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<\/a>\nKeith Wilson is an award-winning photo editor, journalist and author. He is the co-founder of Photographers Against Wildlife Crime\u2122, an international group of leading photojournalists and writers who have combined their talents to produce two highly acclaimed photo books about the illegal wildlife trade. Keith is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society Visit www.keithwilsonmedia.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u2018When I started in my journalistic career anything that was self-published was derided and labelled as vanity publishing,\u2019 recalls Keith Wilson as we catch-up over Zoom. This idea seems laughable now as I admire the award certificates for HIDDEN and Photographers Against Wildlife Crime on the wall behind his desk.<\/p>\n\t\t
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<\/a>\t\t\tA printed sheet of 20 pages from the 1st edition of Photographers Against Wildlife Crime at EBS<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n
\u2018Now, of course, a lot of the very best books are a result of self-publishing and crowdfunding,\u2019 he confirms, as though reading my train of thought. In recent years the traditional book publishing model has changed dramatically, and photographers are often expected to help out with the cost of producing and\/or marketing their book.<\/p>\n
\u2018If they\u2019re asking for your financial support in the first place then you might just as well do it yourself,\u2019 laughs Keith. Self-publishing leads to a lot of hard questions and the first is whether or not your project is actually book-worthy. \u2018The more original the idea is, the better,\u2019 says Keith.<\/p>\n
\u2018When I sit down with people the first thing that goes through my mind is, can I think of anything like this, on this particular subject, that\u2019s been done before? If not, then it\u2019s got a good chance of being noticed.\u2019 The next step is to consider the size of your audience and how you will get your book into their hands.<\/p>\n\t\t
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<\/a>\t\t\tCover of George Logan\u2019s book, which received \u00a350,000+ in crowdfunding<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n
\u2018It\u2019s amazing how many photographers don\u2019t give the same level of priority to marketing and distribution as they do to the design, layout and editing of their book,\u2019 says Keith. \u2018It\u2019s in those areas, if you don\u2019t do your homework, that you can really get your fingers burnt.\u2019<\/p>\n
Keith is accustomed to working with multiple contributors on a project (HIDDEN featured the work of around 40 photographers and Photographers Against Wildlife Crime featured more than 30), so I\u2019m keen to know his thoughts on what makes a successful collaboration. \u2018Give and take,\u2019 he smiles. \u2018You\u2019ve got to trust in each other\u2019s skills and experience, and you\u2019ve got to respect each other.\u2019<\/p>\n
It also helps if the people that you work with truly believe in the project. \u2018With both of these books, people got behind what we were trying to do,\u2019 remembers Keith. \u2018If you have the same purpose and want the same outcome then there really shouldn\u2019t be a problem.\u2019 It can be tempting to save money by taking on as many jobs as possible, but this can prove to be a false economy, as Keith reveals.<\/p>\n
\u2018I encourage photographers to collaborate with people who are really good at what they do in terms of writing, designing and editing, because a single photographer does not have all of these attributes. You also need to consider other perspectives, or you run the risk of missing the obvious.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t
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<\/a>\t\t\tClose-up of photo by Jo-Anne McArthur from Photographers Against Wildlife Crime<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n
Keith also advises finding a printer with an established reputation in printing photography books \u2013 he often uses EBS (Editoriale Bortolazzi Stei) in Italy \u2013 but he warns against visiting in person if you lack the appropriate experience. \u2018If you\u2019re going to go to a printer take a person who is an expert in post-production and on-press production with you,\u2019 he urges. \u2018Watch them, let them make the critical decisions and then learn from them.\u2019<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re making an image selection and deciding on the sequencing of your book it\u2019s a good idea to enlist help. \u2018Find someone knowledgeable who you can trust,\u2019 says Keith. \u2018For one, it stops you from including pictures just because you like them.\u2019 It\u2019s also important to include a variety of viewpoints and subject matter.<\/p>\n
\u2018You don\u2019t want people turning the page because they think they\u2019ve already seen that picture,\u2019 warns Keith. \u2018You have to be ruthless in your editing and recognise where the gaps are.\u2019 It can help to think of sequencing a bit like writing a novel \u2013 you need to move from one frame (or paragraph) to the next without losing the flow or making the joins visible.<\/p>\n\t\t
