There is no photography without the photography book. It’s been this way since the early 1990s, when I first witnessed the power of putting my work in print. An oversized portfolio cutting through the noise of the world. A jaded New York editor sat across the desk. “YOU did THIS?” she asked. “How, and what is it exactly?” A letter from a famous National Geographic editor. “We’ve never seen something like this. How did you do it?” And this was just the beginning of my book journey. The years since have been laden with print. It’s one reason I never slid into bed with the thumb flick world. It felt hollow, and it still feels hollow, like I’ve been cheated out of something. That’s it? That’s all you get? A half second of distracted glances. Tossed into the clothes pile with tens of millions of others? No, thank you. I’ll be over here in line by myself.
Nothing is perfect.
Give that up now, or find yourself in the category of those afraid to hit print. Those who perform more than anything else. Showmen and showwomen, digital top hats and canes bouncing nervously off the floor. Step right up, pull back that tent flap, and peer at the oddity inside. I make without fear of you or them or anyone else. But I work my way forward with a series of steps. The edit arrives like the bang of a judge’s gavel—the sentencing. The edit must be watertight.
The forgotten uncle, sequencing, arrives next. First to last, Ricky Bobby. Another art form that often gets lost in the race for fame. One slip and the viewer will drop the precious cargo and move on to dogs that love cats and flash mobs dancing at the mall. This is where story makes its presence known. Ebb and flow. Like yoga breathing. Don’t rush it.
Next comes prints. Small, nothing fancy. Easy to mix and match, easy to paste into things, and a way to find which pictures have a feel. Line them up, lay them out. Perfect for a second opinion. And that selection process weeds out the undecided. Just like the darkroom old days. Is this good enough to print? If in doubt, don’t. Go back to step one and start again.
When the book arrives, it’s often not a book, at least not at first. Most often, a journal or notebook. Not intended for public consumption. Not intended to impress or to make a statement. Intended to be lived with over an extended period. A private conversation until an opinion has been formed, and then, if desired or required, shared with a larger audience. This conversation requires time to think. This is where you become you. This is where you shed the perceived value of you and replace it with the actual value, regardless of what that number represents. If you don’t do this, the book isn’t your book. The book will belong to someone else.
This is my way. It might be your way, too. But if not, that’s okay. We each have to find our meandering path through this creativity thing. Some are born with a map, others get lost, and others still hack out a new trail through what the rest of us thought was an impenetrable jungle. We can and should learn from each other. Not a day goes by that I don’t see someone else’s work and feel a tinge of envy or motivation to be better. But I’ll remind you again, when this happens, you must stop and think. I have to remind myself of this often. Stop. Turn everything else off and just do ONE thing. Think about what you need, want, don’t know, or need to know. Practice, think. Practice, think. We live in a world where frenetic is the norm, but this only works for a tiny, tiny portion of the world. The rest of us must downshift and grind uphill at a manageable speed.
Comments 8
Creating a tangible substance, bringing a piece of this 3D world captured through a sensor or film back into the tangible existence, rafting through the waves of the process, dodging several rocks of creative blockage, denial and rejection – is a feeling coming to a full circle in one’s creative life. Like you said, nowadays people have lost their individuality by following trends on social media. Individuality is the element that makes everyone unique and interesting. Sadly, that’s mostly gone now. People search for quick fixes, overnight success, and immediate gratification—a sample of self-narcissistic hedonism. People nowadays tend to forget that the heartbeat diagram beside a hospital bed biologically denotes life, and that heartbeat is not a straight line, but rather has ups and downs. If it becomes a straight line, then there is no life anymore. Experimenting, trying, failing, all done for one’s creative expression without giving in to the social media trends is the best thing one can do for oneself.
PS- The Albania journal looks rich and succulent.
Author
Wow, what a comment. So well said. And thoughtful. And true.
In 2018 I visited Albania for 2 days. I wrote to a few of my friends that it was going to be the “next Iceland”, or should be. The countryside is beautiful and the villages are a pleasant cultural mixing pot of intersecting civilizations, slow cooking for centuries. I loved that blue river park I see here in a few photos. Your personal views of that land stir my own memories. Thanks
Author
It’s such a beautiful place. Mountains and water.
Mate, you spin a yarn like no other! Surely there’s a book in the works somewhere down the line? “A Private Conversation by Dan Milnor” has a pretty good ring to it! 🙂
Reading your blogs and watching your videos it’s impossible not to feel the passion and pure joy you get from completing a photo journal or a book. That feeling can’t be overstated. Whether intentional or not, in my humble opinion, you are carving out something no one else is even attempting….at least not in the way you have done it and continue to do it. You’re not just building a legacy; you’re reshaping the conversation around what it truly means to be a photographer.
In a world obsessed with gear and likes, you’re that rare voice reminding anyone willing to listen that this craft is about purpose, process, and personal truths. That unique energy you bring each time you share your journey, you remind us that it’s not just about the final image; it’s about the climb and the grind, the process, the private conversation, and that moment of quiet reckoning before reaching the summit.
Author
Ha, there is a book. I am working on the idea now. It won’t be easy to identify or categorize. I find the gear talk SO boring. But I feel the same about bikes, guns, fly rods, or anything other gear related thing. It’s just the middleman.
Danielsan…What “Art” said in has comment (a nice summation). I’m on the “pre-order'” list as well for a hard bound copy…”If you don’t chew ‘Big Red’ then F@#K You. Who doesn’t love R.B.
Another great post about bookmaking. I don’t remember your writing about the Albania books in this light. I’m chasing my tail overthinking what and why I should make a book. I wish I had your clarity.
Are you going to be at the PCNW Chase the Light June 14-15? I seem to remember your saying something about giving a lecture in Seattle on June 7 in a previous post ( which I can’t find ) but that could be my poor memory on display.