Upload
others
View
1
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Department of Science and Technology Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap Linköping University Linköpings universitet
gnipökrroN 47 106 nedewS ,gnipökrroN 47 106-ES
LiU-ITN-TEK-G--11/035--SE
From idea to finished book -Photo book concept for
Stångåstaden Nathalie Johansson
Riikka Jääskeläinen
2011-06-10
LiU-ITN-TEK-G--11/035--SE
From idea to finished book -Photo book concept for
Stångåstaden Examensarbete utfört i grafisk design och kommunikation
vid Tekniska högskolan vidLinköpings universitet
Nathalie JohanssonRiikka Jääskeläinen
Handledare Tobias TrofastExaminator Gary Svensson
Norrköping 2011-06-10
Upphovsrätt
Detta dokument hålls tillgängligt på Internet – eller dess framtida ersättare –under en längre tid från publiceringsdatum under förutsättning att inga extra-ordinära omständigheter uppstår.
Tillgång till dokumentet innebär tillstånd för var och en att läsa, ladda ner,skriva ut enstaka kopior för enskilt bruk och att använda det oförändrat förickekommersiell forskning och för undervisning. Överföring av upphovsrättenvid en senare tidpunkt kan inte upphäva detta tillstånd. All annan användning avdokumentet kräver upphovsmannens medgivande. För att garantera äktheten,säkerheten och tillgängligheten finns det lösningar av teknisk och administrativart.
Upphovsmannens ideella rätt innefattar rätt att bli nämnd som upphovsman iden omfattning som god sed kräver vid användning av dokumentet på ovanbeskrivna sätt samt skydd mot att dokumentet ändras eller presenteras i sådanform eller i sådant sammanhang som är kränkande för upphovsmannens litteräraeller konstnärliga anseende eller egenart.
För ytterligare information om Linköping University Electronic Press seförlagets hemsida http://www.ep.liu.se/
Copyright
The publishers will keep this document online on the Internet - or its possiblereplacement - for a considerable time from the date of publication barringexceptional circumstances.
The online availability of the document implies a permanent permission foranyone to read, to download, to print out single copies for your own use and touse it unchanged for any non-commercial research and educational purpose.Subsequent transfers of copyright cannot revoke this permission. All other usesof the document are conditional on the consent of the copyright owner. Thepublisher has taken technical and administrative measures to assure authenticity,security and accessibility.
According to intellectual property law the author has the right to bementioned when his/her work is accessed as described above and to be protectedagainst infringement.
For additional information about the Linköping University Electronic Pressand its procedures for publication and for assurance of document integrity,please refer to its WWW home page: http://www.ep.liu.se/
© Nathalie Johansson, Riikka Jääskeläinen
From idea to finished book
- Photo book concept for Stångåstaden
By: Riikka Jääskeläinen & Nathalie Johansson
Graphic Design and Communications
Tutor: Tobias Trofast
Examiner: Gary Svensson
2
Sammanfattning
Stångåstaden är ett kommunalt bostadsbolag som ägs av Linköpings kommun. De har genom åren bidragit till ett antal utomhus konstverk runt om i deras bostadsområden. Eftersom de har en mycket vag dokumentation av dessa konstverk så kommer en fotobok att utvecklas för att sätta ihop en sammanställning av alla konstverk samt för att visa upp dem. Vårt jobb är att skapa ett koncept för denna fotobok samt göra research av konstverken och fotografera dem. För att skapa bra och hållbara riktlinjer för fotobok måste man först veta mer om fotoböcker och hur olika motiv skildras på bästa sätt. Så syftet med denna rapport är att undersöka hur olika typer av fotoböcker porträttera sina motiv och visualisera information och utifrån detta formge riktlinjer för en intressant, informativ och snygg fotobok för Stångåstaden. För att kunna svara på syftet har en genreanalys valts som metod eftersom det hjälper med förståelsen av en viss genre och dess olika element, samt ger inspiration vilket passar detta syfte väl. Innan genreanalysen genomfördes en litteraturstudie med specifik fokus på bildkomposition och bok design. Med litteraturstudien som grund skapades en modell för analys utifrån vilket genreanalysen gjordes. Genrenanalysen gjordes på fem mycket olika böcker som valts ut med hjälp av Svenska fotografers förbunds årliga fotobokspris. Som ett resultat av litteraturstudien och genreanalysen framställdes fem olika uppslagskoncept för att illustrerade hela det slutgiltiga konceptet. Dessa är en karta för översikt och uppdelning, närbilder för detaljer, många bilder att visa olika sidor, helbilder med specifika ändamål och miljöbilder för relation. Mer generella riktlinjer för konceptet är att varje konstverk kommer att ha minst ett uppslag var. Alla bilder kommer att vara i färg för att kunna skapa mer effektiva kontraster till förmån för konstverken. Dessutom är det viktigt att arbeta med komposition, perspektiv och format för att skapa balans och hierarki för att framhäva varje konstverk.
3
Abstract Stångåstaden is a mortgage company owned by Linköping municipality. They have over the years contributed to a number of outdoor artworks all around their home properties. Since they have a very poor documentation of these artworks a photo book will be developed to showcase these artworks. Our job is to create a concept for this photo book as well as doing research of the artworks and photographing them. In order to create good and viable guidelines for the photo book one must first find out more about photo books and how different motives are portrayed in the best way. So the main thesis of this report is to research how different types of photo books portray their motives and visualise information, then translate that into guidelines for an interesting, informative and visually attractive photo book for Stångåstaden. To be able to answer the thesis a genre analysis was chosen as a method because it helps with the understanding of a specific genre and its different elements, as well as provides inspiration which suits this report very well. Before doing the genre analysis a literature study was conducted with the focus on relevance for image composition and book design in specific. With the literature study as a foundation a model for analysis was create on which the genre analysis was made. The genre analysis was done on five very different books chosen from the Swedish photographers associations yearly photo book award. As a result of the literature study and the genre analysis five different concept-‐spreads were create to illustrated the whole final concept. These are a map for overview and division, close-‐ups for details, many pictures to show different sides, full site with specific purposes and environmental images for relations. More general guidelines for the concept are that every artwork is going to have at least one spread alone. All the pictures will be in colour in order to be able to create more effective contrasts in favour of the artwork. Furthermore it is important to work with composition, perspective and format to create balance and hierarchy to enhance each artwork.
4
Table of Contents 1. Introduction....................................................................................................................5 1.1. Background.......................................................................................................................... 5 1.2. Thesis ..................................................................................................................................... 5 1.3. Questions .............................................................................................................................. 6 The main question this thesis aims to answer is: ........................................................... 6 1.4. Demarcation ........................................................................................................................ 6 1.5. Disposition ........................................................................................................................... 7
2. Method..............................................................................................................................8 2.1. Literature studies .............................................................................................................. 8 2.2. Model for analysis.............................................................................................................. 8 2.3. Genre analysis ..................................................................................................................... 9 2.4. Selection..............................................................................................................................10 2.5. Pros and cons with the method...................................................................................10 2.6. Alternative methods .......................................................................................................11
3. Theory............................................................................................................................ 12 3.1. Design principles .............................................................................................................12 3.1.1. Format.............................................................................................................................................................12 3.1.2. Hierarchy .......................................................................................................................................................13 3.1.3. Balance............................................................................................................................................................13 3.1.4. Contrast ..........................................................................................................................................................14
3.2. The photograph principals ...........................................................................................15 3.2.1. Type of images.............................................................................................................................................16 3.2.2. Image composition ....................................................................................................................................16 3.2.3. Perspective....................................................................................................................................................17 3.2.4. Placing of the motive ................................................................................................................................18 3.2.5. Colour ..............................................................................................................................................................19 3.2.6. Forms in a picture ......................................................................................................................................20 3.2.7. Motion .............................................................................................................................................................21 3.2.8. Format.............................................................................................................................................................22
3.3. Image analysis...................................................................................................................22 4. Empirical part ............................................................................................................. 24 4.1. Model of analysis..............................................................................................................24 4.2. Genre analysis ...................................................................................................................25 4.2.1. Hillbilly heroin, honey by Hannah Modigh......................................................................................25 4.2.2. Picture Imperfect by Kent Klich & Beth R........................................................................................29 4.2.3. Naini and the Sea of Wolves by Trinidad Carillo ..........................................................................33 4.2.4. Mitt i Naturen av Björn Larsson...........................................................................................................37 4.2.5. Pure Architecture by Åke E:son Lindman........................................................................................41
5. Result ............................................................................................................................. 46 5.1. Conclusions of the genre analysis ..............................................................................46 5.2. Photo book concept.........................................................................................................47 5.2.1. General guidelines .....................................................................................................................................47 5.2.2. Concept 1 -‐ Map for overview and division ....................................................................................49 5.2.3. Concept 3 – Many pictures to show different sides.....................................................................51 5.2.4. Concept 4 -‐ Full site with specific purposes ...................................................................................52 5.2.5. Concept 5 – Environmental image for relations ...........................................................................53
5.3. Discussion & conclusions ..............................................................................................54 5.4. Continued Work ...............................................................................................................55
6. References.................................................................................................................... 56
5
1. Introduction
1.1. Background Stångåstaden is a public utility mortgage company owned by Linköping municipality. Today the company is the biggest actor in Linköping's housing market and they own a variety of different home properties all around Linköping. (Stångåstaden, 2011) In some of their housing properties Stångåstaden have over the years worked together with the municipality and several artists to create an assortment of outdoor artwork for their tenants. The only documentation of these artworks Stångåstaden have today is in form of contracts with the builders and artists at the time of construction and practically no visual documentation. For this reason we were given the assignment from Stångåstaden to make a photo book of all the artwork and to gather together all Sångåstaden’s artwork into one complete collection. The goal of the photo book is to in a clear way give an overview of the artworks that Stångåstaden has contributed to in Linköping. The target group for the book will be Stångåstaden’s board and staff and the art-‐council of Linköping, but also the inhabitants of Linköping who have an interest in art and sculptures. Because of that last group the book also needs to be visually attractive to be able to work for promotional purposes since it may also be sold in Stångåstaden’s boutique. This is why the book on one hand must distinctly provide the facts of the sculptures and on the other hand be visually attractive to make the inhabitants and corporations in Linköping interested in the content. Since the artworks were made during a long period of time the condition of the creations are very varied. Our challenge during our project is therefore to make as cohesive book as possible. Today there is no complete compilation of photographic material or text material for us to work with. So our job will, beyond making the design and concept of the book, consist of doing research about the artworks, taking pictures of them and write factorial texts about them. Furthermore after the concept is created it will need to be modified to work with three different budget proposals for the client; one economic, one luxury and one in between.
1.2. Thesis This thesis aims to research how different types of photo books portray their motives and visualise information, then translate that into guidelines for an interesting, informative and visually attractive photo book for Stångåstaden. The different visual aspects such as colour, hierarchy, photocomposition and layout, has been studied to be able to provide the best possible design concept for Stångåstaden.
