Great news. We have taken delivery of the bulk shipment of our hardback edition of Developing Vision & Style.
This coming week will see copies being sent out to all those who took part in the project.
We are taking credit card orders by phone: +44 (0) 208 455 2476. For those wishing to purchase a book on-line, the Developing Vision & Style website and its Paypal facility will be activated at the beginning of November.
Thursday, 25 October 2007
Friday, 21 September 2007
DELIVERY DATES CONFIRMED
I've just had confirmation that the advance copies will be arriving any day soon and that bulk copies will arrive, as planned, towards the end of October. If you submitted work for possible inclusion in the book then your copy will be despatched towards the end of October. For those wanting to purchase a copy, there will be a Developing Vision & Style website with a Paypal ordering facility, or you will be able to place an order by phone with a credit card. Details of the website to follow shortly.
As for Working the Light, we will be offering a Limited Edition, signed, numbered and slipcased edition of Developing Vision and Style. Although the Collector's Edition of Working the Light (with an original print) was a great success, it has not been decided yet whether we do the same for DV&S. If you have strong views on this, please do let me know.
As for Working the Light, we will be offering a Limited Edition, signed, numbered and slipcased edition of Developing Vision and Style. Although the Collector's Edition of Working the Light (with an original print) was a great success, it has not been decided yet whether we do the same for DV&S. If you have strong views on this, please do let me know.
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
PUBLICATION DATE
The printers have just confirmed the delivery date of the book. We will get a few advanced copies, for publicity purposes, air-freighted around 20th September. The bulk shipment will arrive towards the end of October. Contributors' copies will be posted out straight afterwards.
Friday, 17 August 2007
RETURN OF YOUR MATERIAL
Now that the second proofs have been passed, I've been organising the return of material to those of you who took part. I hope to have the bulk of your images despatched by tomorrow before I leave for a two-week break. I'm back on September 3rd if you need to contact me.
SECOND PROOFS HAVE BEEN PASSED!
The second proofs came back from the printers looking great, so the files have been passed and the book should be on press very soon. But first we have to sign off a set of plotter proofs – folded and gathered sections, so we can check that the pages are in the right order.
After that the book will go to press and they will be shipped back at the end of the September, arriving in October. A few advance copies will be air-freighted over for us to check before the bulk of them are despatched. There's always a lot of checking to do with books – it seems their success lies in the detail as much as it does in the pictures they contain!
After that the book will go to press and they will be shipped back at the end of the September, arriving in October. A few advance copies will be air-freighted over for us to check before the bulk of them are despatched. There's always a lot of checking to do with books – it seems their success lies in the detail as much as it does in the pictures they contain!
Friday, 27 July 2007
FIRST PROOFS HAVE ARRIVED
We've just had the first set of proofs back from the printer. Generally they look very good, but as expected of a book with many differing styles of images, made with different camera formats, there were some images that needed a little tweeking. We can expect the second (and final proofs, we hope!) the week beginning August 6th.
For those of you patiently waiting for the return of your original images, can you hold on until then. Ideally, we need them to colour check the proofs. Thanks so much for your patience.
The book is still on schedule for publication in October and Argentum have already received sizeable advance orders for the softback version. Can't be bad!
For those of you patiently waiting for the return of your original images, can you hold on until then. Ideally, we need them to colour check the proofs. Thanks so much for your patience.
The book is still on schedule for publication in October and Argentum have already received sizeable advance orders for the softback version. Can't be bad!
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
RETURNING SUBMITTED WORK
We'll be able to return submitted transparencies immediately after we have checked pictures against the wet proofs. The proofs should be with us in a a couple of weeks from now. Also, we'll be returning those images submitted for possible cover usage. If you need your pictures before then, please get in touch with me.
