Does a single photography can speak
more to the spectator rather than a series of photography or the other way
around?
Single phototagraphy vs series of photography
I think none of these two answers
are the ultimate answers, if a single photo can speak by itself, it is fine,
but if you need several photography to illustrate a story, then it is fine as
well. What really matters in the end is the result no? I mean whatever it needs
to bring to your goal you will take this path, right?
I don’t believe that a single
photography is better than a series, it is just different. And the opposite is
true as well.
Another perspective of the
problematic can be seen through photo books; by definition, it is a compilation
of photos. But is it a compilation of single photos or a series of photography?
I believe the truth is between the two and a mixture of the two. Photo books
are the perfect medium to liberate the language of photography, by telling a
story through the compilation of single photos that speak by themselves; do you
follow me? What will make a great photo book, for me, is the capability to
gather what Todd Hido is categorizing as a “killer” in opposition of “filler”,
which doesn’t bring something to the whole story. A great story that is filled by many “little” genuine
stories.
But to the era of digital world,
does this problematic, and by extension, the photo books have a future?
Everybody knows about facebook and instagram, I would say they are in the
single type category (in case you have quality, which is barely true, they are
most of the time, antagonist). You can promote your work to the world with a
simple click; it is quick and easy.
But at the same time I have never
felt that photo books where so alive, I have the feeling that photography democratized
and paradoxally, we never saw so much books in our hands. Internet being just a
platform where you can advertise your book but it will never replace it as well
as the pleasure to have on a large size a real piece of paper of the
photography itself. Books are the future
of digital era! Can you believe that?
What about photography books?
But let’s go back to our story. What
I want to see in a book is a story; one of the best so far is the self-titled
book from Shin Yanagisawa. Pictures by pictures, he’s bringing us through Japan,
each pictures are telling a piece of the story but left alone, it would not say
much and that for me is really magnificent, how pictures, put together can
perform at once a story-telling that make yourself travel? I will always ask myself
but never find the answer; it just exists, period. Don’t ask me to prove it, I
will answer, just buy the book; simple as that.