6
1.3. Questions The main question this thesis aims to answer is:
• How do you make a photo book that visualizes the artworks uniqueness as well as makes it informative and transparent, from a layout and photographic perspective?
The question was then divided into three more specific sub-‐questions:
• How are different motives portrayed in different photo books?
• Which graphic and photographic principles are important when designing a photo book?
• Which design aspects must be considered with the photography of the artworks?
1.4. Demarcation In order to complete this project a considerable amount of research needed to be done, not just about the artworks but also on how to portray them in the best possible way. Since this report could not cover all of these aspects the focus of this report is to research how to best portray the artworks in a photo book.
In the production of a photo book there are many different matters one must consider, but this thesis cannot cover them all. Therefore there is no focus on the technical aspects of photo book production. Furthermore this report will not cover the cost aspects in the result, however this will be considered for the finished prototype of the photo book since this is an important part for the client. Furthermore there are many aspects of design and photography and this report will only focus on those, which are important for visualizing Stångåstaden’s photo book. Since some of the artworks that are featured in the photo book are in production during the summer and this report is due in the beginning of the summer, this report has only resulted in an extract of the photo book. However the concept was finished and an assortment of spreads and photography completed to visualise the whole concept of the photo book. The photo book as a whole will not be finished until a later date. When going through the design principles there shall only be the aspects most important and relevant for this project. Because of the tight timeline it must be chosen if the most important point of analysis is to have all the different design principles or the wide selection of different photo books. If the focus is on all the design principles there would be time for analysing only one book. Considering that the wide selection of photo books gave a wider point of view of the different possibilities how to express the chosen design principles it was more suitable for this project. Therefore there was only a narrow selection of design principles that were focused on.
7
For Stångåstaden’s project in particular it would have been a good idea to do a genre analysis on not just photo books but books that are more informative like cookbooks or fact books to get a wider perspective. But given the short amount of time for this project the focus was on the photo books alone, in order to make a more thorough analysis of them.
1.5. Disposition This disposition is here to help guide the reader to the structure of this report and the content of its different part. Chapter 1 Introduction -‐ This chapter tends to give the reader the purpose of this work and the background for the company as well as explaining the thesis and those parts this work will not cover. Chapter 2 Method -‐ In the method chapter there is a review of the method used to answer the thesis, genre analysis. It covers why this method was chosen and the pros and cons of it. The chapter also discusses potential other methods that could be complementary to the genre analysis as well as replacement methods. Here the reader can also find information on the literature study and what types of books that were used. There is also a information about the model for analysis and this that need to be considered when putting it together. Chapter 3 Theory -‐ In this chapter the theory recovered from the literature study is listed. The focus of this part is the different design principles that are most relevant for the making of a photo book. In addition there is also those principles of photography that need to be considered for this project. There is also information about what one should consider when analysing images. This chapter is the foundation for the model of analysis for the genre analysis. Chapter 4 Empirical part -‐ This chapter contains the model for analysis as well as the genre analysis itself. The chapter is divided into five different parts, one for each book being analysed. The analysis is made up by three different parts; the purpose, the form and the content. Chapter 5 Result -‐ In this chapter is the conclusions made from the genre analysis. From those conclusions as well as the literature study a concept for Stångåstaden was developed and this is also presented in this chapter. Furthermore there is the discussion and reflection about the report and its result. Finally are the recommendations for how the work for this photo book will be continued.
8
2. Method
To be able to answer the thesis and come up with the best design concept for Stångåstaden a literature study will first be made about the principles of image composition and book layout. From this a model of analysis will be made that will be used to do a genre analysis of photo books. This will give an idea of how different motives are illustrated in photo books and how one can use this information to document Stångåstaden’s artworks.
2.1. Literature studies It is important to be able to show that the purpose of the thesis is understood and by that to introduce all the literature that helps to deepen the study. According to Bryman the questions of thesis built the groundwork for the literature study and helps to find the focus to define what kind of literature will be needed. (Bryman, 2011) The focus of this project is to define and implement the graphic and visual elements of a photo book. Therefore a variety of books about graphic design and photography was used, which were chosen based on their relevance for image composition and book design in specific. Among the books that was used regarding photography and imaging were: Fotografisk bild by Stefan F. Lindberg and Lars Åberg, Visual Poetry by Chris Orwig, The photographer’s eye: composition and design for better digital photo by Michael Freeman and Within the frame by David duChemin. Some books that were used for information about graphic design in books were: Typografi, bild och grafisk design by Henriette Koblanck, Att göra böcker by Jost Hochuli and Effektiv visuell kommunikation by Bo Bergström.
2.2. Model for analysis With the literature study as a foundation of framework a model for analysis will be created to look at the different design aspects of photo books. By using an analysis model one can look at specific parts of the design and then compare how they are used in different ways to create different purposes. By comparing the theoretical work and how different photo books use these principles to portray different objects and analyzing them a concept of guidelines can be established that will suit Stångåstaden’s purpose. To be able to keep the analysis as objective as possible, guidelines about quantitative content analysis were used as a reference to know which parts to focus on and how to define the elements being analysed. By working this way the model of analysis becomes more reliable and it gets easier to compare the different results. (Bryman, 2011) Therefore the analysis does not contain
9
questions that concern perception and feeling, because both of these are very subjective to the beholder and the context.
2.3. Genre analysis In order to define the type of photo book that would fit Stångåstaden the best, one must first define what different types of photo books there are and what separates them. To answer this question and to identify how these different books use different design principles a genre analysis is a good method to use. Genre analysis is also used to give inspiration to the design with suits this project even more. (Blomkvist, 2007) To be able to make a genre analysis of photo books one must first define what a genre is. According to McQuail a genre can be any type of category that has the following characteristics:
• Its collective identity is more or less equally recognized by its producers (the media) and its customers (the media audience).
• This identity (or definition) relates to purposes (such as information, entertainment or subvariants), form (length, pace, structure, language etc) and meaning (reality reference).
• The identity has been established over time and observes familiar conventions; cultural forms are preserved, although these can also change and develop within the framework of the original genre.
• A particular genre will follow an expected structure of narrative or sequence of action, draw on a predictable stock of images and have a repertoire of variants of different themes. (Mcquail, 2005, s. 370)
By placing different products in different genres it helps the user to know how to use the product because they recognize them for other similar products they have used before. (Arvola, Lundberg & Holmlid, 2010) The purpose of a genre analysis is too look at similarities and differences of products in the same genre, in this case photo books, and describe them to be able to get at better view of the genre. Sometimes they also describe how a genre changes over time and how changes in a genre can turn into different sub-‐genres and mix-‐genres. By analysing this one can determine what genre is appropriate for different purposes. (Arvola, Lundberg & Holmlid, 2010) A genre analysis can be made on a wide variety of categories but the three things all genre analysis looks at are form, content and purpose. (Arvola, Lundberg & Holmlid, 2010) The different steps of a genre analysis are according to Arvola as follows: The first step is to define the content of the product and its different elements. The second step is to identify the genre as whole and the form of the elements. Thirdly you describe the form of the whole genre and its elements. Last one identifies the common features and the differences of the products. (Arvola, Lundberg & Holmlid, 2010) There are no rules of what an element or
10
and object is, this is decided by the analyst and need to be modified depending on the purpose of the analysis. (Blomkvist, 2007)
2.4. Selection The selection of photo books for the genre analysis will be made with help from the Swedish photographers association (Svenska fotografers förbund), here on referred to as SFF. Each year they give out an award for best Swedish photo book out of a variety of different photo books. Every year a new jury is appointed and they are comprised of photographers, book designers, art directors, artists, art critics and so on. (SFF, 2011) Because this award does not focus on a specific type of photo book nor on how established the photographer is there is a great variety of different books nominated, with different kind of purposes. The thing the books have in common is that they all do something special with their message to make them stand out from the rest. This provides a great list of photo books to choose from and with the motivations from the SFF some unique photo books will be selected for analysis. Photo books as a genre is wide and includes many different kinds of photo books; some of them are more informative and some are more illustrative and the motives illustrated vary from humans to man made creations. This makes it interesting to analyse the factors that are similar to all of them and therefore it was chosen to analyze as different photo books as possible. The five photo books differ from each other with size, content, motives and style, but they can still use the same principles for layout and photography. Therefore this provides a wide range to the genre analysis. The photo book for Stångåstaden will have photos of art and sculptures and the photo books that are analysed have wide range of motives from humans to buildings. This makes it interesting to analyse how the principles are used even if the motives varies and how to adapt these into the product. The books were first looked on as a whole, trying to get a grasp of what their purpose is. Then spreads and pictures were chosen from the books that would illustrate the concept of the book as a whole. These pictures are either a representation of common techniques and moods used in the book or because something about them breaks the pattern and makes them stand out from the rest of the book. Two or three spreads were chosen depending on the extent of the book. These examples represent and compile the whole book and this was enough to analyse the whole concept of the photo books.
2.5. Pros and cons with the method When doing a genre analysis there is a great risk that the analyst becomes subjective and that his or her own values affect the result. Therefore it is of most importance that one stays as objective as possible during the analysis, although this is something that can never be a hundred percent achieved. To minimize this risk a detailed model for analysis from the framework of the literature study will be created, because by looking at the elements from a theoretical point of view
11
there is little room for own personal opinions. To be able to avoid the affects of own values the books will be analysed together and not individually. This may take more time but will keep the analysis more objective.
2.6. Alternative methods As an alternative method it was considered to use qualitative interviews. Interviewing the photographer and the book designer behind the book would have given a deeper and more detailed aspect to the thesis and given the thought behind the layout and composition decision that has been made. Through interviews with photographers and designers regarding their experiences and knowledge, information could have been found that cannot be learned by books alone. It could have provided more information about the things that should have been thought of when working with photos for printing and when making a specific photo book for art. But because of the lack of time this method would not have given the chance to see the photo genre as a whole and to see the different variety of possibilities when designing and photographing for photo books. If the time limit had been longer, it would have been complementary to do the interviews and genre analysis for the photo books.
12
3. Theory
In order to make a genre analysis one must first be accustom to the different elements that make up a photo book. Since the message of the image and what it tells its beholder is the most vital part of a photo book the focus shall be on photographs and how layout and composition affect the message and feeling of them. Not all of the principles covered in the literature study are going to be used during the genre analysis, because not all picture use these principles. But they will still serve a vital part when it comes to developing the concept for Stångåstaden’s photo book. Since there are so many rules and guidelines for graphic design and photography this report cannot cover them all. This part will focus on those how are the most relevant for making a photo book. Some principles that will not be addressed are the gestalt laws of perceptual organization; Law of Proximity, Law of Similarity, Law of Closure, Law of Simplicity, Law of Common Fate, Law of Good Continuation, Law of Segregation nor will it cover typography, texture, cover design in specific, grids or retouching.
3.1. Design principles It doesn’t matter if the design is for a poster, a brochure or a book there are different design principles that one have to be aware of in order to create a well-‐composed product. Many of these design principles can be applied to both the layout of a photo book but also to the photos themselves.