A LIST OF THOSE INCLUDED IN THE BOOK
Here is a list of those selected for inclusion in the book. Many thanks to everyone who submitted work:
Andrews, Chris; Andronis, Christos; Aubertin, Guy; Baker, Nigel; Baldwin, Angela; Barkway, Julian; Barnes, Andrew; Brittle, Wayne; Brock, Jon; Brown, Michael James; Brown, Quentin; Brown, Ross; Chester, Colby; Childs, Richard; Cobley, Tony; Coffey, Hazel; Cox, James Michael; Covington, Greg; Creber, Roger; Douglas, Pat; Foster, Mel; Gallagher, Paul; Garbert, Peter; Gray, Steve; Griffiths, Michela; Halliwell, Nigel; Harrison, Simon; Heath, Rupert; Hollister, Adrian; Holroyd, Roger; Horrocks, Jonathan; Isakova, Nadia; Karry, Peter; Kerr, James; Kroes, Janneke; Kuzminski, Tamara; Laker, Ian; Latham, Andy; Lewis, Sean; Longdin, Roger; Mann, Phil; Marsch, Paul; McFarlane, Mike; McLaren, Nick; Parker, Julian; Pascal-Willis, Eli; Pierzchala, Adam; Popinet, Sylvestre; Reed, Alan; Stacey, Ian; Sunderland, Mark; Urry, Keith; Wilgen, Frans R.van.
Andrews, Chris; Andronis, Christos; Aubertin, Guy; Baker, Nigel; Baldwin, Angela; Barkway, Julian; Barnes, Andrew; Brittle, Wayne; Brock, Jon; Brown, Michael James; Brown, Quentin; Brown, Ross; Chester, Colby; Childs, Richard; Cobley, Tony; Coffey, Hazel; Cox, James Michael; Covington, Greg; Creber, Roger; Douglas, Pat; Foster, Mel; Gallagher, Paul; Garbert, Peter; Gray, Steve; Griffiths, Michela; Halliwell, Nigel; Harrison, Simon; Heath, Rupert; Hollister, Adrian; Holroyd, Roger; Horrocks, Jonathan; Isakova, Nadia; Karry, Peter; Kerr, James; Kroes, Janneke; Kuzminski, Tamara; Laker, Ian; Latham, Andy; Lewis, Sean; Longdin, Roger; Mann, Phil; Marsch, Paul; McFarlane, Mike; McLaren, Nick; Parker, Julian; Pascal-Willis, Eli; Pierzchala, Adam; Popinet, Sylvestre; Reed, Alan; Stacey, Ian; Sunderland, Mark; Urry, Keith; Wilgen, Frans R.van.
Thursday, 28 June 2007
A DV&S WEBSITE
It's my intention to create a website for DV&S, that will continue the vision and style debate. The site will include written contributions which, for reasons of limited space, couldn't be included in the book. Also, there will be a list of entrants, plus links to their own websites, so visitors can see more of their work and get in touch with those photographers. The site will also include a selection of page-spreads from the book, for preview purposes.
www.developingvisionandstyle.com should be up and running within the next couple of weeks, long before the book is published in October.
www.developingvisionandstyle.com should be up and running within the next couple of weeks, long before the book is published in October.
GONE TO PRESS!
The book is finished and gone to press. Now we just have to wait for the wet proofs to come back…
It was something of a marathon getting everything done for the amended delivery date, but worth the effort. I'm delighted with how the pages look. The design is based on Working the Light, but I made a number of refinements to the layout and of course there are the written contributions from participants this time round, which add variety and depth to what turned out to be a fascinating discussion about vision and style.
It was something of a marathon getting everything done for the amended delivery date, but worth the effort. I'm delighted with how the pages look. The design is based on Working the Light, but I made a number of refinements to the layout and of course there are the written contributions from participants this time round, which add variety and depth to what turned out to be a fascinating discussion about vision and style.
Monday, 11 June 2007
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE!
Argentum, the publishers of the softback edition of DV&S, have brought forward the date the book goes to press to June 25th. The reason for the early delivery date is that DV&S has been chosen as the Book Club's autumn Editor's Choice. So, clearly we are doing something right! Well done, all.
This means even(!) longer days – editing pictures, subbing text, designing the pages, colour managing all the pictures and trying to keep track of all the other 'invisibles' that make a book. Working with just one author is usually complex enough, but with so many authors it's a different story altogether – but great fun. The change of schedule has left little time for anything else, including updating this blog. My apologies to you all and thanks for your patience.
Just to fill you in on the schedule: after the book goes to press, we will receive wet proofs about a month later. These we check for colour accuracy and it's the last chance to look for any mistakes. Correcting things at this stage is an expensive business, so, as with any book, pages are checked and double-checked before they go to press. We have two people proofing the pages and I'll get another couple of people to read it over, who will come to it fresh, in the hope that they pick up any typos, or such-like.
