Perspectives

The Photobook in the 21st Century: The Rise of Design

with Christopher Johnson

Online registration for this program has closed. To check availability, find about about future dates, or if you would like further information, please call 505-983-1400 ext. 111. Also, get the SFW E-Newsletter for updates!

Sign-up for the Newsletter:

Course Description

The 20th century presented innovative ways to publish photobooks that feature darkroom photography and images reproduced from negatives. But the rise—and perseverance—of digital photography in the 21st century meant that new principles were needed. The result? Photobooks produced not by photographers but by designers. Trails were blazed and new standards set by innovative book designers such as Hans Gremmen, Ania Nałęcka-Milach, and SYB, among many others.

In this workshop Christopher Johnson discusses why, exactly, design is all-important—and why it’s crucial, when creating your own photobook, to work with a dextrous designer possessing knowledge specific to the field. He discusses a handful of award-winning books, investigating the qualities that make them timeless, not only in discourse specific to photobooks but in that of literature as a whole.

Are good images enough? Does text add to or distract from a photobook? Why are fonts important? How does a successful book flow? In answering these questions, Christopher leads participants through crucial design principles, some age-old, some unique to our time. Finally, drawing on his vast experience with reflexive dialogue, he concludes the workshop with a Q&A.

In a world populated by an ever-increasing number of publications, it’s design that makes a photobook truly stand out. Join Christopher and discover the principles needed to achieve exactly that.

Additional Information

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
All are welcome
Policies:

View Withdrawal and Transfer Policies for online programs.

Categories
One-of-a-Kind
© Tommy Geanakos
about
Christopher Johnson

Christopher Johnson is the manager of the Santa Fe’s photo-eye  Bookstore, where he personally selects the 22-24 books a week that the shop promotes through its daily newsletters. Christopher has been in the book trade for more than 16 years and has written about photobooks since 2011. Since 2016 he has lectured on the topic of the photobook in university and alternative educational formats; he also provides photobook oversight to a variety of museums and libraries throughout the United States. The author of the poetry book &luckier, Christopher co-authored the storyline for the Santa Fe Meow Wolf exhibition “The House of Eternal Return.”

Website: photoeye.com

Instagram: @photoeyebooks

You May Also Like

Efficient Editing and Workflow with Cloud-Based Lightroom

with Pei Ketron

October 24 and 26, 2023

Lighting the Editorial Portrait

with Andrew Eccles

October 12 – 15, 2023

The Business of Fine-Art Photography

with Thomas Werner

September 18 – October 5, 2023

Finding Your Photographic Style

with Mari Howells

August 31 – September 28, 2023

Visual Storytelling: The Anatomy of a Pitch

with Alana Celii

October 7, 2023

From A to Zine: A Supermassive Four-Hour Photo Zine Crash Course

with Jeff Phillips

October 21, 2023

Portraits of Self: The Untold Story of You

with Leanne Trivett S.

November 8 – December 13, 2023

Act II: The Theater of Botanicals

with Leanne Trivett S.

September 11 – 28, 2023

The Art of Finding Light

with April Milani

July 27 – August 14, 2023

The Art of the Conceptual Portrait

with Adrien Broom

September 26 and 28, 2023

In Nature’s Embrace

with Xuan-Hui Ng

September 20 – October 4, 2023

Field Guide for Emerging Documentary and Fine-Art Photographers

with Amber Terranova

August 19, 2023