Process

Hi friends, First, thank you. The response to the preorder has been lovely and I do not take it lightly. The Special Edition nearly sold out in the first few days. Only three copies are left. If you want that print, I would not wait, because at this rate they will be gone soon. You can grab one here. Here is one of my favorite spreads from the book: A two-page spread from NOTICE Journal Vol 2 There are still plenty of Standard copies, but if you have been meaning to order, this is the week.

Dear friends, Last summer I spent two weeks in Ukraine with my partner’s extended family. I sat at kitchen tables, helped out in the yard, and walked dusty roads in tiny villages and busy streets in Kyiv and other cities. I brought my camera, with no plans to take pictures of the war. War photography is extremely important and I have deep respect for the brave people who do it, but that wasn’t why I was in Ukraine. I was there to support and meet family.

Dear friends, This week, we go over steps 4, 5 and 6 of the book making process, including my favorite: making a photo book dummy! It’s when we move from laying test print out on a table, to turning prints into a book-like object so we can feel how things work truly work together (or not!). Also in this issue: the COVER REVEAL of Volume Two, and very special news about next Sunday.

Dear friends, A few months ago, I wrote the entire second season of my comedic video series, The Chain. All of it. Done. Then one night an idea showed up. A clever way to simplify the story, always my goal, and also the shooting schedule. It would make the whole thing cleaner and more itself. I knew this would mean throwing out the finished script for an entire season and starting from scratch. The first version worked, the actors liked it, and we could have shot it.

Dear friends, First, the giveaway. The signed copy of Richard Avedon’s In the American West goes to Jop Verheijen! The sponsor prizes go to Yannick Schutz (30 rolls of film!), Emily Passino (The Sun subscription), Kathleen McCall (Moment package!), and Corinne (Hotshoe!). Congratulations, and thank you to everyone who left an answer.

Dear friends, I had planned to share Step 3 of the book-making process this week, the part where we sequence the images we’ve selected. But in the spirit of making a book in public, I have to keep it real and tell you the selection is taking longer than planned. I’m currently in the south of France, continuing the process on this perfect desk. It taking longer is a good problem, and it’s two-fold. One, I have so many images I love from this body of work.

Before we start, thank you for the many wonderful answers you left on issue 250. I have loved reading them. That giveaway is open for one more week: my signed first edition of Richard Avedon's In the American West, along with goodies from friends like Harman/Ilford, Moment, Kodak, and more. Enter here before it closes. Dear friends, Today I will talk about one of the least glamorous and most important parts of making a photo book or zine: Step 2 —Choosing which images stay and which ones go.

Dear friends, I have sent out a Process letter for two hundred and fifty Sundays. I still can’t quite believe it! To celebrate the occasion, I’m giving away a book that has lived on my shelf for the better part of ten years. Not just a book, but the book. My copy of Richard Avedon’s In the American West. It’s a first edition, first printing, signed by Avedon himself. For me, it’s the holy grail.

I've pushed the next step of the book-making series back two weeks. One of my favorite creative people died, and this issue poured out of me the day I heard. So we'll get back to the book soon. Let’s start off with a quote. That’s a quote from Dutch artist Wim T. Schippers I came across it in a short video the Stedelijk Museum made about him. I’ve bookmarked it to go back to, as a reminder that this is what photography is. In one sentence.

Dear friends, I’ve been looking forward to this so much! This week we start the real work of making a photo book or zine, with Step 1 from Process Workbook Vol. 5. Over the course of the next few months, I will take you along with every step of the process, as if you’re sitting right beside me in my studio as we create my next photo book: NOTICE Journal, Vol. 2.