People ask how I get done what I get done. Simple, I have a plan. I have a workflow, and I’ve been doing this for decades. Most of what I do now is second nature. I’m not saying it’s great, or the way you should do things, but it’s what works for me. You might be tired of hearing this, which is why I love saying it again. Everything ends in print. To do any work of a serious nature and not see that work to print makes zero sense to me. I don’t get it. It feels shallow, lazy, disconnected, and not as serious as it was intended to be.
Most people who show me work with no intention of print aren’t that good.
They are onliners looking for a quick fix. Some have huge online followings, but sixty seconds into any of their films, and you see there isn’t much there. No history, no context, little to no knowledge of anything done before, no formal training, and an almost total fixation on the equipment at the front end of the conversation, while the back end, otherwise known as the important part, gets little note. The few images they do show get a “No, no, no,” from me as I endure the longest sixty seconds of my life. If this is you, know, it doesn’t have to be this way. This could be the first day of the rest of your print life.
And remember, you don’t have to do what I do. You can find your own print path. The point is, whatever it is, find it. What you are looking at here is a print version of my “30-Minute” books. Anytime I get a day in the field, in this case, a day in Hong Kong, I have a plan. I always have a plan. Although I am teaching and reacting to a variety of things, I always have a hook to focus on. On this particular day, the title was the hook. “Remain Calm and Wait for the Rescue,” which I found on my first night while riding the elevator in the hotel. That was my hook. Make pictures to support the title.
When the shooting day ends, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I send images from the camera to my phone. A tight edit because there is no other kind. I can do this in minutes. I have a decent idea of what I have before I see the images. I send full rez files, typically while eating, drinking, talking, etc. For those of you who were with me during this time, you might remember me placing my camera on the dinner table at some point. Boom.
The following morning, using the work from the day before, I set a timer for thirty minutes, and I begin to design a book. No revision, no second thoughts, and certainly no ridiculous notion of perfection of any kind. (This kills SO many people.) Just flow with what feels right. If I’ve had a crack at my journal, then I’ll use that as my text, or use Lorem ipsum as a placeholder. What I’m going for is an overall feel of what the work might ultimately look like in print. Also note, an edit, sequence, and design will change dramatically if my format changes, meaning magazine, Zine, book, etc. (This is a Blurb Magazine.)
When I see these pages, I see mostly what’s wrong, and there is a lot to see. The cover is horrible. That was the very first image I made while in Hong Kong, shot from my hotel room, so it’s sentimental to me, but not worthy of a cover. The text is wrong, too, but whatever. The type isn’t right either, but I can see what images I would offset with copy, and I can see what images might make a final publication. In other words, this publication is doing its job, allowing me to learn, to get better.
Here is the wrinkle. I typically don’t print these books. I do make other books from my trips, as you know, but the 30-Minute books are typically just an exercise. But I decided to print this because I have plans for it. Plans that might surprise you, and plans I’m not going to share now. I want to finish my idea and see if it’s worthy of sharing. I’ve not done what I have in mind, which alone is enough to get me excited, knowing I might fail miserably.
The spread you see above, “Hong Kong: Redline,” is the second 30-Minute book. I switched from Nikon to Fuji, and also switched my aspect ratio to 5:4, something I LOVE with X100VI. There is no reason for this other than I like doing it. Each camera allows me to make a certain kind of image. I like to mix it up. I also knew this ratio would impact my page design. My original idea was to slightly bleed each image across the gutter. Just enough for the viewer to know it spread to both pages. Then I abandoned my plan for no reason.
That timer suffers no fools, so I just keep plugging along. Typically, these sessions are early morning while I’m alone. One of the reasons these trips wipe me out is that I need this morning time like I need oxygen. I never sleep in. Doing this for weeks at a time while swapping countries can be exhausting. (Probably while I’m still sick now.) But as soon as something like this lands in my mailbox, it’s like a shot of adrenaline.
The other thing these publications do is bring back a FLOOD of memories, moments, smells, feelings, and anguish. Yes, anguish, for not being able to do this more, and for not being better at telling stories, designing pages, etc. I’m still a nube. That food looks so good. I want to sit with these ladies and get to know them. I want to learn their language and see where they live. This isn’t enough for me. I’m a long-form being. I need depth, time, space, and freedom.
This spread shows my original bleed idea, and I do like this image, but the copy is far from right. I see this guy and think, “Yep, need to know him too.” Were I still in Hong Kong, I’d go back and introduce myself. I need to know the man behind this fashion moment. Were I to make a final publication of some kind, this image would most likely make the cut. Seeing it in print solidified this fact.
These images need to be flipped, but I don’t like them as much as the egg spread above. Don’t need both. I might use the image on the right offset with copy, or story, because it does identify modern Hong Kong. Much is changing. But that image feels like a left page image to me. Again, the magazine is doing its job. Making me think, rethink, and learn. This publication was less than $20. I always use economy shipping. I know shipping is a real issue for some of you. Believe me, I hear it daily, and I share it with our team. I use economy because I never want to be in a rush, and most often, the publications come sooner than expected.
This could be it. This could be the first day of the rest of your print life. For those of you who know, preaching to the choir. For those who don’t, I’ll make these posts. That will never change. I’ve been deeply involved with print throughout my entire photographic career. I can still remember day one of photography school. Learning now to develop a roll of film, and learning how an enlarger works. There was never the idea of one without the other.