3.1.1. Format When designing a book shall the different factors that built the functional entirety be considered. The book’s size must be thought through so that it serves its purpose and creates the best experience for the user. When choosing a photo book format Bergström mentions our two choices: the standard format and the special format. (Bergström, 2008) The most common standard format is the A-‐series that is used in most countries for printed material. A folded A4 paper gives the A5 format and a folded A5 gives A6 format. The proportions of A-‐series come from the golden cut rule and therefore is suitable for magazines and catalogues with multiple text columns. This is why the vertical format is more traditional and can be suitable for photo books that illustrate portraits. (Bergström, 2007) It is more unique to think outside the box and use a special format instead of the ready to use formats at the printing company. Some of the special formats have become a standard in the branch, like the most common novel format, which is 130 millimetres wide and 210 millimetres high. The square format is experienced boring because of its strong symmetry and therefore it is not commonly used, but it can be suitable because of its inner strength. The static
13
symmetry can be used in advantage by building contrast with an active arrangement. The basic forms triangle and circle should not be forgotten either. They give an exciting and unique form, but must be thought through. (Bergström, 2007) It is good to be considered how the reader will hold the book; will it be held by two hands, one hand or maybe read when it is lying on the table. When the book is meant to be held with both hands or is read on the table, it is possible to have a wider format for the book. (Hochuli, 1999) This kind of a format might be more suitable for photo books that introduce photos of landscapes, because the formats of the pictures tend to be horizontal. When the purpose of the thesis is to design a photo book, the images become the most important factor and the format needs to provide space to be able to show the images in the right size and proportion. Therefore the size tends to require a bigger format to give the focus to the photos. (Hochuli, 1999)
3.1.2. Hierarchy Hierarchy is the order of importance and can be seen everywhere in our lives, but in design it means how to show this order of importance visually. Visual hierarchy is the factor that makes the delivery and impact of the message easier and more effective and of course interesting. It is one of the most vital tasks for a graphic designer to clearly mark the separation of each level of importance to the viewer. Lupton and Phillips say that hierarchy can be simple or complex, rigorous or loose, flat or highly articulated. But what is it that makes the hierarchy these things? Naturally every designer has his or her own personal style, methodology and training that affects the result of hierarchy. But with all this it is also the zeitgeist of the period that has an impact of how the hierarchy is approached. (Lupton & Phillips, 2008) It is important for the designer to decide what kind of approach of hierarchy is needed to get the best suitable result. Hierarchy can be shown using different size for the motives and components or by using space. Even a colour is a good method to enhance the importance of a specific matter. (Koblanck, 2003)
3.1.3. Balance Balance is a complex thing because on one hand you want to create balance in layouts and in pictures, for example you do not want the image or layout to be too heavy in one corner because this can give the feeling that the image is tipping over. But on the other hand sometimes too much balance ruins the drama and interesting part of the look. (Lindberg & Åberg 2004) So the difficult part is to create balance without ruining the excitement, because it is usually this part that attracts the viewer. (Bergström, 2007) Things that can give a lot of weight in a layout are colours, objects, dark surfaces or other things that attract the eye. Especially when it comes to photographs one needs to be aware of the light. Because a dark surface is always perceived as
14
heavier than a bright surface, which means that a bright surface can be much bigger to give the illusion of having the same weight as a small dark object. (Lindberg & Åberg 2004)
Symmetry vs. asymmetry Balance in a layout is either created by using symmetry or asymmetry. Symmetry means placing all the elements in relation to the centre of the page. The human eye has a predilection for symmetric compositions because it is an easy balance to look at and it creates ease, harmony and strength. (Bergström, 2007) Symmetry is created by placing the element in the middle of the page, by putting two elements of equal weight on either side of the centre or several elements arranged in the same way around the centre. (Freeman, 2007) But sometimes a symmetric layout can feel dull and monotonous and then an asymmetric layout can be preferred. The elements in an asymmetry layout does not need to be aligned to the centre of the page which gives this type of composition a much bigger variety and therefore also more possibilities than the symmetric layout. An asymmetric layout can create balance without perfect symmetry which makes it much more appealing for designers. Both symmetry and asymmetry are common techniques in both designing layout and taking photographs. Sometimes balance does not suit the feeling the design wants to portray, and then it might be a good idea to intentionally ignore the balance. By doing that the design elements can create tension and use the page in ways a balanced design never could. (Peterson, 2003) Peterson summarizes this like it doesn’t really matter how balance is created or if it is intentionally avoided as long as it is done from the feeling and the purpose of the concept. (Peterson, 2003)
3.1.4. Contrast No matter if one is planning a city, a party or designing a poster to avoid getting monotonous there needs to be contrast. When designing one often uses contrast without even thinking of it, for example black text on a white background gives high contrast and this makes the text easier to read. (Peterson, 2003) There are many different ways of creating contrast but four of the most common disciplines in design are size, strength, shape and colour. (Bergström, 2007) Size is very useful to give the beholder an entrance into the design, this can be a large picture or headline for example. Because it is not easy to know were to start looking if there is no obvious staring-‐point, like if the design have the same construction as a chessboard. (Bergström, 2007) Beside the four most common disciplines contrast can also be created in photographs using the following counterparts: big-‐small, straight-‐bent, near-‐far, black-‐white, dark-‐bright, heavy-‐light, inside-‐outside, horizontal-‐vertical, positive-‐negative, moody-‐cold, bloody-‐icy. (Bergström, 2007)
15
Contrast is most often used to enhance the obvious but using contrast as a contradiction can sometimes be even more powerful. For example when working with typography portraying the word small in big, capital letters or light with a heavy, black font can send a bigger message than the more obvious choice. (Peterson, 2003) Furthermore contrast does not always have to be dramatic to be successful, sometimes a more subtle contrast suites the design better. No matter the level of contrast it must always be clear enough, because otherwise the beholder may wonder if it is just a design error. (Peterson, 2003) In order to work with contrast in good way one must be aware of all the elements that make up the design because all the parts can create some kind of contrast and it is also important to know the purpose of the design in order to create the most suitable design choices. No matter what disciplines are used to create the layout Peterson gives the following guidelines to consider when working with contrast:
• Does the chosen contrast strengthen the idea?
• Are only the most obvious ways used or are there other ways of creating contrast
• When working with typography does the type suit the audience and message of the design?
• Is the contrast used being pushed far enough, is there enough difference between the contrasts?
• Consider that extreme contrast may not always be the best choice for the design, sometimes discrete differences are more successful. (Peterson, 2003)
3.2. The photograph principals When creating any type of graphical material it is important to have good material to work with. In the case of a photo book the quality of the pictures is what can make or break a book. This is not just a matter of the technical quality of the photographs but the quality of the content and the perception of the image. In the process of taking pictures it is therefore crucial that the photographer do sufficient research of the motive and know the purpose of the pictures before taking them. It is important to find a new interesting way of showing the motive. A photographer should always think before and after taking the pictures and not during the actual photographing, this part is best done by instinct. (Lindberg & Åberg, 2004) But when beholding the knowledge of all the possibilities it becomes easier to define the decisions one makes with intuition. Furthermore it is important to realize that when taking pictures for a specific purpose it is often so that only one or two out of a hundred are actually usable. So one should always photograph immensely more than is needed to ensure the chance of getting that one spectacular photo. (Lindberg & Åberg, 2004) However there are
16
some rules and guidelines the photographer should be aware of, even if just so they can break them.
3.2.1. Type of images There are many different categories of images therefore the images also have many different goals. There are three major types of images: the factual images, the prose images and the poetic images. Many pictures are not just one of these categories but are usually somewhere in between. The factual images strive on being as close to reality as possible. It is important that facts like size and colour are realistically reproduced. (Lindberg & Åberg, 2004) These images are used to represent the reality and document different current events and need to be without personal values. News-‐images and images for documentary purposes are types of factorial images. (Bergström, 2007) Today the factorial picture becomes more and more narrative and therefore closer to the next category, which is the prose picture. Here the photographer take the opportunity to interpret the reality and have a possibility to influence the way the beholder sees the picture, which means that the reality does not necessarily need to be accurately portrayed. These pictures are often used to tell a story for example a travel feature. (Lindberg & Åberg, 2004) Furthest away from the factorial picture is the poetic picture. These types of images are more artistic and they rely on emotion and moods to convey their message. Poetic images can even be abstract and non-‐representational; their purpose can simply be to illustrate a feeling. (Lindberg & Åberg, 2004)
3.2.2. Image composition Image composition is a vital part of image making. It determines what is shown in the picture and what is left outside of the image and how the different elements of the image relate to one another. The photographer uses this to enhance and simplify the important part of an image. There are four ways that affect the image composition; the cropping the photographer makes when the image is taken, the variation between a big or small aperture, the time and how much the photographer move and change the angle of the image. (Lindberg & Åberg 2004) Since most of the image composition is done at the moment of photograph it is a good idea to take as many photographs as possible from a variety of angles so to have a large selection of compositions to choose from. The one thing that is important to think of is that if it is in the frame or if something is left out of the frame it is because the photographer made it that way, hopefully intentionally and not by chance. (duChemin, 2009)
17
Cropping
Both the photographer and the designer working with the final product can do the cropping of an image. Image cropping is one of the most common treatments images goes thought and it is usually done to improve and enhance the message of the image. To crop an image is to reduce, focus and dramatize the content. To reduce is to remove some larger parts of an image because there are some details that disturb and take focus from the main motive. This can for instance be a person at the edge of the picture that disturbs the balance. Focus means to crop the pictures so much that a specific person or detail gets the focus of the picture. This can be done by helping the beholder see things that might otherwise be left unnoticed. When dramatising a picture the beholder gets to see the extreme of the picture and that one special part. This can be an extreme contrast or it can be that the designer turns the picture to get a new angle or a different perspective. For example changing the angle of a hill can make it look like a steep mountain. (Bergström, 2007)
3.2.3. Perspective An image is always two-‐dimensional, so to be able to give an image more depth and make it more lifelike shall perspective be used. (Koblanck, 2003) The perspective of an image is made up by how the different objects in the image relate to each other and to the horizon. When taking pictures outdoor you automatically get different surfaces that your motive relates to, the most prominent being the sky and the earth. How these are chosen to be portrayed in an image affects how the beholder perceives the image. It is natural for a photographer to place the horizon higher or lower in an image, because placing the horizon in the middle makes the image uninspiring. (Lindberg & Åberg 2004) In addition to placing the object in relations to its surroundings the images is also affected on the objects relation to the camera. Normal view is how a person normally looks at things and people particularly in real life. But when photographing an object from below, called frog perspective, it makes the object feel big and powerful, despite how it relates in reality. The opposite happens when photographing from above, bird perspective. This can make an object look and feel small and powerless. (Koblanck, 2003) Hence by just adjusting these small thing the same object can give very different emotions. Furthermore when working with photography in particular Freeman lists some other disciplines of perspective to use to create depth in a picture. Linear perspective Linear perspective is the most common way to create depth in an image. This principle works on the perception that all parallel lines in an image come together and eventually meet the further away they come from the camera. For example when photographing a road the parallel lines seem to meet at the horizon, but in reality they never actually do. Diminishing perspective Diminishing perspective works on the same principle as the linear perspective
