photobook
‘Homegrown’ wins IPPY Award
Congratulations to Julie Blackmon for National Silver in Photography at the 2015 Independent Publisher Awards for her popular monograph, Julie Blackmon: Homegrown. In this enchanting book of fictional and auto-biographical photographs, Blackmon seeks to reflect not only life today and as children growing up in a large family, but move beyond the documentary to explore the fantastic elements of everyday life, both imagined and real. Included are 40 works made from 2009-2014, an interview with the artist by Academy Award winning actress Reese Witherspoon, and an insightful introduction by renowned poet Billy Collins. More…
About the IPPYs
The “IPPY” Awards were launched in 1996 and are designed to bring increased recognition to titles published by independent authors and publishers. They were established as the first awards program open exclusively to independents. This year’s 19th annual IPPY competition attracted over 2,700 entries. The medalists represented 45 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, six Canadian provinces, and ten countries overseas.
Renate Aller signing in NYC
TIME Special Preview: A Guide to the Best Fall Photo Books
TIME LightBox presents a special preview of the season’s best photography books and has chosen three Radius Books photographers Michael Light, Julie Blackmon, and Laura Letinsky for their inspired forthcoming monographs. “These photo books, lovingly designed and meticulously edited, are a rare treat in a time when photography is all-too-often relegated to selfies and snapshots, and offer an opportunity to truly indulge in the unfettered beauty of a well-made book.” (more..)
TIME Photo: “Taxonomy of a Landscape” of Best Books This Season!
TIME LightBox presents their preview of the season’s best photography books, featuring Radius Books’ forthcoming Spring release Taxonomy of a Landscape by Victoria Sambunaris (with essay by Natasha Egan and short story by Barry Lopez). Click here for more from “TIME Special Preview: A Guide to the Best Spring/Summer Photo Books.”
“In an age when so many of us experience photography almost exclusively on digital screens, these beautifully produced publications, from publishers large and small, proudly embrace the power of print and keep the brilliant tradition of the photobook very much alive.” -TIME Photo Department
International Conference on the Future of the Photobook
The future of the photobook is a topic of obvious interest here at Radius Books, and we are not alone. The Musee de l’ Elysee, in Lausanne, Switerzerland, is dedicated exclusively to photography and is currently showing an exhibition titled Lasting Impressions: The Fine Art & Craft of the Steidl Book. In addition, the museum organized an international colloquium on the future of the photobook with the ECAL/University of Art and Design, Lausanne.
The forum was attended by nearly 300 specialists from all branches of photography book publication and included luminaries such as Nathalie Bocher-Lenoir, Luc Debraine, Mary Delmonico, Frédérique Destribats, Bernd Detsch, William A. Ewing, Lady Elena Foster, Philippe Garner, Jean Genoud, Winfried Heininger, Françoise Jaunin, Werner Jeker, Pierre Keller, Walter Keller, Michael Mack, Lesley Martin, Gilles Mora, Lars Müller, Thomas Neurath, Neil Palfreyman, Alice Rawsthorn, Markus Schaden, Joachim Schmid, John Gossage, Alec Soth, Gerhard Steidl, Joël Tettamanti.
Though there did not appear to be a consensus on the health of the industry, in which many reported that smaller runs are an increasing necessity, it was agreed there is nothing on the digital market that can eclipse good old-fashioned paper at this point. The artist and founder of the ABC Artists book cooperative, Joachim Schmid said, “The book has been around for 500 years, if you want to replace that you better come up with something pretty convincing and I haven’t seen it yet’…’The future of the book could be a pdf? This is complete nonsense, a book is a book and a pdf is a pdf…I don’t download wine!”
For a more extensive breakdown of the discussions, check out London based photographer Nick Turpin’s blog, sevensevennine. And don’t forget to read Radius Books editor Darius Himes’ informative blog post on the “Future of Photobooks.”