Making photobooks has been a big part of my photographic practice since starting university and even before that. In this post, I will be talking about the process of making a photobook, when are photobooks a good outlet for creative practice and why it is that I love making them.

So Why Make a Photobook?

Photobooks are a great way to showcase alot of images in one place. You may set out on a project that requires hundereds of images before you settle on the final set and you need a place to encapsulate all the ones you deem worthy of showcasing. 

There is also a narrative element to a photobook where stories can be told through images. If you have a story or narrative in mind for your project then carefully sequencing them within a book is a great way to tell that story.

Books are also great for both commercial and personal reasons. Comercially, providing that you can get published, can be a source of passive income once on sale. However on a personal level, you may just want to collect some of your projects as personal photographic memoirs that you can sit on the shelf and look through every now and again.

The Process of Making a Photobook.

The process of making a photobook is extensive, It takes a long time and alot of effort on the photographers part. Below I will detail the different steps of the process.

1). Taking photos… alot of photos.

When embarking on a new photobook project, the first step is to go and shoot alot of images. Having an idea for the project is helpful of course but changes to the projects overall message and content often happen through shooting. This is why shooting as much as possible is good as it allows for you to find what it is that works visually for the project but also helps you find out why it is that you’re shooting. For example, I set out on my last project to photograph the relationship between people and their pets but ended up settling on showcasing dogs and their individuality and why we love them.

2). Sequencing.

After you have taken you’re many many photos and edited them, now you must whittle them down to the ones that work best within a sequence. The tried and tested method for this is to take all of your images, print them out, and start categorising them. I like to make four piles (Definites, Good, Ok and a bin pile). Once this is done you can start laying them out on the floor or a table in a sequencce, mimicking what they would look like in the book. This takes a long time and will take many drafts to come to the final sequence so it is best to take your time on this step. The aim is to create a narrative and/or a rythm with the sequence. The categorised piles are also going to change as you sequence too as you may find a photo you didn’t like, becomes the perfect photo for a specific part of the sequence. Sequencing also highlights any gaps you may have from your photoshoots where reshoots may be needed or new ideas entirely.

3). Mock up/Draft Photobooks.

During sequencing, you may end up with some drafts that you want to test in a book format. This will allow you to see if the sequence works as intended. Basically, you piece your book together in your programme of choice (Adobe InDesign for example) and print it out as a book. Here is where it is a good time to test paper types also to make sure the book has the feel and the finish that you want or it needs. These draft photobooks will give an idea as to how well the sequence works and once again highlight any areas where new images or reshoots may be needed.

4). Finishing the Book.

Once you have settled on the sequence and paper type for your book, It is time to start thinking about how it will look in terms of its cover. The book can either be hand made or if you wish, sent off to companies to be made for you. Firstly, making the book by hand requires alot of work and patience. The first step is to stitch the book together and there are many ways to do this, one of the most common being the saddle stitch. This keeps all the pages together without using staples and gets it ready for binding. For the binding you will have to have your front and back covers ready. There are many ways to make your cover and many materials that it can be made of so it’s up to you to decide what suits your project best. As I said before, you can have your book made by a company that offers the service, examples include Blurb and Lulu. Doing it this way will ensure a proffessional finish to the book but it does come at a price which varies depending on which company you choose.

And there you have it!

The creation of a photobook is a long process with alot of work involved. It isn’t a process for everyone but can be very useful if your photographic practice suits it and feels extremely rewarding once it is done. Personally, I love creating photobooks. There are many reasons for this but one for me is the way it can bring together and encapsulate alot of my images in one place. Another reason is that I like to make work in a physical form, wether that be a book or a print. And finally, as I mentioned before, It feels extremely rewarding in a personal sense. All of the hard work and long hours all culminate to form the final outcome that you imagine from the conception of the project. It may not look like you had imagined but that too is great as there is an evolution that can be tracked throughout, reminding you of where the project began and how it ultimately got to the finish line.