Book Design, Digital Imaging and Photography

1. Luna Park, the Image of a Funfair.

This lecture is based on the author’s PhD thesis completed at Sydney University in the Department of Architecture (1997). The lecture addresses, through a detailed study of the photographs of Australian photographer, E. A. Hopkins, the following issues.

The lecture is accompanied by 150 slides and requires two projectors.

2. Re-reading the Book

A discussion of the act of reading. The lecture is based on the author’s photographs of books and other paper works. it addresses the problem of how does one make manifest the essentially invisible process of perception and cognition we call “reading.” The argument will be made that it is possible to “use” photography in a way that functions as a metaphor for the act of reading. Topics include:

1. Using books as raw material for photographic investigation.
2. Reading the world as if it were a book.
3. Using photographic methodologies to reveal subliminal content, both within the mind of the photographer and also within the material being scrutinized.

The lecture is accompanied by 60 slides. One projector is required.

3. Aspects of Presentation

This lecture examines the effect presentation choices have on expressive issues and how the subsequent communicated content is modified by these choices. This is both a theoretical and practical lecture and encourages the audience to consider presentation issues as part of the creative process rather than something that is imposed on the work at the end of the day. As such the following elements are dissected and examined in detail:

1. The Print
2. The Exhibition
3. The Book
4. CD Rom

This lecture is archived in pdf format on CD Rom. As such a computer, ideally a Mac, is connected to a projector and Adobe Acrobat Reader (freeware) is installed.

OTHER LECTURES

In addition the author has prepared lectures on most aspects of the history and theory of photography. Other lectures may be requested and will be prepared by the author to suit the curriculum and requirements of any interested party. Planned is a lecture on self publishing which details the processes involved in writing. illustrating, designing, and preparing for press, a book like Digital Book Design and Publishing.

In addition to formal lectures, the author also conducts a variety of photographic workshops. Of these, the most requested concerns the use of digital technology to create a photographic book. Such a book can be either a limited edition artist book or a commercially printed trade book. Either use essentially the same techniques.

USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE A BOOK.

INTRODUCTION

The association with photographs and the book is almost as old as photography itself. Fox Talbot’s seminal work, The Pencil of Nature, was published within five years of his invention of the negative/positive process. It is almost as if there is a deep, even intimate relationship between the picture and the page. It is for this reason that most photographers will at some point consider publishing their work in book form.

CONTENT

This workshop addresses all of the stages involved in book production. Participants will apply principles of sequencing, and image and text editing, to create a working maquette. They will then learn how to assemble and print their photographic book using Adobe Photoshop and QuarkXPress (or Adobe InDesign). By the end of the workshop participants will have a book that can be further editioned by being printed commercially, or at home on their desktop printer.

This course is designed for those photographers who already have a collection of images and who would like to further amplify and extend the expressive content of their work. From a conceptual standpoint, the workshop will address the particular ability of the book (through the juxtaposition of images and text) to clarify content and extend meaning, and subsequently present this as a coherent and self-contextualizing object.

Participants need no prior knowledge of either QuarkXPress, InDesign or Photoshop. However, you should have basic computer skills. More important is to have as many images as possible (and ideally some text) and the desire to present your work in a way that amplifies and clarifies your intentions, not just to others, but also to yourself.

LESSON PLAN

The following schema is based on a five day, week long, time period. Depending on time available this plan can be modified to either contract to a smaller time period, or be expanded to fill an entire semester.

Day 1

Morning: The convenor to show work and discuss various strategies employed to resolve the integration of words and images.

Afternoon: Participants to show their own work and describe/refine their expectations of the finished work.

Day 2

Creating a preliminary maquette.

On this day the participants will construct, with copy photographs, photocopies and simple word processing skills the basic structure of the book. Issues to be addressed are image/text relationships, sequencing, size and projected form of the book.

Day 3

Importing images into the computer. Scanning techniques to be discussed and demonstrated.

Adjusting photographs. Using Photoshop to refine and adjust the images for best quality in reproduction.

Day 4

Creating the document. Setting up master pages in the page layout program (QuarkXPress or Adobe InDesign). Importing text and graphics into the document.

Day 5

Printing and binding the book. It is anticipated that the books will be of a relatively standardised form in the sense that they will conform to the limitations of the printers available and also standard size printing paper. In accepting this limitation, the advantage is that the participants can instead concentrate on content, both visual and textual.

Various simple but effective binding systems will be demonstrated.

OTHER WORKSHOPS

In addition the author also presents workshops in:

1. Portfolio Design and Construction (Including portfolio box construction).

2. Digital Imaging.

3. Digital Printmaking.

4. Image–Text Relationships.

5. Writing about Photographs.

6. Color Photography.

7. The History and Theory of Photography.

8. Basic Monochrome Photography.

9. Advanced Photography.

10. The Editing and Sequencing of Photographs.

11. Critique Sessions (individual and group).

12. Bookbinding

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INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATION

The author is also available to teach artists, photographers and authors, any of the skills described above on a one-to-one basis. Most requested is individual assistance in editing and assembling images and subsequent book production Individual rates are by negotiation.

FEE STRUCTURE

Basic Day Rate $1,500.00

Basic Week Rate $POA

Basic Lecture Fee (Students and Faculty) $P.O.A.

Public Lecture Fee $2,000.00

All travel and accomodation expenses to be paid by the client. Individual rates can be negotiated by contacting Douglas Holleley directly.

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