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<\/a>\t\t\tAn Ozalid proof, taken directly from the plates prior to the start of printing HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n
Many of the books Keith works on include text, and he\u2019s keen to outline the benefits of providing context to your pictures in this way. \u2018For me a powerful picture is one that asks questions of the viewer,\u2019 he says. \u2018If you\u2019re looking at a picture, and you\u2019re absorbed in it, but there are lots of questions in your mind, then you need answers.<\/p>\n
The picture can\u2019t always provide the answers and that\u2019s where journalism is important \u2013 it supports the power of the picture. As a result, the worth of the picture increases and it becomes more relevant and valuable to whoever is looking at it.\u2019 All of this must be carefully balanced, and every detail attended to. One false move and the message may be diluted or even destroyed.<\/p>\n
\u2018Books can become very collectable and valuable if you\u2019ve done your job properly,\u2019 says Keith, \u2018but get one aspect wrong and they can depreciate faster than a Fiat Panda, leaving you with hundreds of unsold copies.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t
![\"Cover](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/3_Cover_Edition_2-1.jpg\")
<\/a>\t\t\tCover of the award-winning second edition of Photographers Against Wildlife Crime, printed in Chinese and English<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n
Keith\u2019s top tips<\/h3>\n
l Find a way of making your photo book extra collectable<\/strong>: consider a limited-edition run with a signed print, a few books with different covers or perhaps a boxed version.<\/p>\n l When choosing your pictures and designing your book don\u2019t think of it as an exhibition<\/strong> \u2013 it\u2019s a completely different form of presentation. For one thing, a picture on a wall does not have a gutter down the middle!<\/p>\n l The more books you print the cheaper each copy is<\/strong>, but be realistic and avoid over-ordering. You also need to be aware of the cost of distribution, post and packaging.<\/p>\n Lizzie is a professional photographer based in North Yorkshire who specialises in landscape, nature and travel photography. She runs small group photography workshops, offers one-to-one tuition and is a speaker and writer. Lizzie is currently working on a guidebook to the Yorkshire Dales and hosts workshops on making handmade photo books. Visit www.lizzieshepherd.com<\/a>, Facebook: LizzieShepherd Photography, Instagram: @lshepherdphoto.<\/p>\n A handmade book is a tactile thing: the weight, smell, texture and sound of the paper combines to create a rich sensory experience. \u2018I often think it would be fun if they were scratch and sniff,\u2019 laughs Lizzie Shepherd as we settle down to chat. Lizzie became interested in handmade photo books after attending a workshop run by John Blakemore in 2015.<\/p>\n \u2018It was a great opportunity to meet and learn from one of our greatest photographers,\u2019 she recalls. In the years that followed she found herself working away from home a lot, but her love for handmade books never waned and after attending a course on Japanese bookmaking (this time hosted by Joseph Wright) she was hooked.<\/p>\n \u2018I love the fact that you have complete control over how the book looks, because when you send something off to a printer there is always an element of the unknown,\u2019 she suggests. \u2018Also, unless you\u2019ve opted for one of those really expensive paper stocks there isn\u2019t the same kind of bespoke feel to it.\u2019<\/p>\n Lizzie\u2019s favourite style of handmade book is the concertina. As the name suggests, these books are created by cutting and folding a single piece of paper, which can be collapsed or extended. \u2018They are very tactile things,\u2019 she echoes. \u2018The paper and everything I\u2019m using doesn\u2019t look dissimilar to a print I might sell.\u2019<\/p>\n One of the first concertina books Lizzie made is entitled The Lochan and features a series of beautifully composed intimate landscapes. Aside from being a lovely object, it\u2019s also a great example of effective sequencing. \u2018In the middle there\u2019s a bogbean image that I wanted to use, but it didn\u2019t fit in with the rest,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n \u2018Tonally it worked, but it\u2019s very much a different subject.\u2019 To resolve the problem Lizzie physically separated it from the other images, giving it its own space. \u2018Sometimes you can find a way to make something work when it feels like it won\u2019t,\u2019 she grins. Lizzie faced a similar issue with a book she made about the Atlantic. \u2018I wanted to include a foggy seascape, but initially it didn\u2019t fit in with the pictures I\u2019d selected,\u2019 she recalls.<\/p>\n After weeks of tweaking the flow she replaced a few pictures and then struck on the idea of including text on the page facing the foggy seascape \u2013 it worked like a dream. \u2018It\u2019s trying to think about all of these things as you go along.