Some questions if you feel like answering...
1. How much effort was required to make your zine? (Out of ten, based on the whole time you had)
2. How much panicked effort was required to make your zine? (out of ten based on the time you gave yourself to do it)
3. How satisfied were you with your zine (Grade yourself as if you were a teacher: A, B, C, D, E etc. + and - allowed - school report text optional)
4. Do you feel like that project is now finished, or was this zine an exploratory part of a bigger thing?
1. I like photo projects, I usually have several on the go (as I still have a day job, I can't dedicate significant blocks of time to things), some of these projects are long term, others are brief, depending on my interests at the time. For this zine, I initially decided to use a new project rather than work with just archive material, I started worked on a project about the River Weaver and the Weaver Navigation, I made a dozen or so trips out (it's local so easy), took lots of photos, but it wasn't flowing (no pun intended as I hoped), and then we had a period of a lot of rain (especially at weekends) making outdoor photography difficult, so I started looking at an alternative projects. An indoor project would mean that I wasn't weather dependant, so I started working on an idea of a zine about zines! I have acquired several hundred zines over the last 4-5 years, and so an opportunity was there. I had a banker that I could utilise if needed.
Then in late March I decided to take my 85yo Mum on Holiday, and I booked a small cottage in Deal, Kent. I knew I'd get some time to myself, and intended to revisit Dungeness which I had really enjoyed on a previous visit in 2018. I had a mid-week day there arriving early (8am) and was completely captivated by the place (again), and spent teh day wandering about taking photographs. I revisited for a couple of hours later in the week taking my Mum, this time the shingle was off-piste, so all images where captured from the road. On returning home, I processed my images, and then reviewed again the images I had taken in 2018, and thought, this would make a great zine, and I am enthusiatic about this, so the "Within One Mile" zine was born.
I spent about 1.5 days - putting toether teh zine, by rediting images, selecting, sequencing, and writing the text - again it was raining, and I found it enjoyable. I then left it for a couple of days before undertaking a final review and sending off for print.
In terms of effort, very little really, it came together quite easily, despite not shooting some of it until very early May, I never felt pressured (remember i still had a couple of banker solutions), difficult to give marks out of 10, but say 3/10
2. No panic or pressure at all, I find that working with a couple of ideas usually results in banker that I could use if needed (and still can!!!) - I had plenty of time before the deadline despite other participant zines dropping through teh letterbox!! I'm used to working to deadlines (and it wasn't like making teh zine was my first!), and try to stay ahead of them, so again 3/10 no panic from me!
3. I'm very pleased with this zine, I do feel that it is probably the best one I've made so far, the images feel much more curated and the sequening and layout I really enjoyed. I can always do better, out of the 10 zines I've put toegther (8 of which have been printed), its the best, the most complete so A-
4. Dungeness is several hours away from my home, I'm sure I will visit again, but unless I actually stay on one of the AirBnB's on the shingle (which is something my wife and I have talked about, a week at Dungeness and spending the whole week there, not driving anywhere, just exploring the estate itself all within walking distance. I'd love to be there in stormy winter light conditions) then it is unlikey that this project will form part of a larger project. But never say never.
Making a photobook is the next natural step, but as I said before still having a day job, makes it harder to put together a larger body of work - though I have spent years photographing the decaying slate quarries in Wales - probably though this is a retirement project!
I would like to thank
@Harlequin565 and all teh participants, the zine making projects is one of the most enjoyable things I have done photographically and I look forward to participating in many more 'exchanges'