18
does. When looking at similar objects on different distances from the camera the objects furthest from the camera are perceived as smaller than those closer to the camera. This effect works best when using the same objects in different relations to the camera or when using objects the beholder already have a preconceived feeling of its size. This perspective can also be enhanced by placing the object closest to the camera in the lower part of the picture or letting the outline of the object overlap the objects in the background. Aerial perspective Then working with outdoor photography the photographer can use different weather phenomenon to create depth. In pictures with dust, mist or haze these effects cover the contrast in the background, which gives the illusion of more depth than there really is. This effect can be even more prominent when photographing with backlight. Tonal perspective In general lighter and brighter objects have a tendency to feel closer to the camera than darker objects do. So placing a bright object on a dark background can enhance the feeling of perspective. This can also be done by using the lighting in the right way. But using the opposite of this the photographer can create a figure-‐ground ambiguity, which can be very useful when reinforcing the abstract picture. Colour perspective The photographer can also create depth by using colours. Elements with warm colours are usually perceived as being closer to the camera than cold colours. So when considering just colours placing a red or orange object on a green or blue background gives a feeling of depth. This effect is stronger when using more intense colours, and the most intense colours should always be in the foreground. Sharpness When photographing it is important to contemplate were the focus in the picture should be. Because good focus suggests that the object is close to the camera and as long as the foreground is sharper than the background this enhances the feeling of depth. But sometimes it doesn't really matter were the focus is in the picture because as long as some objects are unsharp the picture gains depth. (Freeman, 2007)
3.2.4. Placing of the motive Placing a motive in the picture is an important way to communicate with the viewer and different positioning tells the viewer different things. What Freeman underlines is that when a motive gets smaller it becomes more important how the motive is placed in the photo. (Freeman, 2007) When there is only a single head motive that catches the eye right away in a monotonous background becomes the placing of the motive important. If the motive is turned to a specific direction it is good to place it outside the centre
19
and give the viewer a bit of what the motive “sees”. Otherwise if the background is too busy it is better to place the motive as big as possible to be able to focus on the most important. (Freeman, 2007) According to Freeman there are three different zones to place a single dominant eye catching point in a photo. The background must be monotonous and so that the placing of the eye-‐catching moment becomes the most important factor of communicating to the viewer. It can be placed in the middle where it is static but usually boring or it can be placed close to the edge of the picture, when it needs a motivation. Or it can be placed little bit in the side of the centre where it creates dynamic but not too extreme composition. (Freeman, 2007) For a designer there are some rules to be followed that are appealing to the viewer and create balance in the photograph and layout. One of these rules is the golden cut rule that follows the proportions found from the nature. In golden cut a given line A must be divided to a bigger line B and a smaller line C. They must be divided so that the line A relates to the line B and the line B relates to line C. The smaller line relates to the bigger one as the bigger one relates to the combined line. (Bergström, 2007) In photographs this can be used in composition by making sections into the photograph that follow the golden cut. For example a picture of a sea horizon can be photographed using the golden cut. There the line A is the whole photograph and the line B is the sky above the horizon line and the line C the earth below the horizon line. Rule of thirds is a guideline of creating a balanced asymmetric composition. Photographer can deal the format in three equally big parts with two lines or in nine equally big parts with four lines. After this it is just to make a composition so that the different parts are filled with contrasted effects. The crossing of two lines is experienced to be a right and dynamic point to place a main motive and creates strong attractive composition. (Bergström, 2007) If a designer measures the exactly correct midpoint of a surface and places an image on the point, the eye sees this, as the image would be falling down. Optical centre is calculated to be above the exact centre and an image placed there creates balance and harmony in to the layout. (Koblanck, 2003)
3.2.5. Colour Colours are a very important and vital part of photography and are experienced differently by every individual. Strong hues are perceived in multi-‐levelled ways, with various associations that have as much to do with culture and experience as with optical reality. They trigger emotions, boost memory, inform, attract and affect us physically and mentally. The cool colours as blue and green tend to be soothing but the warm colours as red and yellow are experienced as vivid, bold and energetic. Orwig encourages to look for colour combinations of these two because their relation makes the picture more three-‐dimensional. The warm colours are noticed first but the cool ones recede to the background. There is another more subtle colour relationship to look for that Orwig mentions, analogous colours. The analogous colour relationship has only colours that are
20
from a same colour palette and a good example of this is the different hues of coloured autumn leaves. (Orwig, 2011) Muted Colours In the nature apart from the man made scenes the saturated colours are more rare than the subdued greens, browns, ochers, flesh tones, slate blues, greys, and pastels that make up most natural scenes. Technically the hues has been made lighter, darker or desaturated or combination of these and they can make the photo more subtle and quieter. (Freeman, 2007) Because the associations vary for every individual can it be difficult to know how the photo communicates. That is where Orwig points out that for a photographer it is vitally important to get to know the personal relation to the colours and find the connection and emotions between them. This will take the photos to another level. (Chris Orwig, 2011) Black and White Black and white was the original and only form of taking pictures in the beginning because of the technical restrictions. Even though today there is the possibility, because of the technique and knowledge, to play with the colours, black-‐and-‐white has remained popular because of its unique attributes. It emphasises the forms, textures and lines of the picture and makes the photo more abstract than a coloured photo. As Freeman says the black-‐and-‐white photos are not as literal as coloured ones are: “In the popular view, photography is more realistic than any other graphic art because the camera takes its images directly, optically from reality. By extension, colour photography must be more realistic than black and white because it reproduces more information from the real world.” (Freeman, 2007, p. 126) Nowadays the ability to manipulate and emphasize the colours with Photoshop and similar programs gives us the better understanding and wider possibilities with colours. (Freeman, 2007) The tools are there but the most important thing is that the photographer has the feeling and the wanted point of view in mind when photographing because then it will come across to the viewer too.
3.2.6. Forms in a picture Creating forms with the different motives makes the picture interesting and it makes it easier to guide the viewer’s eyes through the most important parts of the photo. Circles and rectangles are more rare forms in photographs and are usually just implied by leaving the viewer figuring out the form by itself. Circles are powerful because they frame and draw the attention to the inside of them and therefore are important to be used carefully because the surrounding becomes less important. (Freeman, 2007) Triangle is the most useful form in a photo because of it’s basic form and need for only three points which can be placed freely in the picture and that way forms interesting combination of dynamics. A triangle can be formed by implication where any arrange of three objects (except in a straight line) forms an implied
21
triangle. A triangle can also be formed in convergence where the linear perspective creates at least two sides of the triangle or the vertical surfaces, which recede to the horizon, create triangles. (Freeman, 2007)
When a triangle is placed with two points as a ground it makes the composition much more stable and secure. This type of composition is commonly used in the family portraits. But if one point of the triangle is lower and the other two points higher, as it would be balancing on it’s top, in the image gives this disharmony and excitement into the composition, but can make it interesting as it creates lines. (Lindberg, 2004) Rectangles are the same form as the format of a photo, which is almost always rectangular. Because of the shape they are the easiest way to divide the picture in to smaller entities, but to be able to capture a rectangular it must be photographed from in front of. (Freeman, 2007) Freeman compares the square and rectangular like this: “Rectangles have associations of gravity, solidity, precision, and sharp limitation, a result of their connotations with the two kinds of lines—vertical and horizontal—that compose them. They tend to be static, unyielding, and formal. As the perfect form of the rectangle, the square exhibits these qualities the most strongly.” (Freeman, 2007, p. 88)
3.2.7. Motion When capturing a moment in a two-‐dimensional form it always captures a motion or stasis and the key is to create movement with composition. The movement can be captured with a way that it indicates the becoming occurrence and by that creates motion. Like a man in mid air jumping into a pool gives the association of the becoming splash into the water. Other way creating motion with humans is by the direction the eyes are looking. (Freeman, 2007) But there are other ways of creating motion into a picture and it doesn’t mean that there must be a human being involved to be able to create movement. Of course man-‐made motives that illustrate humans such as sculptures can create the movement same way as a human face with the direction the eyes are looking to. The objects inside the picture creates lines and by that also creates movement whit their natural energy and it is possible to create movement by guiding the viewers eyes with these lines in the picture. This kind of movement can be created when the lines inside the frame seem to come outside the frame. It creates movement and guides the eye further into the photo. In a wide-‐angel photo with diagonal lines calls Freeman this kind of motion diagonal movement. (Freeman, 2007) With composition the motion can be created with a so-‐called diagonal composition where the motion or direction moves from the corner to the opposite corner and by that creates drama and activates the eye. It also can be combined with perspective if a motive gets smaller towards the other corner. There is also the circle composition where the motives are placed as a circle. This
22
creates an on going motion and is a symbol of eternity. (Lindberg, 2004) Motion can also be created by making the picture unfocused and showing by that to the viewer that there is motion in the picture. Good example of this is to capture the lights of a car showing the movement as a line but the actual shape of the car has vanished. Rhythm can also create motion into the picture. The natural energy in different structures creates motion in to the picture by stimulating the eye from the centre to the outer parts of the picture. It is used by creating diagonal lines and structures that guides the eye in the picture. This kind of movement doesn’t encourage to round forms but to horizontal lines that guides the eyes to different directions. It can be the direction where the eyes are looking towards or the direction the object is turned to, or where the object is “looking”. It also can be created with repeat. If the rhythm is on going it can be made interesting by breaking the rhythm intentionally. (Freeman, 2007) In any cases the movement must be created with consideration and thought otherwise the over use of these can make the viewer too tired and confused where to look and just moves on to the next one. But when used wisely it will make the composition much more interesting.
3.2.8. Format It is not at all peculiar that the most natural way of taking a photo is in a horizontal format, because it is the way that humans see the world. It is also seen in binocular way; what is seen directly in front of us is the clearest and the outer lines are blurred but still noticed. Because of this the horizontal frame is the more natural and neutral photo format to be used. Freeman highlights some of the good reasons for the use of a horizontal format: It influences the composition of an image, but not in an insistent, outstanding way. It conforms to the horizon, and so to most overall landscapes and general views. (Freeman, 2007, p. 12) Because of the horizontal field of vision the eyes are naturally reluctant to scan up and down. This is one of the reasons why the vertical format is a little bit more difficult in composition. It is not the natural way the world is seen, but is common in books and magazines because of the format chosen. Most commonly it is used for naturally vertical objects, such as a standing human being. But a vertical format can make the photo far more interesting and change the whole composition and feel. (Freeman, 2007)
3.3. Image analysis When analysing images it is important to realise that images have their own language just like writing and speaking do. And just like all languages the interpretation of an image can be widely different depending on the person reading it and the physical and cultural context its being looked in. (Koblanck, 2003) Furthermore like other languages imagery also has its rules, structures and norms that are the grammar of image making and that one need to be aware
23
of in order to create, interpret and use images efficiently. (Koblanck, 2003) When it comes to analysing images there are many different ways, but the thing they all have incommon is to interpret, understand and describe the images. (Koblanck, 2003) When doing an image analysis Koblanck has made the following checklist:
• What does the image portray?
