lauren but they are distorted and/or blurred like she is just a memory now. This is obviously a very personal piece of work to Muhlin following his grief and journey, a first hand view of how suicide affects others: relatives and friends.