Dear friends,
This week's letter was supposed to be a rundown of all the tools I use for my studio and office work, but so much happened that I’m excited to share instead: updates on "NOTICE Journal, Volume One", my work featured in three magazines, and today’s Process Photo Walk in Berlin.
If you are new here and not yet a subscriber to Process click below. The free version is published every Sunday and if you become a paying member there are tons of perks as a bonus for helping support me to keep Process going. <3
🏠 Personal Life Update: I just found out I need to find a new home in Amsterdam because my landlord is selling the building. Amsterdam is one of the toughest places to find an apartment. If you have any leads, let me know. If your lead results in a new apartment, you’ll get a free yearly membership to the Process Photo Club, a copy of the very limited deluxe edition of the first printing of "NOTICE", and a fancy meal for two.
🔎 And before we get into the issue, just a note that it has been so much fun to read your entries in last week’s Excire Giveaway. Super creative search words. I can’t wait to see what the winning entry will be and which image it will pull from my archives. You can continue to add more search words in the comment section for another week.
Process Photo Walk European Tour
I'm excited to take Process on the road this summer and fall with photo walks in Amsterdam (Sept. 15, RSVP), Madrid (Oct. 6, RSVP), Paris (Nov. 10, RSVP), and London (Nov. 16, RSVP). But yesterday, it was Berlin’s turn!
It was an incredible day with 90 photography enthusiasts, along with my friends from Safelight and Filmriss, for the biggest Process Photo Walk in history. For the first time, there with two creatively challenges for everyone, à la the Process Work Book:
These were created by my friend Max of Filmriss fame. We will be collecting everyone’s photos soon and we’ll award some cool prizes courtesy of Safelight. I can't wait to share all the details with you. Here’s the route we took.
At the end of our walk we made our way to an amazing beer garten where I took everyone’s diptych portrait with their favorite camera, and finally we made it to an amazing dive/cocktail bar to celebrate our day together. What a day!
Join us in Amsterdam, Madrid, London, or Paris in September, October, and November!
New Work In Print
There are a few opportunities to see my work in print right now. I'm thrilled that one of my favorite images of Lara Ricote was featured on the cover of the Edinburgh Fringe Fest Festival Guide. See Process 124 for the behind-the-scenes of that shoot.
Additionally, I’m excited that one of the photos from my upcoming book, "Notice Journal Volume One", is on the back cover of the September issue of "The Sun", an “independent, ad-free magazine that has been evoking the splendor and heartache of being human for over fifty years”. With more than 60,000 subscribers, it’s an honor to be included, and an interview is coming soon as well. I highly recommend subscribing to "The Sun". It’s completely ad-free, fully reader-supported, and well-curated.
Finally, I'm excited to have a body of work I photographed in Tuscany featured in the upcoming 8th issue of G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture’s "Imprint", a Mumbai-based publication. This issue centers on photographic explorations of the themes of pause, collect, and sustain—an ideal match for the work I created during my first real vacation in years.
Additional Reading: In Process 112, I share insights on the most effective way to pitch your work to a newspaper editor. Much of this goes for print magazines too.
NOTICE Journal Volume One — Update
After a few small delays, I'm back to full steam ahead with my upcoming photo book, "NOTICE Journal, Volume One — the shadows will be behind you if you walk into the light", or "NJV1". In a recent design meeting with my friend Dan Rubin, I had a breakthrough regarding the cover design and various exterior details of the book. Originally, I was set to work with one of my favorite designers in the world, but she had to step away due to unforeseen circumstances. This setback led us to rethink the design from scratch.
I've been diving deep into the Amsterdam School of Design and De Stijl—two influential design movements from the first half of the 20th century—and during our conversation, it clicked: the cover design should draw from these movements. The book features photographs taken in Amsterdam, many highlighting the city's design elements, so it all came together naturally. Right now, I’m in the sketch phase for cover ideas, keeping these influences in mind.
Although the design is still being finalized, we've already selected the cover material, paper style, and base color. The color, called "celeste," is a textured light blue that perfectly hints at the sky during a brisk spring day, the season during which all the photos were taken. The paper, made by the iconic Italian manufacturer Fedrigoni, is absolutely gorgeous and feel so nice in hand.
Above, you can see a preview in the screenshot from my recent Zoom session with Dan—though disregard the design elements as they’re still very much evolving. We've also started laying out the text, including the essay and recipe that will be featured. Check out the screenshot below to see our progress.
One of my favorite features of "NOTICE" was the beautifully illustrated map of the Vancouver neighborhood where all the photos in the book were taken, created by my friend and former studiomate Jeffrey Phillips. See below.
I'm thrilled that Jeff is back to create a similar map for "NOTICE Journal, Volume One". Below, you'll see the first step in his process—a screenshot I took of Google Maps, where I roughly sketched the boundaries within which all the photographs in "NJV1" were captured. Jeff's work process is fascinating and fun, and I'll be sharing it in full in a future issue.
The next six weeks are crucial as we hope to wrap everything up. I’ll keep sharing updates as we go, and in the meantime, you can catch up on the earlier steps of making this photo book below.
Step 1 ☼ Finding The Right Concept to Build a Book Around
Step 2 ☼ How To Select and Organize Your Images
Step 3 ☼ How To Sequence Your Images and Build a Narrative
Step 4 ☼ Designing A Layout (As A Non-Designer)
Step 5 + 6 ☼ How To Make A Photo Book Dummy + Revise/Edit
Step 7 ☼ How To Write and Use Text In Your Photo Book or Zine
Step 8 ☼ How To Make Smart Design Choices For Your Photo Book
If you enjoyed this issue, consider joining the Process Photo Club. Your membership supports Process and comes with perks like a 100% discount on the newly released "Process Work Book", featuring 30+ assignments and prompts to help you become a better photographer. Also, a 50% discount on the coming "NJV1". There's much more included—learn more here or upgrade your membership below.
Next Issue: The tools issue! What software do I use? What do I use in my office/studio? All of it, next week.
Keep shooting and take good care of yourselves and others. <3
Wesley
PS Support Process by ordering my photo book NOTICE and the new Process Work Book, filled with assignments and prompts.
Gear & Tools Used
Camera: Canon 5D Mark IV, Olympus Pen-F, iPhone.
Film Stocks: Double X.
Shout out to MPB.com, my go-to place to buy, sell, and trade used cameras and lenses. I love their service and am a paying customer. MPB caters to over 625,000 visual storytellers and provides a 6-month warranty. Thanks for the support, MPB! <3
Lab: All my analog work is developed and scanned by my friends at Carmencita Film Lab. They’re my favorite lab in the world. Use code “PROCESS” to get a free upgrade.
Can’t get enough Process? Browse the Process Archives.
Follow me on Instagram
My cloned version will be at one of those walks for sure! Good luck with the flat search, Wesley.
Wesley I just saw you in Feature Shoot! A great article! In addition to being in print you have another online article, congratulations 🎉🎊 Well deserved 😊