Getting Into Photo Books:
Getting Into Photo Books:
Photo books have become a massive part of my life and day to day. I now collect them, and the websites or presses and resellers I purchase them from are numerous. It’s hard to think that only a few years ago a few purchases would grow so strongly into a new way to learn, be inspired, and support artists and their businesses. While finishing up my BFA at KCAI, I realized that someone who’s interested might have a hard time navigating what to read first. This list is heavily tailored to my interests, but the projects and artists I’ll be talking about here were really instrumental in pushing me to be a better artist and photographer. There will be frequent postings about photo books, and whatever else I’m reading or finding inspiring. These were a few of the projects which helped me dive deeper into photo books, at the end of the post I will put some related artists who are also worth a look.
Before moving further. At the time of my writing this entry, most of the things listed are available for purchase and can be found in some way. However it does seem like a realistic possibility that if someone is looking at this in the future, some of these books may be more difficult to find. Public libraries are great resources, as are university libraries (especially if you’re at a state school which may have a wider reach to request things)
Sawdust Mountain By Eirik Johnson:
This project is probably one of the first books I purchased. Ever since a visit to Oregon when I was younger the landscape captivated me. As my father and I drove through the state to a port city, we passed through a wide clearing of felled trees. If you’ve ever been to west Oregon and seen the lush vibrant forest there, imagine driving through that for a few hours, and coming to a clearing where a major portion of the forest has been felled for miles. This memory is probably what fed me initially buying the book, but the sequencing, the feel of the paper, and the text which accompany the project are fantastic. This is a book which I come back to about once a year, and I tend to find new things in it. Johnson’s work is also amazing, but this was my introduction to him. He has recently revisited an aspect of this project. Support him and purchase the book here. This book is also available from Aperture.org.
In a very broad sense all of the work Matt Eich had made and was available for viewing on his website in 2020 caught my interest. Some of his earlier books are hard to find now, and seem to be drifting into rare book territory. I was able to see a couple of his projects from my university's library.
Seasonal Blues was something that I was able to purchase, and was affordable. Seeing this project made me want to see more of Eich’s project in book form. While the single copy I got is now sold out, there is a 4 book collection for purchase, as well as a few individuals. It’s also worth mentioning that Little Oak Press is run by Eich, and puts out really great work. Eich’s Invisible Yoke series has its fourth volume releasing soon and is worth a look.
I truly can’t recall how I stumbled upon this one. It may have been an advertisement from instagram, or from browsing for books and coming across Ice Fog Press (run by Huff). Anyhow, seeing a project about Adak, which is an abandoned military outpost was enough to make me purchase it. The actual book has a tangible aspect which makes it feel more like a relic of the project, almost like a piece of history. (and with how I view photography as a medium I suppose it is). There are some interesting sections in it which further invest you as you read through. Purchase the book here
Sugimoto speaks more eloquently about his own work than I could ever hope to, it’s worth looking at. In terms of books from him, find what you can. I was fortunate to find a copy of his Architecture book, and Gates of Paradise. I was able to see a copy of a Theaters book at the Nelson Atkins Spencer Reference Library (which is free and open to the public). A short video.
The cop out would be to say it’s a book about Niagara. More broadly it’s about love and relationships. At the end of reading this, it seemed to click and I felt I understood what Soth wanted me to understand. There is a fantastic forward in this, which I really enjoyed. Oftentimes these forwards are 50/50 for me. Niagara was originally published by Steidl, however Mack Books has republished many of Soth’s projects recently. The republished editions are cheaper than first editions and some other copies. Find a copy of it here. As of my writing this, Mack books were sold out. This book is popular.
These are five artists and projects which really spoke to me when I found them. I have included links to view some work online, but everything I’ve listed should be seen in a book or in person if possible. The work is far less impactful on a screen than printed.
