Photo Books: Concept and Use of Materials

You will start the course knowing more about Mariela and her career as a photographer and visual artist. He will tell you about his passion for photobooks and will share some of his influences and references.

Mariela will introduce you to the universe of photobooks, explaining what they are and how they differ from a catalog or book of photography, and will show you examples. You will approach concepts related to the book as a system, as an object and as an experience, activating its materiality.

Then you will begin the process of conceptualization, a key phase. You will learn Mariela's work process, seeing each of the stages.

You will discover how to link the concept of the photobook to the experience you want to generate for the reader, also studying the transit of the images. You will address its sequence and editing based on conceptualization. Then, you will see what decisions to make for the realization of the concept of your photobook.

You will see what materiality means and explore the material aspects of a photobook: from the choice of paper and printing technique, to the binding and size of the book. You will discover how a particular material or format is capable of conveying a concept.

You will look for how to translate the concept to your project in a first physical model, Mariela will advise you in the process. When you have it, you will refine the placement of your photos, analyze its format and the decisions you have made in relation to the materials used.

Finally, you will find a series of resources that will help you with the type of printing you choose, seeing the characteristics and strengths of each option. Similarly, you will discover different techniques and types of binding, which you can choose according to your project.