Part of my routine when I leave the house is to choose a camera and film to take along with me. I tend to grab a 35mm camera and a Leica M is my usual choice. I’ve had this habit for so many years that the camera has become an extension of my hand. My family and friends are so used to seeing me carrying it that now they ask if I forgot it somewhere if the camera is not in my hand or around my neck.
A couple of years ago I decided to compile some of the shots that I’ve taken around my neighborhood into a series of zines. Like many of my photography projects, interest comes and goes and the finished product doesn’t become a reality. I’ve made many photo books related to trips or events and I print hundreds of images every year that I catalog and store. All so that there is something tangible to look at rather than just images on a computer or iPad. Yet, somehow I never completed the zine.
Lately, I have purchased several zines from other photographers. I enjoy looking at photos from people that I interact with online and by looking at their zines I’ve become more comfortable with my own project. Finally, I have finished the first zine in my series.
Despite a couple of initial missteps, I received a final copy from Blurb the other day. I printed both the 8.5×11 inch Premium Magazine and the 6×9 inch trade book. After living with both of them for a few days, I found that it was no contest, the larger format is far and away a better choice for me. It’s virtually the same price to print as the smaller trade book, but the quality is much better. I started with an all color zine to see how the printing measured up to my calibrated monitor and I think it’s a success.
(A disclaimer for this blog post is that the images you see are iPhone photos of my sample copy and do not represent the actual color of the printing. The link at the end of this post will take you directly to a Blurb preview of the zine and is an accurate representation.)
