Thanks Don! Appreciate your reading and letting me know, always! And true, there is some overlap there, but I will tell you that in my experience GREAT designers seem to be head and shoulders above any photographer when it comes to design. And vice versa of course. And then there's people like Dan Rubin who are just fantastic at both.
You are generous in your knowledge share. I agree with you on the reason for Eggleston's layout of one image per fold-out. I think. I have only my gut to go on this, I have read nothing of his process. But it seems that in his subject choices, which as you point are our "everyday" (i.e., not extraordinary), he wants us to stop and perceive the full composition: the angles, the colors, perspective. Don't split your mind with two, three or four images; slow down, stop, and look only at this single frame. Then move on. Compared to how I reacted to your Notice layout, image-facing-image, my first thought is to ask why these two are chosen to be together? I don't first think about either photo in isolation; I first consider the dual placement, and only then am I able to stop to consider one image at a time. Eggleston wanted us to consider only that one image, for as long as it took us. That's my three-penny-plus-tax take.
Oh boy, placing the image in different places on the page... I'll be using that in my next photobook. I learn something new with every installment of this series.
Another great post.
I do think photographers can be good designers.
They work with frames, edges, white space, leading lines, color design... a lot of the same things that designers work with.
Typography needs to be studied a bit, of course.
The book is coming along nicely.
Love this series.
Thanks Don! Appreciate your reading and letting me know, always! And true, there is some overlap there, but I will tell you that in my experience GREAT designers seem to be head and shoulders above any photographer when it comes to design. And vice versa of course. And then there's people like Dan Rubin who are just fantastic at both.
Superb advice and post.
Thank you :)
You are generous in your knowledge share. I agree with you on the reason for Eggleston's layout of one image per fold-out. I think. I have only my gut to go on this, I have read nothing of his process. But it seems that in his subject choices, which as you point are our "everyday" (i.e., not extraordinary), he wants us to stop and perceive the full composition: the angles, the colors, perspective. Don't split your mind with two, three or four images; slow down, stop, and look only at this single frame. Then move on. Compared to how I reacted to your Notice layout, image-facing-image, my first thought is to ask why these two are chosen to be together? I don't first think about either photo in isolation; I first consider the dual placement, and only then am I able to stop to consider one image at a time. Eggleston wanted us to consider only that one image, for as long as it took us. That's my three-penny-plus-tax take.
I dig this take! And you are definitely right about our intentions with NOTICE there.
Oh boy, placing the image in different places on the page... I'll be using that in my next photobook. I learn something new with every installment of this series.
:)