\u2019 When it comes to sequencing there are a number of approaches.<\/p>\n \u2018You can order the images according to subject, chronology or visual flow,\u2019 says Lizzie. What strikes me most about her approach to bookmaking is that the planning begins way before the first piece of paper has been cut. Working in Lightroom Lizzie creates collections and \u2018dumps\u2019 images into them as and when themes emerge.<\/p>\n \u2018I will look at these collections, get rid of anything that doesn\u2019t fit stylistically, and print out what remains,\u2019 she explains. \u2018I will then lay the prints on the floor and shuffle them around. I will live with them for a bit and see what happens.\u2019 When it comes to visual content Lizzie is keen to stress that you can\u2019t really go wrong, but if you decide to add text, it\u2019s good to be cautious.<\/p>\n \u2018Once or twice I\u2019ve not been happy with the font I\u2019ve chosen and it has had quite a negative impact,\u2019 she warns. Picking up a little book she turns to the title page and demonstrates how a font can overpower an image. \u2018I knew it was too big, but I had already printed it and I didn\u2019t want to do it again,\u2019 she confesses.<\/p>\n By way of contrast, she holds up a book where the text and images complement each other perfectly. The balance is spot on, but it\u2019s hard to pinpoint why. \u2018A lot of photographers are graphic designers, so I watch what they do with their fonts,\u2019 says Lizzie. \u2018I won\u2019t pretend to have their knowledge but by observing them I\u2019ve developed a pretty good idea of what looks good.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t A double concertina book with soft fold-out cover and slip case<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n According to Lizzie, most mistakes happen during construction. \u2018If you rush or your workspace is a mess it\u2019s easy to make mistakes when you\u2019re measuring, cutting or gluing,\u2019 she warns. \u2018I still do it myself!\u2019 Looking at her stack of perfectly executed handmade books I\u2019m prompted to ask if she finds the process meditative.<\/p>\n \u2018The bits where everything is going well can be,\u2019 she confirms, \u2018but gluing can be quite the opposite!\u2019 She also admits that stitching sections with a needle and thread is not really her thing. \u2018I don\u2019t even like sewing buttons on,\u2019 she laughs. \u2018I only want to take the craft side of things so far. You can make all sorts of amazing books, but they are almost more about the book than what\u2019s in them. I\u2019m definitely from the \u201ccontent is king\u201d school and I\u2019m looking for the best way to dress that up.\u2019<\/p>\n l Express yourself<\/strong>. You\u2019ll often come across people who try to dissuade you from using certain fonts. Don\u2019t be deterred \u2013 if you like it, give it a go!<\/p>\n l Try before you commit<\/strong>. If your book is particularly complex, make a prototype out of scrap paper before committing yourself to any cuts or folds with your chosen paper stock.<\/p>\n l Don\u2019t give up<\/strong>. If a picture doesn\u2019t fit in a sequence but you really want to include it, try separating it from the others with blank pages or sensitively placed text.<\/p>\n A highly experienced photographer, photo book maker and printer, Eddie is founder of London-based Envisage Books, his mentoring and publishing consultancy. Eddie works with both established and emerging photographers on a wide range of books from single-copy hand-made artist\u2019s photo books to mainstream publications. He is a respected teacher and workshop leader. Visit Before embarking on a creative collaboration with a photographer, Eddie Ephraums believes it\u2019s important to ascertain what success looks like for them. \u2018The currency of success isn\u2019t just financial,\u2019 he suggests. \u2018Photographers need to be clear about what they want and what they are measuring success by.\u2019<\/p>\n With decades of experience in bookmaking, Eddie has a refined sense of what makes a good book and a firm grasp on the financial implications of taking on such a project. As a seasoned pro he sees the same issues crop up time and again. \u2018A lot of people struggle to get a sense of the scale of the project,\u2019 he reveals.<\/p>\n\t\t Cavalo by Lisa Mardell. Boxed version with prints, foil blocked box and thank you card<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Is it a book they should be printing 50 copies of and selling at a private launch or a local caf\u00e9 (which can be great) or are they feeling more ambitious and trying to raise money for conservation, say, in which case they might commit to print 5,000 copies. It\u2019s about judging the scale of the project and being clear about what you intend to do with it.