Any corrected pages are sent back to the printers and revised proofs are made. Assuming all is OK, a set of folded and trimmed digital proofs will follow, which show the book in its collated state. In this way we can double-check the running order of the pages. If everything is fine, we sign off the job and wait – anxiously – for the books themselves to arrive. In total it takes about four months to complete the printing: proofing, printing and shipping. It will be worth the wait – the pictures and text you submitted are great.
This means even(!) longer days – editing pictures, subbing text, designing the pages, colour managing all the pictures and trying to keep track of all the other 'invisibles' that make a book. Working with just one author is usually complex enough, but with so many authors it's a different story altogether – but great fun. The change of schedule has left little time for anything else, including updating this blog. My apologies to you all and thanks for your patience.
Just to fill you in on the schedule: after the book goes to press, we will receive wet proofs about a month later. These we check for colour accuracy and it's the last chance to look for any mistakes. Correcting things at this stage is an expensive business, so, as with any book, pages are checked and double-checked before they go to press. We have two people proofing the pages and I'll get another couple of people to read it over, who will come to it fresh, in the hope that they pick up any typos, or such-like.
Any corrected pages are sent back to the printers and revised proofs are made. Assuming all is OK, a set of folded and trimmed digital proofs will follow, which show the book in its collated state. In this way we can double-check the running order of the pages. If everything is fine, we sign off the job and wait – anxiously – for the books themselves to arrive. In total it takes about four months to complete the printing: proofing, printing and shipping. It will be worth the wait – the pictures and text you submitted are great.
Friday, 4 May 2007
HARDBACK COVER IMAGE
Congratulations to Nigel Halliwell. His picture won universal praise. That said, it was a tough process choosing from so many other good entries.
Aside from being a great picture, what makes Nigel's image particularly well-suited to the hardback edition of DV&S is the way it lends itself to the placing of the title. As the designer and publisher, I wanted the words Vision & Style to be similarly placed to that of Working the Light. A lesson here for all of us: including space when composing a photograph can be useful, both to help balance a picture and also to make it well-suited for publication – as a book jacket, perhaps.
Argentum are still to confirm the softback cover image. I'll report back as soon as I know which picture has been chosen.
Aside from being a great picture, what makes Nigel's image particularly well-suited to the hardback edition of DV&S is the way it lends itself to the placing of the title. As the designer and publisher, I wanted the words Vision & Style to be similarly placed to that of Working the Light. A lesson here for all of us: including space when composing a photograph can be useful, both to help balance a picture and also to make it well-suited for publication – as a book jacket, perhaps.
Argentum are still to confirm the softback cover image. I'll report back as soon as I know which picture has been chosen.
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
COMPETITION PRIZE WINNER
I'm delighted to announce that Guy Aubertin is the winner of our main prize, to attend the Book Publishing Workshop course this September. Guy entered this excellent picture as part of his submission for DV&S.The five winners of a Collectors' Edition of DV&S or Working the Light will be notified shortly.
AWAITING RECEIPT OF YOUR ENTRY?
If you are concerned that we may not have received your entry, then do feel free to email me. If you paid your entry fee by cheque, and it has not been debited from your account, I can confirm that today the final batch have been banked. We have almost finished processing all your submissions. The complexity of the process got me to see we needed to seriously upgrade the databasing/accounting software. I will create a list of entrants once this process is complete.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUBMISSIONS
A really good number of you have submitted work – thank you. I wasn't too sure how you would feel about having to write about your photography, but it doesn't seem to have put people off. In fact, quite the opposite, I received plenty of emails saying the writing had actually inspired them to take part.
I've scheduled to go through the entries next week, but in the meantime I've had a quick peek and what I've seen looks fantastic. I can't wait to see the rest.
I've scheduled to go through the entries next week, but in the meantime I've had a quick peek and what I've seen looks fantastic. I can't wait to see the rest.
Monday, 19 March 2007
ARE VISION & STYLE GUIDED BY THE CAMERA WE USE?
Like many photographers I own a number of different cameras. But to what extent do their mechanical attributes/limitations affect the way I work? In particular, do they affect my Vision or in any way control my Style? (What are your views…?)