• How are the images composed?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Who is the sender?
• What is the purpose of the image?
• What effect might the image have on its beholder?
• Which values does the image spread?
(Koblanck, 2003)
When analysing images, one must not forget that one of the key factors is time. With time one may look different on both the content and the message. New times affect the beholder both politically, socially, culturally and aesthetically. All of these factors can make an image that is only a few years old look out of date and be interpreted completely different from when it was made. (Lindberg & Åberg 2004)
24
4. Empirical part
4.1. Model of analysis From the theory about the genre analysis and the literature study as inspiration a model for analysis was compiled. In compliance with the theory about genre analysis three different parts of the analysis was made; form, purpose and content. Since the main purpose of the report was design, most weight was put on the form part of the analysis. Part one – purpose
• What does the photo book tell us? How can we see this?
• Who is the sender?
Part two – form
• What size and form does the book and pictures have?
• How is the layout of the book? (Balanced, symmetric or asymmetric)
• How are the main motives portrayed?
o Where is the main motive placed?
o How is perspective used?
o How is the image cropped?
• How is contrast used?
• How is colour used? Are the pictures in black and white or colour?
Part three – content
• What types of images are in the book? (Informative, arranged etc)
• If there is any texts what kind of texts are there? (Factual, prose or poetic)
25
4.2. Genre analysis Because of the copyright reasons there are sketches made of the analyzed spreads and pictures. These pictures are placed before every analysis and only illustrate the most important characters of the spreads and pictures.
4.2.1. Hillbilly heroin, honey by Hannah Modigh This book won the SFF photo book price in 2010. 1. Spread of a picture over-‐viewing a street with lying dogs and a cat. 2. Spread of seven different photos. 3. Picture of an old man sleeping on an armchair. Part one - purpose The town of St Charles, Virginia, USA is located in the shadows of the Appalachians and the struggle and poverty of the small town is totally unknown to the world. This photo book wants to capture the life of this small town and make the people aware that it actually exists. The focus to the people and to the surroundings tells a story and opens the door to the life of a small town. The photographer of the book is the Swedish Hannah Modigh. Part two -form The Book The book is a size of 247 x 235 mm and makes it little wider than a standard sized book, but it is also heavy and thick. The pictures are placed on the right side of the spread, but in the middle of the book there is eleven-‐page collage of different photos on a black background. The symmetric layout where each photo is on the right side of the spread creates balance, which is broken in the middle by the eleven page black background collage. This creates contrast and excitement into the books layout.
26
The Pictures 1.
This picture is taken outside in sunlight and it shows the steep hill into the right with leafless trees and in the left hand side is a light pink house. The lower half of the picture is an asphalt road that widens towards the lower right corner with two laying dogs and a sitting cat. First and for most the format of this photo is horizontal and suits traditionally for landscape. So the cropping is left minimum to show an over view and to not to dramatize the picture. The perspective is created with diminishing perspective as the trees become smaller and smaller as they go further into the left. The perspective is also created with colour, as the trees furthest are bluer and colder than the warmer and redder trees that are near. Overall the colours of this picture are very muted and the whole photo seems to bath in light and therefore it strengthens the feel of quietness and makes it subtler with the laying dogs. The picture seems very motionless but the diagonal line of the road and the trees that creates vertical lines that come outside of the frame creates diagonal movement into the photo.
27
2.
This spread shows seven different sized photos on a black background. On the lower left side is one big coloured picture of couple taken from a distance and above it two smaller black and white ones, all of them are portraits of two people. In the middle are two black and white pictures, the one above about railway and the one below about a snake held by a person. The two photos on the right side are equal in size but the one below is coloured and is a portrait of a man and the one above is a picture of a man’s chest with a tattoo “ I love Virginia”. The layout of this spread is created with a combination of balance and asymmetry. The hierarchy is created with size and colour and the biggest photo in size is situated in the lower left side of the spread. It also has colour and catches the eye strongly. The fact that the people in the other photos also look into the direction of the biggest photo draws the attention to it. The other photos (except the one on the lower right side of the spread) are black and white photos which makes them more two dimensional and abstract as it emphasises the lines and the texture of the photos so they blend in more to the black background.
There is about a half centimetre margin around the photos, which create symmetry. This symmetry is broken by the bleed of the biggest photo in the lower left corner of the spread as it is situated in the corner and the feet of the person are cropped so they would continue off the page. But what balances this asymmetry of the layout is a smaller photo on the other side of the spread. This photo with a motive of strongly lighted human face balances the asymmetry. Here the cropping of the different coloured photos has made balance with contrast, because the size and the focus of the big photo is balanced with the
28
dramatic close up cropping of the human face. The fact that he is looking towards the big picture makes the viewer look back to the big photo again. The balance and cohesiveness is also created with the uniting black background.
3.
The main motive of this picture is an old man sleeping on an armchair in a corner at the left side of the picture. The focus is on him and he is shown very sharp, but in front of him is a brown box that looks like a stove that hasn’t focus. The photo is cropped so that the main motive is shown in a whole but with a relation to the surroundings. It is a vertical photo and the relation of the sleeping man and the brown box and their shape is enhanced with the format chosen. The main motive is placed so that the beholder can see what it sees and what is placed in front of him and the perspective is created by the sharpness of the different objects. The focus is on the armchair and on the sleeping man, but everything close to the viewer is unfocused and blurry. This also creates contrast with the bright focused man and the dark lower part of the picture and the big brown dark box that is blurred and unfocused. Depth is also created with the combination of warm and cold vivid colours in the picture. The blue wall in the background recedes and the warm armchair, floor and the brown box catches the eye with the warmth.
29
Part three - content The pictures of this book are at the same time poetic and factual pictures because they want to show the real life of the people in the village, but at the same time awakes feelings and compassion to the viewer. There is not a lot of text in the book. The only text is in the beginning of the book. It is the lyrics of a song called “Coal tattoo” by The Kingstons Trio composed by Billy Ed Wheeler. This gives a poetic intro to the book but doesn’t really inform the reader. It is more just to set a mood and strengthen the emotional experience. In the end there is one page of the most important facts provided.
4.2.2. Picture Imperfect by Kent Klich & Beth R
This book won the SFF photo book price in 2009. 1. Beth naked on the bed and a hand with a syringe. 2. Spread with a picture of Beth and a picture of a table from a friend’s apartment. 3. Spread with a portrait of Beth from 2005 and a picture of her from 1962. Part one - purpose The book wants to illustrate a part in the life of Beth R. Picture imperfect plays with the English phrase “picture perfect” which referrers to the often too arranged and superficial family albums people have in their homes. But the concept of this book is that instead of the perfect family albums they want to show a damaged and hard reality of an addict as a result of a rough childhood, which is not even close to the picture perfect. All this is shown in the rawness, the realness and the non retouching of the pictures. Kent Klich does not try to hide any part of her life in the book. They show her reality, as it is, no more and no less. The book is a collaboration of the photographer Kent Klich and the subject Beth R. Not all of the pictures in the book are photographed by Kent Klich himself. For example some pictures are from a documentary film about Beth made by Beth, Mikala Krogh and Kent Klich. Two pictures are also taken by Beth herself. It is certain that the pictures have been produced over a long period of time, nearly 20 years, and you can see very clear which pictures are older and which are newer. Part two - form The Book Picture imperfect is neither a small nor a large book and the format is standing. The measurements are 175 x 235 mm and this makes it a book that is easy to hold in hands and doesn’t need a table to be able to scan through. The page numberings are always on a white surface and placed on the lower outer corner of the page and only on the one side of the spread.
30
The forms and sizes of the pictures vary through the book. There are some horizontal pictures that are across the whole spread and some that are vertically on a page so that the book must be turned to be able to view the pictures properly. The Pictures 1.
The main motive of this picture is Beth who is lying on the bed naked to the right on the far side of the picture to the left is a hand holding a syringe. The picture covers the entire spread with bleed on all sides. Beth is photographed from about, which enhances her state of inferiority. She glares into the air looking at neither the camera nor the syringe. The image is cropped so that the beholder can only see part of the hand holding the syringe but they can see the syringe very clear. First because the focus of the picture is on the hand holding the syringe while the rest of the picture including Beth is slightly out of focus. Secondly because the picture is all in black and white with very little contrast except for the syringe, which is much whiter than Beth and the rest of the picture. The syringe is also placed in the darkest part of the image, which also enhances the brightness of it. There is also a contrast in the sharpness and the roughness of syringe in relations to the much more smooth Beth. The image uses an asymmetric composition but the sharpness and the whiteness of the syringe gives balance to the much bigger Beth in the background. This picture is one of many very naked and rough images of Beth found in Picture Imperfect. The use of different focus points leaving the rest of the picture blurry is
31
something that is used through the entire book and it helps guide the beholder to the different details in the images. By leaving the bigger and usually more prominent parts blurry while letting the details have the focus the pictures becomes very dynamic without loosing their balance. 2.
The spread of two horizontal photographs placed vertically on each page so that when viewed the book must be turned. The picture above is a black and white close up photo of a bed with two pillows and a robe and a backside of a head with long hair lying on the bed. On the lower photo there is a close up of things on a table. Among pieces of broken glass, there is a pink teddy bear, opened sock packaging, broken green bottle and a coca-‐cola bottle. The black and white colouring can be chosen for this photograph to enhance the lines of this photo. It plays with the lines created by the hair and the striped pillowcases. All the lines are going towards the centre of the photo and draw the attention to the robe that lies there. The vertical lines of the white pillow continue over the above side of the picture and the lines of the hair and the darker pillow lies vertically and by this it creates diagonal movement into the picture. The picture below the black and white photograph is coloured. Contrast is created with the bright red colouring of the motives in the lower photo compared to the monotonous black and white colouring. This also creates hierarchy because the eye is drawn to the warm red colourings easily. The pink teddy bear is positioned in the middle of the photograph and draws the attention
32
with the strong colouring. Even though the positioning of the motive in the middle can make the photograph boring in this photo it is not the case because of the two other red motives in the upper part of the photo; the coca-‐cola bottle’s etiquette and the little red box. The placing of these two other red motives forms a triangle with the pink teddy bear which creates a dynamic composition between these three items and makes the photo much more interesting. This red triangle is broken with a contrast coloured green bottle in the upper part of the photo between the etiquette and the box. This creates contrast into the composition.
3.
