Unless you will

Simon Harsent, Issue 21.

Roger Ballen, Issue 12.

Unless you will is an online journal curated and founded by Australian photographer Heidi Romano.
At the moment there are 22 PDF issues for free download, the first one from November 2009 and the latest one published this month. Each issue is a bit like a group show, showing a project from a limited number of photographers.

Apart from good design the editing is very impressive, showing great photography from all over the world, both from emerging talents and established photographers. So if you haven't already had a look, UYW is definitely worth one. Also make sure to visit the blog.

MACK Catalogue

The images above are iPad (iBooks) screen grabs.

"MACK is an independent publishing house focusing on working with artists, writers and curators to realise intellectually challenging projects in book form."  MACK

Check out MACK's beautiful new book catalogue. It's a free PDF which you can download here.

The physical photo book is also digital

This blog is about digital photo books, but I like the physical books just as much. The physical photo book live as much online, if not more, than they do in peoples homes. There are photo book review sites, tons of photographs and videos showcasing them, libraries, work in progress, crowdfunding to get them made, discussions, online shops and auctions etc.
Below are some great websites and blogs covering the subject in different ways. I know, I probably forgot about a thousand other sites.

Claxton Projects

"The Claxton Projects website is a curated selection of contemporary and vintage photography books from the Claxton Projects library. This archive includes books by some of photography’s most distinguished, imaginative and inventive artists and is intended to provide an introduction to new collectors, whilst highlighting the occasional overlooked title to the more seasoned photography book enthusiast. Above all else, Claxton Projects is a celebration of great photography books and the wonderful images within."

Indie Photobook Library

"Founded by Larissa Leclair in 2010, the Indie Photobook Library is an archive of self-published and indie published photobooks. This includes DIY, photobooks independently published and distributed, photography exhibition catalogs, print-on-demand photobooks, artist books, zines, photobooks printed on newsprint, limited edition photobooks, and non-English language photography books, etc. The iPL promotes and showcases the books in the collection through international pop-up and feature-length exhibitions, articles, conferences, guest lectures, and also preserves them as a non-circulating public library."

One year of books

"We are husband and wife, living in Paris. This blog shows our growing book collection."

Self Publish, Be Happy

"Self Publish, Be Happy is an organisation founded by Bruno Ceschel in 2010 with the aim of celebrating, studying and promoting self-published photo books through events (such as exhibitions, displays and talks), publications and online exposure. Self Publish, Be Happy also organises workshops that help artists and photographers make and publish their own books."

The PhotoBook

"I write reviews and commentaries about photographic books, aka PhotoBooks. The photobooks that are of interest to me are contemporary investigations that cover a broad range of photographic projects, series and monographic subjects. I will occasionally provide news about photographic book publishing and photobook events. My book reviews are provided on a totally random frequency."

The Photobook Club

"The Photobook Club aims to promote and enable discussion surrounding the photo book format. In particular looking at old, rare and influential photography books from the 20th century onwards.

Each month the Photobook Club will look at one photography book worthy of discussion not only by us at the Photobook Club but anyone who would like to write blog posts, comment through tweets and generally add 2 cents."

As it is again by JoAnn Verburg

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

"AS IT IS AGAIN is a new artwork in a new format made specifically as a free application for the iPad by internationally renowned photographer JoAnn Verburg.

Artists have historically taken advantage of technological innovations, whether it is oil paint or film with sound, and exploited the medium to communicate in the language of art. JoAnn Verburg is no newcomer to trailblazing; as a pioneering photographer of her generation, Verberg employs an array of formats and styles to examine what Museum of Modern Art curator Susan Kismaric calls “Verburg’s ultimate subject: the creation of nontheatrical space that functions as a threshold of experience.”

For this new project and new medium, Verburg cuts open fresh territory, constructing a method and a format that have yet to be fully explored. While she continues her trademark use of selective focus and multiple frames to emphasize photography’s relationship to time, she does so in an imaginative and stylistic way that can only be experienced on an iPad. 

While the format of this project is very new, the images capture an old subject matter. Verburg presents the blossoming of almond trees in Italy after a long winter. Depicting the glacially paced transition between seasons, the images reveal the idea, as the artist says, “...things--even things that seem permanent-- change. That even in impermanence and loss beauty exists.” "  Location Books

Format: App compatible with iPad only.

Price: Free

Links: iTunes and Location Books

Comment: This is a very minimalistic book, basically only containing vertical photographs filling the whole screen. The design is minimal, but not a lot more is needed. 

The photos of blossoming almond trees shot in selective focus offer a relaxing and almost meditative experience, as you flip through this book. It's obvious that it was made as a digital experience, because it works very well on the screen. You wouldn't have gotten the same experience of light, 3D and pacing with a physical book. 

