If you are interested in photobooks and wondering about what their future might look like, you might want to go over to LiveBooks to check on the various comments collected there concerning this topic.
I think I am kind of late in this discussion, but just this morning I stumbled over one of the few comments comming from the photography-collector’s side and I found his argumentation for the following points quite intersting:
1.) For him as a collector the primary reasons for buying photobooks are reference and education.
2.) The purpose of photobooks are the photographs
3.) The purpose is also to collect multiple viewpoints (from artists, curators & critics …)
4.) Photography collectors are not very interested in the innovation in photobooks
In the early summer 2009 I launched my own publishing venture, called “The Little Hunter”, with the aim of getting some self published books out, in limited editions, with full controll over the process. It is important for me to have a possibility to present the work as I see it, at least once. And as I am a collector of photobooks myself, I very much see them as objects. And that is the way I think they will survive.
The research aspect in my oppinion will rely more and more on the digital world. Its main focus lies on acquiring information, which is certainly easier, faster and less expensive to do online. But as soon as emotions and desires kick in, there is no way anything digital will win over an actual object. At least that is the way it works for me – regardless if we are speaking about photography , photobooks, drawings, postcards … love&passion.
0 Responses to “The Future of Photobooks”