Photographing Books

Spine

In a sense, a photograph of a book is a piece of text.

Cover

There’s writing in it. The medium just happens to be jpg or whatever.

Photographing books. There are three approaches: (1) snap their spines, (2) mugshot the cover, (3) knock them flat.

Same as when cops arrest someone. (1) Bend them over the vehicle and put on handcuffs, (2) back at the station photograph them head-on looking stunned, and (3)  knock them around to get a confession.


Another analogy is a conference. (1) The chair introduces you to the audience with a sliver of who you are (name and title), (2) you, the speaker, gets up and faces everyone, appearing innocent or stoic or blithe, (3) in the Q&A you are beaten up and forced to fudge and maybe even dissemble. Despite your best efforts, much is revealed.

Laid out

Panasonic LX-2, f2.8, 1/25, 111018

Book cover preliminary

Friederich is planning the book production on a flowchart. Marshall prods him about a missing element.

...

Friederich: Proofing 2 completed, Proofing 3 should see almost no corrections, and then there’s just the printing and sending out.

Marshall: The cover? Have you started the design for that?

Friederich: Cover? Hmm. A cover’s just a cover. Isn’t it?

Marshall: Not in my book.

Friederich: Got any samples?

Marshall: Sigh. These writers. They think what’s inside is the most important.

Friederich: Well, isn’t it?

Marshall: I can see from your shoes and your sweater that’s what you think. Covers sell books. This is going to take some time.

...