\u2019<\/p>\n Part of Eddie\u2019s role is to explore, and explain, all of the known factors that might affect the success of a book before any work gets started. There are so many variables regarding production values, budget etc that sometimes the easiest place to start is at the end. \u2018If a photographer is planning to sell a book, I start by asking them how much they hope to sell it for and work back from there,\u2019 he reveals.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ll ask them how much money they want in their bank account at the end (or how big a deficit!)\u2019 Eddie jokes, but there\u2019s an unpalatable truth behind his comment \u2013 few people realise how expensive it can be to produce a high-quality photobook. \u2018Most people have no idea what it might entail,\u2019 says Eddie.<\/p>\n \u2018In their mind they upload a book to Blurb (for example), receive a hardback copy and pay \u00a340 and they think that\u2019s expensive. I, on the other hand, think that\u2019s cheap!\u2019 Another issue is that people often tend to underestimate the level of work and commitment involved. \u2018The creative part can be a brief flurry at the beginning and then you\u2019ve got to be in it for the long haul,\u2019 advises Eddie.<\/p>\n Occasionally, photographers will come to Eddie with preconceived ideas, but some projects just aren\u2019t suited to a book format, as he explains. \u2018Sometimes I might be thinking well this project would make a great exhibition because you could see all the pictures at a glance in a room and you wouldn\u2019t need to start in one particular place; but with a book there is a beginning, a middle and an end and you don\u2019t see all of the pictures at the same time \u2013 the impact is quite different.\u2019<\/p>\n Some books, such as Remembering Elephants, have a clear narrative \u2013 in this case the lifecycle of an animal \u2013 but most books are less linear. \u2018You also have to bear in mind that many people (myself included) pick up a book and open it at the back,\u2019 laughs Eddie. \u2018What\u2019s that all about?\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018I move the files around \u2013 deciding what would make a good double-page spread etc \u2013 and order them within that folder. It\u2019s like shuffling cards around!\u2019 With the sequencing decided (and the size, format and number of pages already known) Eddie creates an Affinity Publisher document and drags and drops the images onto it.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ll then fine-tune the design depending on how much text there is, whether or not there are any captions, page numbers etc,\u2019 he reveals. \u2018You\u2019re thinking about all of these different things and playing with a sort of mental three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle,\u2019 he smiles. Naturally, the relationship between paper and ink changes depending on whether you use an offset-litho printer or a digital-ink printer. \u2018When you print on uncoated paper using an ink-based digital press the ink will sit more on the paper, compared to traditional litho where the ink will soak in and you will get a totally different look and feel,\u2019 explains Eddie.<\/p>\n Technical decisions aside, I\u2019m curious to know whether Eddie thinks we should ask ourselves if the book we\u2019re creating adds value to the world before ordering hundreds of copies. \u2018Yes, you have to be brutal,\u2019 he agrees. \u2018You have to look at your baby \u2013 this beautiful thing you\u2019ve created \u2013 and say in what way is this going to add value, and if you can\u2019t answer that then forget it.\u2019<\/p>\n
\nLizzie Shepherd<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>\nLizzie\u2019s top tips<\/h3>\n
\nEddie Ephraums<\/h3>\n
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\nwww.envisagebooks.com.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/5_IMG_5197-cavalo.jpg\")
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<\/a>\n![\"remembering](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/4_DSCF2386.jpg\")
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\nWith so much knowledge about the way people view images Eddie can sometimes decide on the sequencing of a set of pictures in ten minutes but he admits it usually takes him much longer and depends on the scale of the project. \u2018With a self-published book containing, say, 20 images I place the files in a folder on my Mac and view them as large icons,\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n
\nWhen he\u2019s positioning the images Eddie has to consider a number of things: how will the book be handled, for example, is it intended to be held or opened and laid flat? Where will the gutter fall? How is the book going to be stitched or glued?<\/p>\n![\"land](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/3_DSCF2314.jpg\")
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\nOne of the biggest decisions Eddie and a client will make concerns paper stock. \u2018The paper is hugely important,\u2019 echoes Eddie, \u2018the feel of it, the sound of it, the smell of it, the way it holds, reflects and absorbs ink.\u2019<\/p>\n![\"photo](\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/10_Joe-Anthony-Envisage-Books-IMG_7654-1.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\nEddie\u2019s top tips<\/h3>\n