The picture on the left hand side is a coloured and sharp picture of Beth taken 2005. It is a portrait taken so that it shows her shoulders and up and she looks straight into the camera with a serious face. The shirt she has on is strong red colour and the background and her eyes are green. On the right hand side of the spread is an old black and white photo of Beth as a child where she stands in the courtyard of a house smiling and hugging a stuffed animal. Beth is photographed from a distance and the quality of the picture is blurry and damaged, as an old photo tends to be. The picture of Beth from 2005 is a picture placed in the left side of the spread and the cantered black and white picture of her taken 1962 is in the right side of the spread. The old picture’s format is a square and placed symmetrically in the centre of the page, according to the optical centre. The picture taken 2005 is a whole page picture with bleed and colour. The relation of placement between
33
these two photos creates balance into the layout, but the size of the pictures mirror the hierarchy and clearly the focus and importance is meant for the big coloured one of her from 2005. Contrast in the spread is created in multiple ways. First of all the contrast of the model’s age gives the contrast of time. This has been affecting the sharpness, colours and composition of the spread; it plays highly with contrast. The sharpness in the new picture with a close up of her eyes and face gives the expression and more detailed composition, but in the old photo she is photographed from far and small against the background and the low resolution creates contrast between them. As said, the cropping is used to highlight contrast so that motive is seen very near and the other one very far away, it gives the contrast of big and small. Not forgetting the vivid red shirt and the cold green background that makes a strong impact aside the black and white picture. This also creates depth into the picture when the vivid red catches the eye first and the green recedes to the background giving perspective. In the old photo the main motive is placed exactly in to the middle and makes the picture statistic and stable. Part three - content The images in Picture imperfect almost exclusively made up by prose pictures. The whole concept of the book is to tell the story about Beth and that is exactly the purpose of prose pictures. However some picture are very abstract and there to give more of a feeling to enhance the story the rest of the picture are telling. That makes some of the picture lean more towards the poetic realm than the prose. There are many different kind of texts in the book, dialogs from the documentary about her and notes from a doctor regarding her medical history. The personal texts from and about Beth are always on separate pages and never next to a picture. All the texts are first in English and then in Swedish. In the back of the book there is also a list of were all the pictures are taken and what year. Because all the pictures are numbered it is very easy to find the information about them in the back.
4.2.3. Naini and the Sea of Wolves by Trinidad Carillo
This book won the SFF photo book price in 2008. 1. A spread where the first picture is of a hula-‐hoop standing in a garden and the second picture is of a young girl looking into a pool. 2. A picture of the young girl lying in the grass. Part one - purpose This photo book illustrates the poem by Sara Hallström found at the end of the book. The book itself very unpretentious but the pictures portrayed in it have a story to tell.
34
Since there are no other texts than the poem at the end the photo book have no spoken purpose or message. The interpretation of the photographs is up to the beholder and the photographer can only try to guide them to his purpose by the composition of his images. Part two - form The Book Naini and the sea of wolves is a very small square photo book, the measurements are 160x175 mm and the book only have 32 pages making it just about half a centimetre thick. The layout of the book is just like its format, very unpretentious. All the images are in colour and have the same square size and they are placed at the optical centre of the pages, with the exception for a few empty pages. The pictures 1.
The first image on this spread is a lonely hula hop ring standing against a bush in a green garden. The plastic of the ring creates a strong contrast against the nature of the rest of the image. The contrast between the two is further strengthened by the clear round form of the ring, while the nature is more of a pattern than clear distinguished forms. The hula hop ring is also much sharper than the flowers and leafs behind it, making it stand out form the background even more. Using two major principles, sharpness and aerial perspective creates the depth in the picture. First the elements in the front like the bushes and the hula hop
35
ring are much sharper than those in the background. Secondly the tone in the picture is much more intense in the foreground of the picture while the background is much more misty. The hula hop ring is placed in the centre in the lower part of the picture and this together with the round form makes the picture feel very calm and harmonious. The second picture is of a little girl in a bathing suit standing by the edge of a pool, looking down into it. The picture uses linear perspective with the edge of the pool creating a very clear line into the picture. The line also leads the beholders gaze towards the girl. The depth is also enhanced by using diminishing perspective. The tiles in the pool becomes smaller the further in to the picture they are. The main motive in the picture is the little girl and unlike the first picture she is placed in the upper part of the picture. This placement together with the rest of the elements gives the image more of an asymmetrical balance. But since the little girl is looking down into the pool this placement highlights what she is looking at. There is a huge contrast between the two pictures of this spread. The first is much warmer than the second picture. The second image of the girl is made up by very cold colours, like ice blue and the fact that the girl seems sad and is only wearing a bathing suit when there is no sun on the sky only heavy clouds enhances the coolness, as does the large part of ice blue water in the picture. Green is not always seen as a warm colour and it goes very well with the blue tone of the second picture, but when putting these colour scales together the green is perceived as the warmer one. There is also a big contrast between the nature of the garden and the man-‐made structure of the second picture. The first picture is made up by soft forms and no sharpness or clear edges, it grows without forms and function. The other picture on the other hand is full of forms and sharp edges there is no green nature of softness except for a small hint in the far background. Everything in this image have a function and everything is much sharper than in the first picture.
36
2.
The second spread contains only one picture placed on the right page. It portrays a little girl lying on the grass looking at the camera. The photograph is taken from a slight bird perspective making the girl feel a bit powerless. The girl is placed in one of the dynamic points using the rule of third creating asymmetry but still balance in the image. Since the girl is looking straight at the camera her gaze immediately attracts the beholder in to the picture. The images is cropped so that one can only see the torso of the girl and very little of her surroundings. This helps guide the beholder to the girl leaving no doubt that she is the important part of the image. The focus of the picture is on the girl so against a more unsharp surrounding she stands out even more. The different focuses in the picture also help creating depth in the image. Another effect creating depth is the fact that the foreground is much brighter than the background, giving the illusion of a deeper perspective. The colours in the picture are very warm and together with just the nature and the sun creating very sharp shadows in the picture helps enhance the warmness of it. Part three - content The images in the photo book are all prose pictures. There main goal is to tell a story and they do so in a narrative way, even thought there is a lot of feeling in many of the pictures.
37
There is only one text in the book and it is a poem on the very last page by Sara Hallström. This is what the images are portraying and there is not other information about who is in the pictures or where they are taken.
4.2.4. Mitt i Naturen av Björn Larsson
This book was nominated for the SFF photo book price in 2008.
1. Spread sized picture of trees and moss in the forest. 2. Picture on the right side of the spread with a photo of a stork standing on a nest. 3. One page sized picture of a tree and the nose of an elk. Part one - purpose Mitt i naturen illustrates the nature and the forest in Sweden. The name Mitt i naturen is Swedish and directly translated means “in the middle of nature”. The photographer of the book is a swedish artist and photographer Björn Larsson. The combination of these two professions has given the photo book an interesting point of view as the nature has been artificially put together and presented for the viewer with props from the nature and taxidermy animals. This dissolves the line between artificial and natural and makes the whole photo more dimensional. Part two - form The Book The size of the photo book Mitt i naturen is not a standard size with measurements 195 x 250 mm. The book starts with all the photos in a numbered order and after them in the end of the book comes the essays in a page numbered order. The layout is balanced; it varies with bleed and placing of the photos. If a photo doesn’t have bleed it is placed into the optical middle point, but the book contains whole spread horizontal pictures and standing pictures that are the size of an entire page.
38
The Pictures 1.
Spread sized picture of four trees and a moss grass in front of them. Only the lower part of the three trees is seen and the forth tree is a smaller spruce tree and shown fully in the left. The focus is on the moss grass and in the background is rock like grey unfocused two-‐dimensional wall. The main motives are the trees and they are placed in a line, which creates a stable composition. The branches of the third tree create a white graphic structure to the middle section of the picture, which breaks the stability of the tree composition. The perspective is not created with composition because it is so stable as told above, but with diminishing perspective as the focus is in front of the picture and the blurriness and unfocused background creates the depth into the picture. Even the colours help to enhance the perspective. The yellow moss in front is more dominant because of the warmth in the colour and with the grey and cold background the perspective is created. The picture is very calm and hardly with any contrast. The colours in the nature are muted and here the analogous colours taken from the same palette creates smooth and serene feel into the picture.
39
2.
The stork is placed in the middle of the picture and stands on a nest facing right. Around is branches coming from outside the picture and the background is two-‐dimensional wallpaper where is painted a grey silhouette of trees. A strong light ray is coming from the upper left corner across the picture into the little above the right lower corner. The picture is a size of a square. The placing of the main motive gives stability into the picture as it is placed exactly in to the middle of the canvas. It gives instant balance into the overall composition. The branches that come from outside the picture all point towards the direction of the stork and gives even more focus to it. The ray of light coming from the upper left corner also guides the eye towards the stork in the middle as it passer through it in the background. The perspective is created with the blurriness of the trees in the background and the focus in the stork and the trees around. This form of perspective is called diminishing perspective. But the most interesting part of this photograph is the background that is made of wallpaper. The seams of the wallpaper are clearly shown and it makes the whole photograph more two-‐dimensional. This kind of perspective creates contrast into the composition. Depending on if the viewer is looking into the seems of the wallpaper becomes the composition more two dimensional and it moves the whole surrounding into the indoors but if concentrated on the blurry trees in the background the viewer experience is outdoors and much more three dimensional.
40
3.
This photo is a close-‐up of a tree trunk in the middle of the photo. The tree trunk is very out of focused and instead the background of forest and other trees are in focus. In the upper right corner there is a nose of an elk that comes from the right and blends into the background. The main motives are firstly the large dominant tree trunk, but because it is out of focus and so blurry seeks the eye something else to look and the nose of the elk becomes the other main motive. As the tree trunk is placed in the middle can this make the photo dull, but as here the tree continues from the down and up into the outside of the photo it divides the picture into three. This gives the composition more interesting aspect. The perspective of the picture is firstly created with sharpness as the strong unfocused large tree trunk dominates the composition. It also is created with the other trees that are in the background. As the close-‐up of the tree trunk and the smaller trees in the background gives a lighter version of the diminishing perspective. With colour the perspective is created with light. The background is darker than the forest in front of and there fire creates the feel of depth into the photo. The colour overall is very analogous and makes everything blend to each other calmly as the colours are shades of brown, yellow, red and grey. The cropping of this image is very interesting as only the nose of the elk is shown in the upper right corner. It leaves the responsibility of noticing it to the viewer and only if the nose is noticed the viewer realises that there is something bigger inside the picture. Even the placing and the layout of the photo in the page
41
enhances this choice of cropping as with the bleed of the photo it looks like the elk continues outside the book. Part three - content The images are a mixture of prose images and poetic images. Many of them are very abstract, but the majority still tells a story about nature, like the bird catching a mouse. Even if all of the pictures are arranged they still portray life as it could be in nature. At the end of the book there is an essay made by Magnus Bärtås concerning all the techniques used in the book to create these photographic results. The text in the back also explains the different ways by which the human eye and different convention reads the images. It also covers people’s relationship with nature over the years and how people interpret it.