I like to think it is Me rather than the camera I use that determines the type of images I make. But, if I think about making a picture and then ask myself how I want it to look, I am very aware that in my mind's eye the resulting image looks and feels totally different as I think about capturing it on one of the many different cameras I own. My approach would be quite different, say, were I to use a digital SLR when compared to shooting the same thing on film, on my Fuji 6x9 rangefinder, and, again, my approach with that one camera would be different if I chose Bergger 200 film as opposed to Delta 3200. Each film creates/promotes a style of their own.
On a recent shoot I took both a DSLR and my Hasslebad XPan. I found it impossible to work with both. It was like trying to pat my head with one hand while rotating the other hand over my stomach. My brain got totally confused and I had to think consciously (rather than visually and spontaneously) about what I was doing. I ceased being a photographer, immersed in his subject and a conduit for the image, and became a kind of art director instead – working to a brief. But perhaps there was more to it than that. Was it impossible for me to use the two different camera types because the film-based XPan involves me in a process of visualisation as opposed to the DSLR with which I am an image editor, constantly reviewing what I've photographed, responding to it and then re-shooting if needs be?
This experience got me thinking about the idea of working with just one camera. It sounds very limiting, but also very liberating. Perfect the art of working with that camera, so that it becomes an extension of oneself, and ultimately the only limitation is one's imagination.
So, how do I feel about the idea of selling the other cameras I don't need? My immediate response is that I have some kind of connection (or is attachment?) to them. As I think about this I realise my approach to photography is rooted in something beyond technique. I'm more interested in how photography can help me see the world. Having different cameras affects my viewpoint and this enables me to see things in a variety of ways, each from a different perspective, with one challenging the other. None of these views are right, nor is one approach better than the other. How, then, would I define my own style of photography, given that my multi-camera approach is so varied. Perhaps Style it is more to do with the intention behind the work? In this case, perhaps what drives my Style is the notion of Inquiry. Maybe it doesn't matter what camera or process I use…
I like to think it is Me rather than the camera I use that determines the type of images I make. But, if I think about making a picture and then ask myself how I want it to look, I am very aware that in my mind's eye the resulting image looks and feels totally different as I think about capturing it on one of the many different cameras I own. My approach would be quite different, say, were I to use a digital SLR when compared to shooting the same thing on film, on my Fuji 6x9 rangefinder, and, again, my approach with that one camera would be different if I chose Bergger 200 film as opposed to Delta 3200. Each film creates/promotes a style of their own.
On a recent shoot I took both a DSLR and my Hasslebad XPan. I found it impossible to work with both. It was like trying to pat my head with one hand while rotating the other hand over my stomach. My brain got totally confused and I had to think consciously (rather than visually and spontaneously) about what I was doing. I ceased being a photographer, immersed in his subject and a conduit for the image, and became a kind of art director instead – working to a brief. But perhaps there was more to it than that. Was it impossible for me to use the two different camera types because the film-based XPan involves me in a process of visualisation as opposed to the DSLR with which I am an image editor, constantly reviewing what I've photographed, responding to it and then re-shooting if needs be?
This experience got me thinking about the idea of working with just one camera. It sounds very limiting, but also very liberating. Perfect the art of working with that camera, so that it becomes an extension of oneself, and ultimately the only limitation is one's imagination.
So, how do I feel about the idea of selling the other cameras I don't need? My immediate response is that I have some kind of connection (or is attachment?) to them. As I think about this I realise my approach to photography is rooted in something beyond technique. I'm more interested in how photography can help me see the world. Having different cameras affects my viewpoint and this enables me to see things in a variety of ways, each from a different perspective, with one challenging the other. None of these views are right, nor is one approach better than the other. How, then, would I define my own style of photography, given that my multi-camera approach is so varied. Perhaps Style it is more to do with the intention behind the work? In this case, perhaps what drives my Style is the notion of Inquiry. Maybe it doesn't matter what camera or process I use…
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT 'STYLE' – MINE AND YOURS…
What do we mean when we talk about 'Style'?
Is Style 'that' which simply differentiates the work of one photographer from another? Is it a result? A way that we the viewer can describe the difference between photographs, say, of similar subject matter made by different photographers? Or, is it an approach to making images? For example, does every photographer have a mantra (conscious or subconscious) that guides their work, that causes it to be different from others? In First Light, Joe Cornish talks about the importance of TLC (Timing, Lighting and Composition). If any of the three are absent, he won't press the shutter release. When we recognise one of his images, are we seeing the coming together of T, L and C, or is there something 'other' which is present? If so, what and how might we describe it?
