186 ☼ Curating Books, Zines, and a Party (You’re Invited)
+ $250 GIVEAWAY w/ Moment + free beer
Dear friends,
This week’s issue is a little different— a look at some of the curatorial work I’ve been doing behind the scenes lately, including helping:
📖 Shape a new photo book by Guy Pinhas
📷 Edit and pitch a major long-term, multi-platform project and book with Pie Aerts
📚 As a second pair of eyes as Craig Mod preps his next photo book
📰 Curate The Good Word art newspaper for Preacher
Speaking of that last one, as a reader of Process you’re invited to the big release party for The Good Word zine at Oedipus Brewery on April 3rd in Amsterdam.
It’s free, but RSVP is required → RSVP here
There’ll be food, drinks, performances—and everyone who comes gets free copies of The Good Word and the limited edition preview zine for my Creatives In/AMS project.
Oh and at the very end of this week’s issue, don’t miss the $250 Moment x Process Giveaway.
Why I Love Curating, and What That Looks Like Lately
If you're new to Process and wondering what a photo curator actually does, I broke it down in detail back in Process 084. But in short:
a curator helps shape and present photographic work in a way that honors the artist’s voice while guiding the viewer through the work in a meaningful way.
Over the years, I’ve had the honor of curating 96 exhibitions for the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York City, highlighting the work of over 300 photographers from more than 50 countries. I’ve also worked one-on-one with many photographers—sometimes formally, sometimes informally—to help shape books, shows, or even pitches.
And I really love doing this work.
Curating is a quiet collaboration. It's about helping someone find a narrative in their own work that they may not have seen, even though they lived it. That outside perspective can bring clarity, and the process itself can be deeply intimate and meaningful. When a project we've worked on together gets noticed or picked up or published—it’s just the best feeling. Quietly being part of that is incredibly satisfying.
Here are a few recent projects I’ve had the privilege to work on.
The Good Word at SXSW and in Amsterdam 🎉
Let’s start with the most recent one, because you’re invited to the party!
Earlier this month, the Texas-based creative agency Preacher launched their annual The Good Word magazine at SXSW. This year, for the first time, they added a second edition focused on the Amsterdam creative scene and I was invited to curate it.
I worked closely with the Preacher team to select 19 brilliant Amsterdam-based artists: photographers, painters, sculptors, and more. Their gorgeous work gets featured across multiple spreads in a beautiful, oversized, full-color magazine that celebrates this city’s creative energy.
Also included is a limited edition preview zine for my long-term project Creatives In/AMS, including nine mini photo essays documenting Amsterdam-based creatives and their workspaces. While The Good Word spotlights the art being made, Creatives In/AMS shows the people and places behind it.
Don’t miss out on the party last this week. It’s going to be amazing. (RSVP here.)
Pie Aerts and the Vanishing Gauchos of Chile
For the past year, I’ve worked with my friend Pie Aerts on his incredible long-term project Los Puesteros, documenting the disappearing gaucho culture of Chile.
We started with a massive archive of images and worked together to hone it down for submissions, grant applications, and book pitches. As a result, Pie was selected for the Chico Review in Montana and awarded a merit scholarship as one of the top 6 applicants out of hundreds. Huge deal and well-deserved.
We also started conversations with several amazing photo book publishers, and in the end made a choice I can get fully behind. Pie just returned from London where he finalized the book sequence with publisher GOST, and it’s scheduled for release in 2026. So proud of this one. The visual story is strong, but the emotional weight behind it is what really moves me. Can’t wait for you to see it come to life.
Follow along with Pie’s next steps on his substack: .
Guy Pinhas’ New Book 37000
Another recent favorite was working with friend Guy Pinhas on his beautiful book 37000. It’s a raw, high-contrast black-and-white body of work shot on a Leica M4 with a 21mm lens, in the French town where his mother lives. The film stocks were a mix of whatever was around, pushed to the limit. The results are bold, beautiful, personal, nearly abstract at times, and moving.
We sequenced the book together, I wrote the foreword, and the work was also exhibited at WIHH Gallery as part of Process Projected. The book was designed by James Hensby, printed at Robstolk, and will be available soon.
Follow Guy here to learn more about this and future books: @6uypinhas
Craig Mod’s New Book(s)
In 2023, my friend Craig Mod self-published a fine art edition of Things Become Other Things, a hybrid of memoir and photography. I supported him on that project with some image selection and sequencing advice.
