Thirteenth and final photobook

I went in today with the mindset of making the final photobook, but the initial book didn't turn out well, due to how I creased the pages; as I was advised not to cut the images beforehand by a member of staff at the printers, I tried to measure the actual book and find the middle point, so it was completely central. Yet it was difficult after making multiple attempts finding the crease, because the machine was in the way; therefore I had to guess where the middle was, and once the book was bound the creases were too noticeable.

However, this gave me an opportunity to change certain aspects of the book: for instance, the abstract image was flipped as I wanted it to coincide with the layout, since it is going from dark to light, ascending to something hopeful and optimistic, which is reflected in its layout.

And I've refined the text, by not making it too obvious with spacing "me" and "I", in addition to removing anything relating to displacement; I wanted the viewer to be able to get the message without having to spell it out for them.

Once the images were printed, I decided to simply crease all the pages the same, to make it easier for myself. But once the book was made and I was cutting it to size, one side of the book was smaller than the other; this bothered me as I wanted the book to look professional and symmetrical, but I can explain it away since it lends itself to the rough and handmade aesthetic of the project. I simply hope I won't be penalised because of the book, as if I had more time I would make another book and perfect it.

Eleventh and twelfth dummy book, and exhibition wall prints

In response to feedback given by Stella in our last meeting, I've changed the final image to an abstract image, and made it eye level to the image on the previous page; this conveys the impression that my younger self is staring off into nothingness, ending the book on a more ambiguous note.

Looking off into a grey void

Another aspect I have changed is the abstract image, by simply turning it around, in order to reflect the tones of the image next to it, as it goes from dark to light.

Also, I've added another name, Mario, to the text after being reminded of being called that in the past, and clarified the overall text further by including the feeling of displacement.

I decided to make two books as I had planned on one of them being used for the exhibition, and the other as a spare for myself. I wanted the crease to be consistent throughout the book, compared to my last dummy book where some images went across the page; but, despite trying my best to align the pages and take into account the white space around the images, both books didn't come out well. This was especially the case when I cut them down to size, wherein one was wonky and the other was cut too short on one side, as shown here.

For the exhibition, I have made the conceptual image A2 and blurred it, so it doesn't look too pixelated when made larger; it also links with blurring transition between past, present and future, as well as capturing something as intangible as memory. Furthermore- I have printed out images I've used in my last exhibition plan and other images, in case I plan on using these images for my wall.

Despite being disappointed with the finished books, in order for this not to happen again, I will cut the white space around the pages, so it is accurate when creasing the pages and stapling it. This should hopefully result in the creation of the final photobook that looks much more polished. 

Exhibition Plan - Continued

As I wanted to visualise what the exhibition wall would be like in person, I experimented by placing images on a big surface area, and changed the arrangement and added images each time; I felt some images repeated themselves and I wanted to see if I could refine it further.

Refining the plan each time, with the bottom image being the chosen exhibition design

Doing this has allowed the design of the exhibition to be refined by creating it in person, as oppose to composing it digitally, when its difficult to take into account image sizes and relations between other photographs.

As a result, I plan on using the last design pictured here, since it eliminates images that repeat themselves when grouped together; however, given how I am planning to mount the images, I can always alternate between different exhibition designs.