I like what Weston wrote about a picture he made of Tina Modotti: "… a tear rolled down her cheek – and then I captured the moment – let me see f8 1/10 sec K1 filter – panchromatic film – how brutally mechanical and calculated it sounds – yet really how spontaneous and genuine – for I have so overcome the mechanics of my camera that it functions responsive to my desires – my shutter co-ordinating with my brain is released in a way – as natural as I might move my arm – I am beginning to approach an actual attainment in photography… The moment of our mutual moment was recorded on the silver film."
In my search for a greater understanding of Style, I've delved into any number of books – photographic, artistic and beyond. In 'Writers on Howard Hodgkin' I found a quote that might answer the above question about Joe's photography. It is by Edouard Vuillard (the French Post-Impressionist painter): "There is no art without poetic aim."
What do you think about Style? Please include your thoughts on the matter with your entry forms. Your comments, ideas and questions will help shape DV&S into an inspiring and thought-provoking book.
Is Style 'that' which simply differentiates the work of one photographer from another? Is it a result? A way that we the viewer can describe the difference between photographs, say, of similar subject matter made by different photographers? Or, is it an approach to making images? For example, does every photographer have a mantra (conscious or subconscious) that guides their work, that causes it to be different from others? In First Light, Joe Cornish talks about the importance of TLC (Timing, Lighting and Composition). If any of the three are absent, he won't press the shutter release. When we recognise one of his images, are we seeing the coming together of T, L and C, or is there something 'other' which is present? If so, what and how might we describe it?
I like what Weston wrote about a picture he made of Tina Modotti: "… a tear rolled down her cheek – and then I captured the moment – let me see f8 1/10 sec K1 filter – panchromatic film – how brutally mechanical and calculated it sounds – yet really how spontaneous and genuine – for I have so overcome the mechanics of my camera that it functions responsive to my desires – my shutter co-ordinating with my brain is released in a way – as natural as I might move my arm – I am beginning to approach an actual attainment in photography… The moment of our mutual moment was recorded on the silver film."
In my search for a greater understanding of Style, I've delved into any number of books – photographic, artistic and beyond. In 'Writers on Howard Hodgkin' I found a quote that might answer the above question about Joe's photography. It is by Edouard Vuillard (the French Post-Impressionist painter): "There is no art without poetic aim."
What do you think about Style? Please include your thoughts on the matter with your entry forms. Your comments, ideas and questions will help shape DV&S into an inspiring and thought-provoking book.
Friday, 16 March 2007
DIGITAL SUBMISSION REFERENCE PRINTS
Some of you have asked what size prints you need to submit with your digital picture submissions. Basically, I just need reference pictures (so that I don't have to open every cd while making the image selections). For this purpose, they only need to be 6x4" in size, or thereabouts. They don't have to be colour-managed, although it's best for them to look the way you want them to. And, if they are reference prints, then they can be printed on any surface.
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
WHAT KIND OF PICTURES SHOULD I SUBMIT?
Essentially we're looking for landscape images although you can also submit architecture/cityscapes/village life-type images as well. There can be people or the hand of the man in these images. Check out the Entry Form for technical details (eg digital file sizes/resolution, etc).
Some people have asked me to look at their work, to make suggestions about what to submit. I'd rather you made the choice as one of the main aims of the book is to reflect your views and opinions. Whatever images you choose will be right! Just be sure to contextualise your picture selection, for example you might like to explain how your selection reflects your vision or style. Or, maybe, there are lessons to be learnt from your selection, that you would like to share with other readers, that makes your selection particularly relevant. In which case, share these lessons with us.
The brief is very open to interpretation. Putting your slant on your image selection will help enable me include as many of you in the book as possible.
Some people have asked me to look at their work, to make suggestions about what to submit. I'd rather you made the choice as one of the main aims of the book is to reflect your views and opinions. Whatever images you choose will be right! Just be sure to contextualise your picture selection, for example you might like to explain how your selection reflects your vision or style. Or, maybe, there are lessons to be learnt from your selection, that you would like to share with other readers, that makes your selection particularly relevant. In which case, share these lessons with us.
The brief is very open to interpretation. Putting your slant on your image selection will help enable me include as many of you in the book as possible.
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