4.2.5. Pure Architecture by Åke E:son Lindman
This book was nominated for the SFF photo book price in 2010. 1. An image of a sculpture looking out over a city. 2. A graphical spread with two detailed pictures of a museum in Japan. 3. Night image of the Concert hall in Copenhagen. Part one - purpose Pure Architecture is a photographic compilation of architecture from all over the world. The book wants to highlight the beauty and complexity of architectural forms. Buildings and interior design is so much more than just function. It is design of forms and graphical elements coming together with nature to create both visually pleasing and timeless constructions. Pure Architecture celebrated the forms of building and the photographs are taken to enhance these elements, which sometimes makes the pictures feel more like abstract artworks than actual buildings. The photographer for the book, Åke E:son Lindman, has been specialising in architectural photography for the last 30 years, which gives him a an specially trained eye for this kind of motives. Part two - form (layout) The book Pure architecture is a large book, with measurements of 240x350 mm. This makes the book a bit large to have in a bookcase, it’s size and weight makes it much more suitable as a coffee-‐table book. The photographs in the books are placed in the order of when they were completed which also makes the book a journey in time, from the very first stone temples to modern designs made completely in glass. The chronological order of the photographs is a red thread through the book and gives a logical structure.
42
The pictures
1.
The image of the statue looking out over the countryside is one of the many images in Pure Architecture that have a lot of depth in them. First of all the image works on the principle of perspective that those objects that are closest to the camera are much sharper than those further way. This is seen very clearly with the statue being very sharp in the foreground while the landscape in the background is not in focus. This is also reinforced by the aerial attributes in the picture, the landscape in the far back is very misty and the beholder have no sharp horizon to look at. This further enhances the feeling of depth in the image. The composition of the image is symmetrical. The main motive in the image is placed at the centre of the picture which an equal amount of pillars around it. The image is also cropped so that the statue has very little air around it, guiding the beholder to its position. This together with the pictures centred placement on the spread makes the image feel very calm and very well balanced. The placement of the image isn’t ideal though. Although the centred placement enforces the balance of the image the main motives location in the middle of the spread means that is right on the fold of the book and this divides the image in two in a non-‐flattering way. Maybe the photographer and designer of the book ought consider the final result of the layout.
43
2.
This spread is made up by two black-‐and-‐white pictures of the Miho Museum in Japan. The image to the left is a symmetrical composition of an edge of the building opposite the top part of a tree. The contrast between the hard sharp edge of the building and the softness and round form of the tree creates a very dynamic contrast in this very symmetrical picture. The contrast between the man made building and the natural tree is further enhanced by the intensity of black in the building compared to the more grey tone of the tree. Furthermore the perspective used by the photographer is one of the most prominent effects in the image. The objects are shoot from an extreme below perspective that eliminates the line of horizon, which gives the beholder no sense of direction to relate the objects to. This together with the cropping and the placement of the elements gives the illusion that the tree is upside-‐down. The fact that the image has a complete white background with no elements in the background makes the image very flat with no depth. This together with the lack of colour makes the picture feel more like a design of forms than an actual photograph. The second picture is of the wall of the building. Just like in the other picture there is no clear line of horizon, the only thing the beholder can relate the building to is a tree that can be seen through the building. This makes it very hard to identify the height or size of the building. The building is also photographed straight on which makes it neither feel large or small. The thing
44
that contributes to making the building feel large is the cropping of the image. Because the beholder cannot see where the building ends it gives the illusion of the building very big. In accordance to the picture next to it the image also have a very even sharpness, except for the trees, which again takes away from the feeling of depth. The perspective therefore makes it very hard to distinguish that which is close to the camera and that which is not. All of these factors and effects contribute to the fact that most architecture is a design of forms and the ways these images are photographed enhances that. 3.
The picture of the DR Concert Hall in Copenhagen is the very last picture in the book and the facts that it is a night picture with very vivid colours makes it really stand out in a book with mostly black and whites pictures. The picture covers the right side of the spread and the only thing balancing the picture on the right page is a small informational text. This makes the spread very dynamic and despite the very cantered placement of the picture using the optical centre on the left page the spread as a whole have a well-‐made asymmetrical layout. The picture itself is very symmetrical. The main motive, the concert hall, is placed in the centre of the picture. Under the concert hall is a water reflection of the building creating an almost perfect mirror-‐image of the building. The horizon is despite common guidelines placed in the middle of the picture. Both these factors enhance the symmetry in the picture, but instead of becoming dull and monotonous the clear symmetry highlights the symmetry of the building.
45
The sharpness in the water reflection creates a very good symmetrical effect in the picture but the fact that all of the elements in the image are just as sharp reduces the depth in the picture and this makes the image a bit flat. But in a photo book like this were the forms and the graphical elements are very much in focus it doesn’t really hurt the image that it lacks in that department. Like written earlier this is one of few coloured photographs in Pure Architecture. This gives the image a very high contrast compared to the rest of the book and as the last image it really makes an impact and it makes it easy to remember. But the colour contrast in the picture itself is not as prominent. The building is made up by a very vivid blue colour but against the blue evening sky the contrast isn’t as high as it could have been. The biggest contrast is in the light of the picture. Since the majority of the image is a blue tone the yellow lights from the building and the streetlamps outside creates a high contrast and since the lights are placed at the bottom of the building it also helps with making the reflection of the Concert hall even more prominent. Part three - content The photographs in Pure Architecture are a mixture of different types of photographs. The images consist of mostly a mixture between poetic images and prose images. They are taken in way that focuses on the form and feeling of the building and not in making the as realistically as possible. In some photographs the beholder can hardly even see that the motive is a building but more a symphony of well composed forms. This makes the book more of an artistic compilation than a documentary one. The texts in the book are very minimalistic. It starts with a poem about architecture to give the reader a feeling of what the book is all about. In the middle of the book there is an interview with the photographer about the images being shown in the book. Regarding the images themselves there are only small texts informing what building is portrayed and were it is located.
46
5. Result
5.1. Conclusions of the genre analysis Even if the photo-‐book’s main purpose is to inform about something the pictures does not have to be factual. Most of them use prose images because it is easy to tell a story and this type of images does not need to contain people to do so. But even more important is the fact that not all of the pictures in one book need to be from the same category of pictures. Mixing these different type of images can make the photo-‐book more dynamic. In the analysed photo-‐books it is also clear that when showing different objects it is common not to show the entire object. Photographers often find the special details in every object and focuses on that. By zooming in on the details and cropping away that which is not as important the photographer can guide the beholder to those parts that have that little extra something. However if one still wants to show the object together with its surroundings different kind of principles can be used to enhance the main motive. For example using different focus points can be the way to go. By not leaving all of the elements sharp one can create both more depth in an image while at the same time guiding the beholder to those objects that ought to be looked at more closely. One thing that all of the photo books being analyzed have in common is their use of texts. In photo books the pictures often get to speak for themselves and texts are never placed directly on the picture or even on the same page or spread, except for page numbering. The reader seldom get an explanation of the picture, instead the interpretation is left to personal associations. The common convention seems to give the specific picture a number and then create a list of where the pictures are taken, when and what or whom they portray. Photo books as a genre is therefore not very informative in the conventional kind of way. Because even though they often concern very deep and controversial subjects they never do so with hard facts or statistics. Instead they inform by tapping in to the beholders emotions regarding the subject. Since the main purpose of a photo book is seldom to be informative in the way that an encyclopaedia is, they do not need to be as well structured or transparent as other types of books. Even though many of the photo books have some kind of logical structure they have little need to be easily navigated. The size of the photo books varies from large and thick to a small and square. Unlike in the theory part it is told that the size of a photo book is good to be big so that the photos can be illustrated in bigger size and proportion. But the size is not relevant; instead it is the purpose and the message given to the viewer. So only the sky is the limit when deciding the right format for a photo book. In photo books it tends to be only in the photos themselves where the colours can be spotted. The feel of the photo book is strongly affected by the use of the colours. If the aim is to make strong pictures with contrast, it is good to use the
47
combination of cold and warm colours. When placed beside a black and white picture this enhances the contrast. But if the aim is to build a feeling that is united and serene it is better to use colours that are analogous and muted. The use of black and white gives more graphic and abstract feel and therefore suits for photos of buildings and man made structures. One thing that the analysis has highlighted is that the designer of the book does not always consider the composition and placement of the motive in the image. In one image in particular the main motive was placed in the middle of the spread. Which meant that when producing the book the motive was divided in two and this affected the image in a bad way. This specific problem could have been avoided by using a true spread. So it is vital to consider the after-‐treatment of the book, and how the layout will look once printed.
5.2. Photo book concept As a result from the literature study and genre analysis the following concept was developed for Stångåstaden’s photo book.
5.2.1. General guidelines The main concept for Stångåstaden’s photo book is that it is meant to be placed on a coffee table for other people to see and browse. This gives the possibility to have a larger size for the photo book, when it is not needed to be placed into the book self. The size of the book shall be little less than an A3, 280x400 millimetres. This gives the possibility to display the photographs in a larger size and give more detailed pictures. The larger size can even enhance the feeling that the beholder himself is there looking the artwork. Furthermore by keeping to the A-‐series formats costs can be gained in the production of the book. General guidelines for the concept of the photo book are that every artwork deserves its space. The main concept for the layout is therefore that every artwork is going to have at least one spread to itself. The layout of the book will be very simplistic to not to take focus from the pictures. The pictures will all be in colour and not black and white because this best represents the artworks and gives the realistic aspect. Since many of the artworks are either plain grey stone or very colour rich by working with coloured pictures there can be created the best contrast in favour of the artworks. With the black and white pictures it would make the photos more abstract and the possibility to play with colours would disappear. Because all the pictures are in colour the pages will be all white to make the pictures stand out from the rest of the spread. Since typography is not a focus point of this report the texts in the concept spreads are not done or is an issue for the results of this report. However the texts will not be texts placed on top of the pictures. Neither will there be any texts on the same pages as the pictures, with exception for page numberings. Numbers will be placed on at least every other or every third spread, in order to make the numbering consistent and easy to find. The page numbers will also
48
work as reference numbers for the pictures, because in those cases where there is a full spread picture the informational text about the artwork will follow on the next spread. The texts in the photo book will be short and straight to the point. They will inform about the artworks name, artist, year, material and location. But when doing the research about the artworks was it discovered that some of the artworks have a really interesting and unique story behind them. So small quotation-‐like texts, which tell unique information, will be infused into the photo book on a few selected artworks. The pictures that are used to illustrate the concept are all taken from the test-‐shoot that was done in Linköping when scouting the different locations and conditions of the artworks. The pictures are not retouched to the finished result nor are they picked because they are the best-‐looking pictures of them all. They have been chosen because they best illustrate the concept that has been developed. Since the pictures are just taken from the scout trip some of them may need to be retaken with small adjustments or replaced by other pictures. To make the photo book dynamic the important thing is to create a good mix of the different concept-‐spreads. Furthermore it is important to use an appropriate format, different cropping and framing together with different angles to enhance each artwork. It is also important to use the different perspectives to create depth and make it easy for the beholder to identify the main motive in the picture. But no matter what cropping or other principle is used the most important part is variety in order to make every artwork justice and stand out. It is important to enhance the qualities and the uniqueness of each individual artwork with composition.
49
5.2.2. Concept 1 - Map for overview and division
With a headline of the district and a map of how the artwork is placed in the area is how every new chapter will start. This represent the area as a whole and the beholder can easily see how the artwork relates to one another. The map itself will be in black and white and the artwork in colour to make them stand out from the map and to create contrast into the map.
