Location Photography Evaluation

Final Book

What went well?

Between Digital Darkroom and Location Photography, I would say that Location Photography was definitely the most enjoyable, and in my eyes, the most successful of the two.

• It was a good exercise to revisit a location where I had shot before and created a photobook for, and I trust that this new book will be a thousand times better than my first attempt (with no research into how a photobook should read whatsoever).
• I think that the layout of the photobook is very good. I acknowledge that the paper size and orientation are fairly unoriginal, however, this was the layout that works best for the types of images I decided on using (mostly landscapes). I like that there is a white border around the landscape images, with a blank page preceding it, which draws more attention to the image itself.
• Even though I didn’t use these skills in my final outcome, I am pleased to have learned some basic bookbinding methods, which I will try to employ in future projects.
• The final printed outcome is of a very good quality. The prints are bright and sharp, exactly as I had hoped. It is definitely far better than the book I made of Dungeness in college a few years ago.

What didn’t go well?

• I decided to use Mixam to print the final book, as I had heard very good things, and seen the quality of their prints myself, as people had used them for the Fanzine brief the last term. Despite their printing options being large, I found that their system for uploading artwork was cumbersome, and resulted in me having to make several revisions to the book, as well as adding in unwanted blank pages.
  • Mixam has an option for a 32-page book or a 36-page book; my book totalled 34 (subtracting two for the cover pages, and I was left with having to add 4 pages.) I felt that if I removed or added images from the final edit, the series of images would not work as well. I had other printers that would print the book in time for me, so I had no choice but to add the pages.
  • I added the blank pages at the beginning of the book, as well as two blank spreads before and after the double page spread in the centre of the book. However, on receiving the final printed book, I noticed that the pages had been mostly been placed at the very end of the book, against what I’d asked for.
• I had hoped that I would be able to shoot within the power station itself, but after contacting them, I was told that this would not be possible. However, after shooting some portraits on the site (in the visitor’s car park), I was told that this would, in fact, be possible. It was a shame that I was told this on the final day of my time down there, else I would have definitely taken that opportunity.
  • As far as I’m aware, this opportunity still exists, so I will return to shoot there later in the year.
• Away from the shoot itself, I had a lot of trouble with the university inkjet printers when it came to printing off contact sheets. More of a personal gripe, though this was definitely something which didn’t need to be as stressful as it was. In hindsight, it was actually incredibly wasteful use of time, and paper.

What would I do differently next time?

• I will definitely spend more time doing initial edits on-screen to make sure I use less paper in the printed contact sheets phase.
• If I am making another photobook, which I do plan on doing in the future, I will spend more time researching my printing options, as well as exploring the possibilities of printing and binding it myself.