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PERU IN BOOK FORM: A PORTRAIT IN THE ANDES DECEMBER 2011
All systems go for a return to the Andes. If you are interested in documentary photography, portraiture and books, then this class is for you. We have a full slate of places and faces on this year’s workshop. Please visit the links for more detailed information.
www.smogranch.com
www.photoexperience.net
www.santafeworkshops.com
ARGENTINA + URUGUAY 2012
“I’m going to take my best twenty-five images of “____X________” and make a book.”
I have heard this statement countless times from friends and fellow photographers.
My question in return is “Is that a book or a portfolio?”
I know now to ask this question because I too made the bold statement above and didn’t at first realize there were many differences between making a book and a portfolio, or a catalog for that matter. But after making so many damn books over the past few years, I’ve learned at little more about book making strategy.
Defining what you are going to make is one of those critical first steps required before you embark on the journey that will be your book, or portfolio or catalog.
Allow me to regress.
A few months ago I got an email from a long, lost friend. My friend has an accent, had once lived in Los Angeles, where I met him, but had chosen to return to the land of his roots which happens to be Uruguay. My friend is Martin Herrera Soler, a photographer and technology specialist who also runs a photography workshop program in Montevideo. Latitude 34 South.
“Dan,” he asked. “Do you want to teach with us?”
You might think my answer was immediate but it wasn’t. Earlier in the year I decided to cut back on my teaching schedule so planning and pulling off a foreign workshop was not high on my list. But, a few things got my mental wheels turning. After our first few communications I realized that Martin was so intelligent, organized and enthusiastic I found myself saying, “I have to teach with this guy.” Second, Martin sent me images of Uruguay. Being the typical American, public school slacker that I am, my knowledge of Uruguay entailed little beyond a vague idea of how to spell U-R-U_G-U-A-Y. And I knew it was south of my current location. And then I saw the photos. And then I cried because where I live doesn’t look like that. I’ve included images here to give you a small taste. I’ve been to South America several times, but Uruguay looks different, and different to me means interesting and photo-rich.
So guess what? We are headed south once again. A Latitude 34 South + Milnor Pictures production of Argentina + Uruguay.
There are several things you should know about this workshop. We have a target rich plan in agenda in place including not only our time in Uruguay but also four days of work in Argentina, where the workshop will begin. We will not be lacking in material. Also, we are seriously going to “book it.” I don’t mean travel fast or get arrested, I mean we are going to create our work with the concept of “book” front and center in our mind. We are actually going to shoot, edit, sequence and design books.
If you are reading this and thinking, “But I’ve already made a book,” I just have a few simple questions for you. Is it a good book? Is it perfect? If you made that same book again would it look exactly like the version you already have? Me, I’ve made over 120 books and if I made those books again I would change something about every single one of them. This is just book life, and there is so darn much to learn. Just to hit you with a few tidbits…
Front matter, back matter, introductions, essays, titles, half-titles, pacing, sequencing, borders, typography, branding, book size, page count, etc, are just a few of the things we will discuss, decide and implement. At the heart of any good illustrated book is the illustration right? So, with that in mind, I asked Martin to round up a few images of the area we will be heading. I did this for your viewing pleasure people!
Did I mention that part of what we will photograph in Uruguay is the Carnival? Oh ya, there’s that. This particular part is called Candombe, which you can read about here.
If that isn’t enough, how about a video about this little event. And people, these images are only a portion of the Uruguay section of this trip. There is an entire Argentina portion as well.
I wanted to get the idea of this workshop out as quickly as possible. Our lives today are packed, scheduled and committed. So, this workshop is schedule for early 2012, so plenty of time to get your ducks in a row. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this little adventure. I’ve not been to either Argentina or Uruguay and seeing a new place gets my heart racing, even though this trip is several months away. My mind races with possibilities, small books, large books, essays and angles. There is much to do. I will be posting more about this in the coming weeks, months, but if there is a specific angle you want to cover in regards to this adventure, don’t be shy.