50
Concept 2 - Close-up for details
First of all we think it is important to show the details of the artwork that make them special. To do this one must sometimes crop some part of the artwork out in order to enhance other areas. On this artwork we wanted the beholder to not just see the shape of the artwork but the detailing on one of the sides. But to still get a feeling of the obelisk size, which is 7 meters, the image is shoot from below to strengthen this feeling as well as using a standing format in the picture. Furthermore the feeling if size is also reinforces further by letting the sun become almost hidden behind the artwork. The more warm red tone of the obelisk against the more cold blue background creates depth in the image, despite the fact that the beholder has no horizon as reference in the picture. Furthermore the outlines of the artwork also creates depth by using the linear perspective, because they come together the further they get from the camera. The picture will stand alone on the spread with only a small informational text to balance it out on the other page. By not having another picture new to it the picture of the obelisk becomes more important.
51
5.2.3. Concept 3 – Many pictures to show different sides
This spread wants to show that some artworks may need more room in order to make the whole artwork justice. It is sometimes hard to show everything in one artwork’s uniqueness with just one picture taken from one angle. So by using several pictures, or in this case two, we can showcase more of the artworks uniqueness. By using bleed on one of the pictures and having white margins on the other the spread becomes more dynamic and there is a clear division between the two. By having margins on one of the pages this also leaves room for page numbering without placing it on top of the picture. When doing compositions for sculptures with human-‐like features one can use the same principles as for living motives. For example the gaze of the statue is looking into the spread and the other picture instead of away from it. There is also more room in front of the sculpture instead of behind it, otherwise it can seem like it is leaving the picture. Depth is created in both of the pictures by leaving the main motive in the foreground sharp while the background is blurrier. Furthermore there is a great contrast in the picture between the artwork and its surroundings, because of the lack of colour in the statue it stands out against the very colourful background.
52
5.2.4. Concept 4 - Full site with specific purposes
This spread has a photograph of a whole sculpture called “kärlekspar” which in English means “couple in love”. The goal is to create photos that suits for the specific sculpture and enhances its qualities. In this picture the intimacy wanted to be captured at the same time as showing the whole sculpture. The blurry and unfocused tree trunk in front and the sculpture that is in focus further away creates depth and perspective into the photo. Even the colours create the depth into the picture as the warm brown is in the foreground and the blue sculpture and green grass is on the background. The contrast between the nature and the man made sculpture is present. The photo is taken from the eye level and with the blurry tree it feels like the couple is looked at from behind the tree, it gives more of a feeling that the couple is looked at without them knowing. The layout of the spread has been affected by the decision of not placing text on the photograph, but instead on a white background. But to make the layout little more interesting and asymmetrical the photo was placed over the middle line. The most important thing is that the main motive itself (in this case the sculpture) won’t drown into the waist of the book. This would mean that the most important information would be lost. The text is the fact information of the artwork and the artworks that has been presented before but in a spread without a white background and the space the text needs.
53
5.2.5. Concept 5 – Environmental image for relations
Sometimes the details of the artwork are not the most important part, sometimes stepping away from the motive in order to capture its surroundings can be much more effective. In this image, portraying the artwork named Embryo, the details of the artwork are left in the shadow in order to get a better felling of the environment the artwork is placed in. But the important part here is to balance the weight of environment and the artwork. Because even though it is important to show the environment the focus still needs to be on the artwork. Another thing that is in the advantage of using environmental images is that it gives the opportunity to show the artworks relationship to each other. Embryo is the first artwork in the group Alpha Omega, and in this composition one can see the second artwork, the couple in love in the background, letting the beholder know how they relate to one another. But when doing this it is important to clearly show which of the two is the main motive. Thanks to the use of perspective in this image there is no question that it is Embryo. Because of the placement of Embryo in the foreground of the picture it is much closer to the beholder, that gives Embryo the higher hierarchy both when is comes to size and sharpness. By leaving the other statue blurry it tells the beholder that the first statue is of most importance as well as creates more depth in the image. The composition of this image is also vital. Because when putting the image over the entire spread it is important that the main motive is not placed in the middle, which could damage it when looking at the final result. By not placing the motive
54
in the middle one also avoids making the picture monotonous and instead is becomes more dynamic, but the picture still has balance thanks to the artwork in the background.
5.3. Discussion & conclusions Already from the beginning we was unanimous to make a photo book. When the opportunity of Stångåstaden as a real client came up it was much easier to start the work and know better what was wanted to research in our thesis. The overall interest in photo books made it interesting to research the photo book genre as a whole and to see what is the typical design and composition decisions used in the books. The difficulty with the chosen method was that when we tried to find literature as a reference for how to do a genre analysis it was almost impossible to find clear consistent guidelines. This became a challenge and it took a lot of time and energy to find it, but in the end we did find literature and this gave us the opportunity to adapt this method specifically to our needs. It might have been easier if we had chosen a qualitative or quantitative method, but in the end genre analysis were a good choice for our specific thesis. The first difficulty was how to limit the theory part, because there is so much to write about and so much that we could have analysed. It was difficult to know which parts we really need to concentrate on and which ones need to be left outside the thesis. We had to think which principles are important for our product and what we want to underline and learn more about when analysing the photo books. The only decision that came easy about the design principles was to leave typography out, because right from the beginning we knew that the focus would be on the pictures. When doing the genre analysis not all of the principles written about in the theory part were used in every picture. When creating the model for analysis we could not make questions that referred to one specific principle, but it was important to find a good variety of pictures so that most of the principles could still be analysed. As many of the photo books wanted to impinge upon the beholders emotions it made it hard not to involve the emotions, personal values, associations and connotations into the genre analysis. But this was something that was carefully observed already from the beginning and during the whole process, to stay as objective as possible when analysing the chosen photo books. Still we sometimes used our emotions and personal connotations in the analysis, but because we did the analysis together we were able to keep track of each other and avoid this affecting to result. It was also a good idea to make a model of analysis so we knew what to look at. One drawback that may have hindered the report is the fact that neither of us has been writing in our native tongue. We deliberately made this decision because we both fell that we have enough knowledge about the English language to be able to make a good report. Had we chosen to write in Swedish instead it would not have worked for both of us. This may have resulted in the report not
55
being entirely academic when it comes to the writing. Furthermore it may have taken us a bit longer to finish and proofread the text, but by being thorough and with the help for a friend with very good English skills we are confident in the work we have put out. In excess of making this report with its literature study and the analysis we also had a lot of research to do about the artworks, because Stångåstaden did not know exactly what artworks they had. We needed to plan meetings and do reconnaissance on the artworks to find out their surroundings and their conditions. All of this work has taken a lot of time and that was not something that can be included in this report. So it has been a challenge to balance the additional work while at the same time doing the best analysis possible. When creating the concept for Stångåstaden we tired to take all of the aspects from the genre analysis under consideration. Thanks to the literature study and the genre analysis we weighed in a lot of aspects that we previously might not have thought of. Before this project the layout might have been seen as the most important part of the concept. However after doing this work the composition of the images and using different photographic principles has become the main focus and the layout is foremost there to enhance the pictures. One thing that could have made the whole thesis more cohesive would have been if the deadline for the photo book had been at the same time as the report. This could have made it clearer how to represent the concept by showing the whole end product. But the advantage of this was that we had more time to concentrate on the analysis and have a more thorough research and more solid base to work with the photo book. Now that we do not have the two parallel projects we can better concentrate on one thing at a time and lay focus to the small details in the photo book.
5.4. Continued Work As written in the demarcation it would have been a good idea to complement the genre analysis of photo books with an analysis of more informative books for example cook books. Since Stångåstaden’s photo book needs to be more transparent and structured than the average photo book analysing other type of books could have provided a different perspective. But because of the amount of work still to be made on the photo book this will probably not be implemented. Since budget has not been a focus-‐point for this report the concept has not been modified to be as cost efficient or luxurious as possible. The only aspect regarding budget has been the choice of format, which suits the A-‐series. So a future step in the development of this photo book will be to adapt the concept to three different budgets, one economic version, one luxury version and on in between, as requested by Stångåstaden. This means that we may have to adjust different aspects of the concept to fit specific budgets. When adapting for different budgets we also have to analyse the factors that affect cost, which for example can be the number of pages, choice of paper and binding. We will also need to contact different printers to receive quotations.
56
6. References Arvola, M., Lundberg, J., & Holmlid, S. (2010). Analysis of Precedent Designs: Competitive Analysis Meets Genre Analysis. InProceedings of the 6th NordicConference on Human-Computer Interaction (NordiCHI 2010), pp. 23-‐31. Reykjavik, Iceland, October 16 -‐ 20, 2010. New York, NY: ACM Press. http://www.ida.liu.se/~matar/genre-‐nordichi2010-‐final.pdf [2010-‐04-‐09] Bergström, Bo. (2007) Effektiv visuell kommunikation - Sjätte upplagan. Carlsson Bokförlag, Stockholm. Blomkvist, Johan (2007) Genreanalys som en del av designprocessen. Institutionen för datavetenskap vid Linköpings Universitet. Bryman, Alan. (2011) Samhällsvetenskapliga metoder - Uppl. 2. Liber AB, Malmö. Carrillo, Trinidad. (2008) Naini and the Sea of Wolves. Farewell Books, Göteborg. duChemin, David. (2009) Within the frame: The Journey of photographic vision. New riders, Berkley. Freeman, Michael. (2007) Med fotografens ögon : komposition och form för bättre digitala foton. The Ilex Press Limited, Lewes. Hochuli, Jost (1990). Att göra böcker – En introduktion till bokdesign i synnerhet boktypografi. Agfa Compugraphic, Wilmington. Klich, Kent & R, Beth. (2007) Picture Imperfect. Journal, Stockholm. Koblanck, Henriette. (2003) Typografi, bild och grafisk design. Gummerus printing, Jyväskylä. Larsson, Björn. (2006) Mitt i Naturen. Journal, Stockholm. Lindberg, Stefan F & Åberg, Lars. (2004) Fotografisk bild – 2 uppl. Daleke Grafiska AB, Malmö. Lindman, Åke E:son. (2010) Pure Architecture. Bokförlaget Arena, Malmö. Lupton, Ellen & Phillips, Jennifer Cole (2008). Graphic Design : The New Basics. Princeton Architectural Press, New York.
57
Modigh, Hannah. (2010) Hillbilly heroin, honey. Journal, Stockholm. McQuail, Denis. (2005) McQuail’s Mass communication theory - Fifth edition. Sage Publications, London. Orwig, Chris. (2010) Visual Poetry: A creative guide for making engaging digital photographs. New Riders, Berkley. Peterson, Bryan L. (2003) Design Basics for creative results. HOW design books, Cincinnati. SFF -‐ Svenska fotografers förbund. http://www.sfoto.se/svenska-‐fotobokspriset [2011-‐04-‐20] Stångåstaden -‐ Om oss http://www.stangastaden.se/omoss/omstangastaden/Pages/default.aspx [2011-‐04-‐10]