Let’s Make Some Photobooks

The problem of putting one’s work into print has always been a challenge; once it became possible to use offset lithography easily it still produced a rather “challenged” half tone screen. The better class of photo monographs were done on much more sophisticated machines & often included duotone inks to give depth to the image. Since the Advent of Aperture as a journal in 1952 the quality has risen considerably, but the style has remained mostly the same. The POD books we see now are very much like every other book in the museum store. The desire to have more control over production is very commendable, & letterpress & hand-sewn bindings are a good start; but in letterpress it’s all about the letters. The photographs are not printed in the manner of letterpress, but digitally in combination with it. This actually gives a reasonably talented photographer some fine control over the end product; a really skilled photographer such as Noah can go much further. Classic photographers have always fretted of the final print, & I would say that photographers like Ansel Adams, Paul Caponigro, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, etc. are really fine art printmakers who use photography as the medium; in the digital age this is rendered somewhat easier with current software & cameras. If you have been following Noah’s current work you will see that his book will be an exciting offering.