Art photography books

The modern coffee-table book genre emerged in the post-war era as a style of book in which to present a wide variety of topics using a visual narrative. They are not limited to any one field or topic, are found under various categories in a bookstore or library and are consumed for purposes other than 'reading'. Imagedriven books have the ability to cross both national and language barriers for the reader. For the publishing industry, international co-editions can make the publication of illustrated books with supporting text economically viable. The coffee-table book genre is also as much about inhabiting a space and occupying a particular place as being a book. The visual design and aesthetic appeal of these books form part of the authority of the printed coffee-table book because of its ability to display large, high-definition images. These qualities are further expressed as statements of status and personal taste when displayed as part of an overall aesthetic concept. The paper will argue that the visual nature and material aesthetics of the genre are key features of a book without boundaries, and that it is the visual and material qualities of the coffee-table book genre that may also challenge the limitations of publishing and consumption of coffee-table books as ebooks. This proposal forms part of a wider doctoral study investigating the role of the coffee-table book genre within the context of the history of the book and publishing, cultural production and aesthetics.

Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photobook The Decisive Moment (1952) popularised the notion that the best photographs are made by the patient and gifted photographer who captures a fleeting moment with just one click of the shutter, creating an image with internal geometry and balance. The book solidified Cartier-Bresson’s reputation as an artist working with a camera and it encouraged scholars, curators, and hobbyists to understand photography as the product of trained individual vision and talent. Yet the book’s emphasis on personal vision also deflected attention away from the collective efforts and infrastructure necessary to promote Cartier-Bresson’s practice as art. By shifting our attention to the decisive network of magazine editors, book publishers, printers, and curators who helped Cartier-Bresson onto a highly orchestrated road to fame at mid-century, this article considers the ways in which collective work is central to the material and social history of photography, and how these realities challenge the decisive moment’s paradigm of individual and inspired creation.

En la tesis Transformaciones en la edición de fotolibros en España (2008-2018) se analizan los cambios de carácter conceptual y formal que se han producido en los libros de fotografía en la última década. Estas transformaciones implican un alejamiento de modelos convencionales y estandarizados como el catálogo o la monografía, en los que la intervención del fotógrafo es mínima y está condicionada por el entramado de la industria editorial, y un acercamiento a otras categorías de arte impreso como los libros de artista, en los que el autor controla todas las fases del proyecto. En el período comprendido entre 2008 y 2018 se ha producido un aumento notable en la publicación de fotolibros. Esto se debe a una serie de factores vinculados al desarrollo de tecnologías que facilitan y abaratan el diseño y la impresión, y a un renovado aprecio por el libro como artefacto multisensorial.

Aus Perspektive des fotografisch illustrierten Kochbuchs wird die Ausrichtung der bisherigen Forschungsarbeiten zum Fotobuch problematisiert. Der Anspruch der Fotobuchforschung, das Feld der Fotografie für Wissenschaft, Museum und Kunstmarkt ganz neu zu ordnen, indem man das gedruckte, massenhaft verbreitete Bild in den Blickpunkt rückt, läuft ins Leere, solange an der Leitidee des Werks festgehalten werden. Unter dieser Voraussetzung bleibt eben unter vielem anderen das Foto im Kochbuch jenseits des Horizonts. In einer ersten Skizze der Geschichte des fotografisch illustrierten Kochbuchs möchte dieser Beitrag aufzeigen, warum es sich lohnt das Foto im Buch jenseits des Werkcharakters zu untersuchen. Um die Wende zum 20. Jahrhundert tritt das Foto ins Kochbuch ein, um die gekochten Umsetzungen von Rezepten aufzuzeigen und in Step-by-Step-Serien Tätigkeiten in der Küche zu lehren. Im Laufe der Fotografiegeschichte, befördert besonders durch die Durchsetzung der Farbe, werden die illustrativen Funktionen des Bildes immer mehr von dessen Eigenwert überlagert. Die Zahl und ästhetische Qualität der Bilder wird vom Layout in Szene gesetzt, um das Blättern im Kochbuch zu einem von der Kochpraxis relativ unabhängigen Genuss zu machen.

A theoretical discussion of the booming research field of photo book research by way of recent book publications.
Expanded version of: Jens Ruchatz, „Bereichsrezension im erweiterten Forschungskontext: Fotobuch“, in. MEDIENwissenschaft: Rezensionen | Reviews, Nr. 3, 2015, S. 408-416. http://dx.doi.org/10.17192/ep2015.3.3704

RESUMEN: Este texto cuestiona algunas de
las razones y métodos por los que el libro
de fotografía se ha convertido en soporte de
gran parte de los proyectos fotográficos sobre
territorio en los últimos años. Partiendo
de la idea de la fotografía de territorio como
nueva interpretación del paisaje y de la lógica
interna del formato, analizamos la distinta
legibilidad del proyecto fotográfico en base a
elementos propios del discurso. A través del
proyecto Nomads de Xavier Ribas como caso
de estudio principal, consideramos elementos
como la edición, la secuenciación y la narración
de la imagen en el libro dentro de la
práctica artística de la fotografía de territorio. //

ABSTRACT: This text questions some of the
reasons and methods why the book of photography
has become the medium of many
of the photographic projects about territory
in the last years. From the idea of photography
of territory as a new interpretation of the
landscape and the inner logic of the format,
the different legibility of the photographic
project is analysed according to the elements
proper of the discourse. Trough Xavier Ribas’
project Nomads as the main case study, elements
such as edition, sequencing and narration
of the image are considered in the book
as part of the artistic practice of photography
of territory.

The photobook is at the core of a self-publishing revolution. The structure of the old publishing and bookselling paradigm is now reshuffled and redesigned. Now every photographer wants to make their own books – they need the inspiration found in the latest photobooks and to be informed by the movers and shakers of the discipline.

As a result there is an emerging heightened anxiety for personal connection with pulse of this worldwide phenomena. Social media is the communication vehicle of choice. Everyday participants in the photobook network frenetically seek updates, reviews, new releases, post about their books and the latest gossip through social media channels – this anxiety is palpable.

This paper will discuss the frisson of social media as a powerful tool for communication and community building in the indie publishing movement of photobooks.

In 1708, the Benedictine monk Edmond Martène was commissioned to travel around France and Belgium to find archival materials that would support a revised edition of the Gallia Christiana. After the exigencies of the first year, he was granted leave to continue with a companion, a fellow monk named Ursin Durand, in spring of 1709. After four years, they claimed to have visited eight hundred abbeys and one hundred cathedrals in order to gather information. In the process, they also documented the architecture, treasures, libraries, and ceremonies they observed in place as they visited sites where the charters they wished to consult were housed. Martène published a written account of their adventures with a few engravings of particularly impressive objects or documents. 2 A later expedition was launched to the Netherlands and Germany.

Henri Cartier-Bresson’s 1952 photo book The Decisive Moment popularized the idea that the best photographs are made by the patient and gifted photographer who captures a fleeting moment with just one click of the shutter, creating an image with internal geometry and balance. The project solidified Cartier-Bresson’s reputation as an artist working with a camera and encouraged scholars, curators, and hobbyists to understand photography as the product of individual vision and talent. Yet it also masked the collective efforts and infrastructure needed to elevate the photojournalist to the status of an artist. By shifting our attention to the decisive network of magazine editors, book publishers, printers, and curators who urged Cartier-Bresson onto a highly orchestrated road to fame, this paper considers the ways in which collective work is central to the material and social history of photography, and how it has threatened to overturn photography’s legitimacy as an art form.