Now, a completely new and expanded edition is being published by Penguin Random House this May, with a stronger focus on the written story and a much wider release.
At the same time, Craig is speed-running a companion photo book from his Japan walks, titled Other Thing. Last week, we reviewed a few hundred images together, and I offered input on the emerging narrative and what might work well for the opening, closing, and cover. Always a pleasure working with Craig — thoughtful, sharp, and decisive.
Follow along at craigmod.com and get notified about the Other Thing preorder here.
Why I Love This Work
There’s nothing quite like helping someone find the through-line in their work. As a photographer, it’s incredibly hard to see your own patterns and threads from the inside, but they’re often already there, waiting to be revealed.
I love that moment when something clicks.
I love the mutual trust and creative energy.
I love celebrating great work by people I believe in.
And I’m really grateful to get to do this.
Whether it's a zine, a book, a pitch, or a massive archive, if you’re looking for help creating something special, feel free to reach out.
Know someone who’d appreciate this newsletter? Pass it along.
Don’t forget to RSVP for next week’s release party!
Let’s keep shooting, learning, and sharing together—one messy, human step at a time.
Warmly,
Wesley
NEXT WEEK: An essay I wrote after realizing that hard bop, abstract painters, and 90s rap were all connected in my collage of influences. Never knew, but somehow, it all makes sense now.
This Week’s Gear and Lab
Camera: Canon EOS R5 and the Canon RF 24-70 mm f/2.8 L IS USM and the Samyang MF 85mm f/1.4 RF manual focus lens.
ICYMI: my thoughts on Canon EOS R5 camera can be found in Process 173.
Shout out to MPB.com, my go-to for buying and selling used gear—they’re fantastic. Easy, fast, and everything comes with a 6-month warranty/
Lab: My film is processed and scanned by Carmencita Film Lab, whose care and consistency I fully trust. They’re the best as a lab and as humans. Use code “PROCESS” at checkout for a free upgrade on your next order.
Process x Moment Giveaway
My friends at Moment are back with another generous giveaway! One lucky Process subscriber will win a $250 gift card to buy film, lenses, accessories, and more.
To Enter: Answer this week’s question in the comments:
Q: Have you ever looked back at your own photos and noticed a theme you didn’t see at the time you were taking the photos?
Make your answer specific and personal—it’s always great to see what inspires you. For me, the answer is the basically the entire story of how my book NOTICE came about, in Vancouver, when circumstances led to an entirely new way of bringing stillness into my work.
Here is a random photo of me in Tuscany last summer. I hope to go back this year and discover what story my Italian work ends up telling.
Deadline: Submit your answer before 11 a.m. EST on March 6th. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced in an upcoming issue.
This giveaway is for all Process subscribers, free or paid—thank you for being here!
Support My Work and Elevate Yours
Enjoying Process? Support it by picking up a book or joining the Process Photo Club.
Process Workbook Volume One & Two: Creative prompts and assignments designed to get you out of your head and into action with your camera.
€8.99 each (free for Process Photo Club members)
NOTICE Journal, Volume One: A fresh perspective on beauty and rebirth, shot in Amsterdam.
€40 (or €20 for Process Photo Club members)
📚 Order here and you help keep Process accessible to all.
🗃️ Browse the Process Archives for back issues.
📜 Read the Process Manifesto.
Last summer I spent 2 months in Edinburgh and I spent most of my free time taking photos around the city. At the time I was just documenting whatever I found interesting at but as I looked back through I started to realise that a lot of my favourite images had a feeling as though they could have been taken any time in the last 50 years. I started to realise that timelessness is something I really like but often with subtle hints to the current period of time: people’s clothing, phones and the environment I’m hoping they’ll feel completely different in 30 years time.
I finally get to this and Notice the deadline is March 6...and I received it March 30th... Time is a funny thing...
I recently did a collage where the center was empty which reminded me of a photo that I've mentioned here before. In the photo I'm outlined in the beautiful colors of the stained class of a Norman church. I hadn't realized that I've taken many photos where I'm outlined or reflected somehow.
Self portraits, really, and I hadn't paid attention. Now I am and I wonder about the message to myself that it's taken time to see.