RATING:

Content: 17/20

Design: 12/15

Value: 5/5

TOTAL: 34/40

Norreport Station by Klaus Holsting

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

"Nørreport is Denmark's only true underground station and the doorstep to the city.

Through almost 4 years, photographer Klaus Holsting documented Copenhagen's unnoticed inferno, day and night, summer and winter, before the city's main transport hub now changes forever.

The pictures can be experienced in the book Nørreport Station - which you can get a taste of, in this mobile/tablet application.

The application displays some of Klaus Holstings fantastic pictures in a minimalistic and intuitive gallery, but also adds a little extra to the experience, by featuring an essay written and read by Søren Ulrik Thomsen. Go check it out for yourself at Norreport Station."  Michael Vestergaard

Format: App compatible with iPad, iPhone and Android.

Price: Free

Links: iTunes, Google Play and I like to play

Comment: This is an app in Danish only so it won't be rated. It doesn't contain a lot of photos, and as the publisher says, is a way to get a taste of the book Nørreport Station. A great thing about this app is that it's compatible with Android as well, making it available for more than only Apple users. 

Where E-Books and Photobooks Meet by Greg Albers

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

Greg Albers of Hol Art Books recently gave a talk about digital photobook publishing at the Phoenix Art Museum, where he mentioned The Digital Photobook. He also produced an interesting ebook version of the talk. Above are some screen grabs from the ebook and below are some extracts from the Hol Art Books blog. Read the whole post and download the ebook for free here.

"Where E-Books and Photobooks Meet is a talk I recently gave at the Phoenix Art Museum. It was organized by the museum's very active In Focus, photography patrons group, and is a reprise, and update, of a talk I first gave at the Society for Photographic Education conference (SPE) in San Francisco this past March. 

Though I hope you'll download the e-book version of the talk for yourself, if you're not sure you want to slog through the whole thing I'll just give you my conclusion right here: Photobooks + EPUB = ♥

And over the short five months since giving this talk the first time, there have been a number of interesting new efforts, including:

A great new digital photobook review site, from photographer Martin Brink (and I love Brink's free PDF photobooks as well): The Digital Photobook."

Add Y to X by Las Coleccionistas

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

"Add Y to X is an interactive photobook by Las Coleccionistas. This book explores the unconscious gestures of the portrayed persons. Through the unconscious portrait we can find fragments, heterogenous parts of the portrayed person. An abstract of his/her existence.

Moreover, the application contains a detailed explanation of the project method, texts and audios of what the portrayed persons were thinking while the photo was taken and a song as a soundtrack of the project.

Add Y to X is an open project. Just as there are plenty of unconscious gestures – there also can be a lot of different relations between the portrayed and the photographer. We invite you to collaborate with the project following our method and sending us your results. This way we’ll be able to multiply the project to discover and share unconsciousness worldwide."  Ubicuo Studio

Format: App compatible with iPad only.

Price: Free

Links: iTunes and Ubicuo Studio

Comment: As this app is in Spanish only, it won't be rated. The design and portraits looks pretty good though, and it's free, so it's worth a look even if you don't know Spanish.

Personal Best by Elliott Erwitt

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

"This stunning assembly of work was personally selected by Elliott Erwitt himself and includes exclusive video on the photography master as well as an audio tour throughout the eBook touching on the themes in his work and his method over a 60+ year career. Swipe through the 343 photographs at your own pace with the option to engage with Erwitt as he recounts how he captured some of the twentieth century’s most historic moments. 

Prior to the publication of the print edition of Personal Best, most of these images had never been published before. Every image is photography at its most ebullient and life-enhancing and each reflects the scope of Erwitt’s observant eye. His work—often comic, sometimes heart-rending, always compelling—is spontaneous and unembellished. Here is a fitting tribute to this Magnum photographer who has shot cultural icons, Hollywood legends, and some of the twentieth century’s most historic moments. Erwitt’s delight in everyday irony has captured many witty moments, including his famous portraits of people and dogs. 

Elliott Erwitt Biography 

Born in Paris in 1928, Elliott Erwitt arrived in the U.S. in the late 1930s. Establishing himself in the ’40s and ’50s as a leading magazine photographer, he joined the prestigious Magnum Agency in 1953. In addition to his work in magazines, he has achieved great success as a commercial photographer and as a documentary photographer and filmmaker. Erwitt is the 2011 recipient of the International Center of Photography’s (ICP) Infinity Award for Lifetime Achievement. Additionally, the ICP has a major retrospective of Elliott’s photography that will run from May 20 through August 28, 2011."  teNeues 

Format: App compatible with iPad only. There's also a much more expensive "Enhanced Edition" ebook available, compatible with iBooks on both iPhone and iPad. This review is for the app only.

