DISCLAIMER: For those of you who have sent books or are thinking of sending books or who are thinking of making a book and then sending it to me….don’t. It’s not that I don’t love you. I do. I love all of you. I just can’t keep receiving your books. My house is small, my shelves are maxed out, and I’m on the road far too much to give your books the care they deserve. So, think about this post. Brant sent images of his book, something I am more than happy to look at. His photographs are simple but they are also clean and crisp. Lit well and on a white background. If you are pondering the idea of sending me a book, well, do it, just do it like Brant. Thanks, all.
Nothing I like better than when a friend takes my advice and then takes action. Enter “Garden of Eden,” by Brant Slomovic, an old friend from my days of traipsing Canada as “The Blurb Guy.” Brant is a legit photographer who spent many years in another profession only to lose his mind and return to photography. Just as it should be. And lucky for us, he produces good work which always finds its way into print.
This is not Brant’s first print rodeo.
If you haven’t seen his book in Israel you should. “The Cracks In Everything,” is a powerhouse of fortitude, time, access and commitment to an itch he couldn’t quite scratch. For you dorks, he shoots a lot of film. And for you Brant, my links now open in another tab. You’re welcome.
But let’s talk about this little gem you see here. A notebook and journal. Arguably my favorite Blurb product of all time. The gateway drug of drugs, perfect for the first time user unsure of personal policy or direction. A book that no one else will see. A safe zone of experimentation and affordability. And a book you live with for week or months after the fact. Gaining in power and popularity as you populate the beast with writings, rantings and original ideas. If you haven’t yet taken on your own notebook project then start now, today.
I’ll say it right up front. I’m going to steal some of these type treatments and color schemes. I’ve made dozens of these things, but I not immune from seeing someone else’s idea and saying “Hmm, how can I build on that?” I love the white text, oversized, on the black page. It just works, and is perfect fodder for my white gel pen.
And remember, you can change your page backgrounds from blank to lined to spot, to grid, etc. And you can do this from page to page. And with notebooks you have fewer options to get lost in. I do softcover about 99.9% of the time to keep the cost and weight down. Plus, I like bending the pages back on themselves. I torture these books and they continue to hold up. (good glue)
Let me hammer on an opinion once again. Remember in the 1980s we had “Kill Your Television.” This was a popular expression and popular bumper sticker. Mostly on Subarus. The idea was sound. Television, during the 1980s, came to life in a way we had not seen before. Consequently, a lot of folks got lost in the programming. As a species, we began to drift apart from the natural world. Fast forward to today and we should have a new bumper sticker. “Kill Your Instagram Account.” Mostly on Subarus. Trust me when I say this, if you do kill your IG and start your notebook you will suffer. You will. You will suffer from withdrawls, but if you can last two weeks the positive repercussions will change your entire life. You will begin to see the real world in real time. You will have less FOMO, less stress, more attention and a better grasp of the now.
Before you go asking, this book is NOT for sale. This book is for Brant. That’s all. The same applies to my journals. I don’t know what Brant’s goal is. Mine is get you to make your own, not buy mine. Let me get a few logistics out of the way. Although these books come in several sizes, I prefer the 6×9 and the 8×10. Lately, I’ve been making more of the 8x10s, but just know an 8×10 is a lot of real estate which means it will take you a LONG time to finish. If you don’t think you can last, go with the 6×9. Standard color paper if you want your images to look photographic. If you want to get a bit spicy you can play with some of the less expensive options.
Just look at that image placement. Small, quiet, off center. A bit of tech geekiness to warm our hearts. Plenty of space to write about how Dan Milnor changed his life. I get it. It works. Remember, when it comes to the notebook and journal, there are no rules. This is not your dad’s photography book. This isn’t a buzz cut with your shirt tucked in. Just do what feels right. Want right justified and a red typeface. Okay.
Comments 11
Can we send Brandt a cup of coffee?
Author
I don’t see why not. Send me cash…
Cheers, R kelly.
I like coffee and I like cash.
But what I really love is making books (and selling books to keep this whole thing going) – thanks again for the plug Dan.
It is not Utopia, it is a perfect description of original sin. Dare say it has deep meaning, even tho one may not believe in its authenticity (I do).
Imagine you are all powerful and you create a world, but you want to go the extra mile and provide freedom of choice to one species, “designed in His image”.
To put that freedom to test you had to have limitations, but instead of thousands of threes one could not eat, you place only one, because you so want creation to thrive.
Still, man always knows better, always wants to be like God, and the devil knows it, hence why the big temptation has always been “become like God”. We know it all, with our machines, with our limited knowledge..or maybe we don’t
https://theconversation.com/tolkien-and-the-machine-35826
https://youtu.be/qIrxKCymXs4?si=5uYkPx0yUpMstqtU
Author
Too heady for me. I’m probably headed to the underworld at best.
I do miss your Q&A. Just saying:)
Author
I hear ya. I do too, just don’t miss putting it on YT.
+1.
It isn’t much to do with gear, in my case (I don’t want or need anything new anymore), but because I simply enjoy listening to Dan expound upon whatever it is that he wants to speak about. As is often pointed out, he’s a wonderful communicator and that provides value enough in this grim online world. Whilst I have no gripe with picking up information about equipment I have no intention of buying, I do wish he’d let things such as backpacks bite the proverbial dust: nobody needs to carry them unless they have some kind of mental disorder. We all got along without them until suddenly they became a pandemic, with all manner of persons suddenly unable to go for a simple walk without carrying laptops, a variety of footwear and a change of clothing. In reality, the most additional baggage a walk requires is a bumbag of sorts, with room, perhaps, for a cellphone and wallet. I appreciate that American wallets are deeper than those of most of the rest of the world’s population, but then to compensate, so are their pockets. I bet you Quasimodo wouldn’t have worn one; a backpack, I mean, not an American pocket.
Author
I think you just inspired my next post. I don’t have to wear a backpack. I GET to wear one. One of my favorite things of all time, but I’m in the backcountry a lot, and I travel nonstop, two things I don’t know how to do without a pack. Or two.
First off, a huge thanks to you Dan for this write up and for the inspiration to try out these personal journals.
Let me expand a bit on what Dan eluded to (not knowing my stated goal).
I don’t view this little publication as a book. It’s a tool to expand my creative process – a journal and a workspace. I’m rarely without a more traditional journal (think Rhodia). When I’m out on a shoot I also have at least one small note pad, mobile phone notes, Google Docs, etc… Effectively what this does is akin to having too much gear– I expend mental energy on decisions that take me away from the work. This is my first attempt (with the coaxing of Dan) to keep everything in one place, to stay focused but also loose, to keep inspirational or foundational images at the ready, in addition to a place to jot down notes, more lengthy journal musings and details about shoots like location and subject information.
At the end of the day the title of the finished work will likely not be “Eden” and definitely not “Garden of Eden” and it may even be something unrelated. The work will declare itself and I’m hoping this will be a tool, a travel companion to get me closer to it.
Author
How about “Garden of Eating?”