Price: $5.99 (The Enhanced Edition is $32.99)

Links: iTunes / iTunes (Enhanced Edition) and teNeues

Comment: This is an app packed full of content; 343 photographs, a short video and audio commentary by Erwitt. The audio commentary is unpretentious, often funny and provides extra insight. The app also contains some text, but it's small and pixelates as you enlarge it, leaving you with a bad reading experience. 

What's best about the app is the photos that are reproduced beautifully on the backlit display. Erwitt has such a broad vision; from the old, funny and romantic shots that some would almost consider a bit cliche today, to important historic documents, and to a more serious and complex side. With 343 photographs the bookmark function comes in handy.

RATING:

Content: 19/20

Design: 9/15

Value: 5/5

TOTAL: 33/40

Revised Ratings

The digital photobook is still a relatively new medium with a small number of books/apps by a few photographers and publishers. That means that there's limited reference.

The nature of digital books also means that it sometimes takes longer to fully figure them out, and to discover all the positives and negatives.

With these things in mind a static rating doesn't make sense, at least not until the medium has matured.

Tunnel by Hoichi Nishiyama

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

" “Tunnel for iPad”, by engineering photographer Hoichi Nishiyama, is a photo book app based on his book “Tunnel” (published 2005 by Japan Construction Method and Machinery Research Institute for the Japan Construction Mechanization Association). It shows a mystery world that is normally not visible; of giant shield machines on the move, the serene light shining into the tunnel to the thriving drill machine. 

Hoichi Nishiyama / photographer 

Born 1952 in Tokyo. Graduated from Tokyo Zokei University’s design department in photography. After working at Hakuhodo and Tokyu agency, he turned freelance. After working in commercial photography, he moved on to become a civil engineering photographer in 1993. His photographs of past legacies in civil engineering and civil engineering construction are regularly printed in industry magazines. He also photographs calendars and completion photographs for major construction companies. He is the chief of the “photographing civil engineering” office. 

He has published books of photography such as Harbor Legacy (Japan Dredging and Reclamation Engineering Association) and Taushubetsu (Kodansha) in 2002, Civil Engineering by the Water (INAX publishing) in 2003, SADO MINE (Niigata Daily Newspaper Company in 2011. He has held photography exhibitions every year since 1997. Taushubetsu was awarded the Publishing Culture Award 2003 by the Institution of Civil Engineers."  108UNITED

Format: Seperate apps for iPad and iPhone (non-universal). iPad app reviewed.

Price: iPad and iPhone apps are $9.99 each.

Links: iTunes and 108UNITED

Comment: The clear layout, index, order, excellent captioning and essays all makes Tunnel logical, interesting and easy to understand, without knowing much about the subject beforehand. The slideshow with music (that works with the photography) is also a nice feature, if you just want to sit back and enjoy. 

The content is fascinating as it shows you a world you don't normally see or hear about. For many of us that's what photography is all about, showing new worlds or showing subjects from unique personal perspectives. 

RATING:

Content: 18/20

Design: 12/15

Value: 5/5

TOTAL: 35/40

Figures & Fictions by Tamar Garb, reviewed by Wayne Ford

The images above are iPad screen grabs.

Staged by London’s Victoria & Albert Museum and curated by Tamar Garb in 2011, ‘Figures & Fictions: Contemporary South African Photography’ highlighted the work of 17 South African photographers — Jodi Bieber, Kudzanai Chiurai, Hasan & Husai Essop, David Goldblatt, Pieter Hugo, Terry Kurgan, Sabelo Mlangeni, Santu Mofokeng, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Zanele Muholi Muholi, Jo Ractliffe, Berni Searle, Graeme Williams, Guy Tillim, Mikhael Subotzky, Nonsikelelo ‘Lolo’ Veleko and Roelof Petrus Van Wyk — all of whom life and work in the country and whose images were made of the past decade. 

Format: App compatible with iPad only.

Price: $4.99 (was $16.99 at the time of the review)

Links: iTunes and MAPP Editions

Comment: This app is a digital version of the catalogue that accompanied the V&A exhibition which was published by Steidl (2011), with enhanced content in the form of both video and audio introduction by Garb; videos of Bieber, Essop, Kurgan, Mlangeni, Mofokeng, Van Wyk and Williams; additional audio content, interviews and biography also accompanies each artists entry, with enlargeable images allowing the user to explore each photograph in detail. There is a foreword by Martin Barnes, and an extensive essay by Garb, and in depth conversation between Garb, Achille Mbembe, Sarah Nuttal, Riason Naidoo and Colin Richards, in the form of a text, which will be familiar to anyone who has read the Steidl catalogue. 

There is much about this app to praise — with excellent enhanced content and superb navigation — however it is let down by the design, which presents long bodies of text as pale grey type on a dark coloured background; making the reading experience far from enjoyable.  

RATING

Content: 18/20

Design: 8/15

Value: 5/5

TOTAL: 31/40