This Constant Flux –Jules (Penlens)
A zine which combines photography with poetry which immediately puts it outside my comfort zone. I enjoyed especially the film photography, some of which have the 70's vibe which remind me of my childhood and early introduction to photography. The back cover image in particular with its use of negative space appealed to me.
I'm not usually one for poetry, but I read all of them more than once, and whilst most passed me bye, I did appreciate a couple of them, in particular "This Constant Flux".
Little Piece of History – Ian (Harlequin 565)
I recognise Ians’ work now from exposure to his previous zines, this one was again an eclectic mix of images which stirred my nostalgia gene. I recognise many of the objects portrayed from my youth (and in the case of the bobbleheads, from my daughters’ childhood).
Vibrant colours and an iffy musical taste are the stand-out impressions for me.
The fluidity in the zine design is something I am struggling to achieve with my own work, which is always far more formal in its presentation. I’ll be leaning on this next time around as I try to break out of the confines of my own lack of creativity.
Off the Rails 2 – David (Mr Perceptive)
Volume 1 of this zine introduced me to the redundant slate quarries of Snowdonia, and I resolved to pay a visit myself, something which I haven’t yet done. Volume 2 has reinforced that desire. Perhaps next time he’s going up there David could give me a shout J.
The images within this zine capture what I imagine to be the sombre nature of the area, which once bustled with humanity but now lies abandoned. Using colour images is something I personally wouldn’t have considered, but the muted red rust of the abandoned metal work contrasts beautifully with the grey slate, and the approach works surprisingly (to me anyway) well.
Laminated – Chris (Sirch)
This is interesting, it obviously tells a story, with the narrative perhaps being we as average humans need info boards to explain the countryside through which we are treading. What I couldn’t understand was whether this zine was in support of such a notion or against it. Or maybe it matches my own thoughts on these in that I often need them, but I’m embarrassed by the fact I do.
LGBTQ+ Faces of Bristol – Karen (Karenshootsfilm)
A bit of a maverick production for our little group, being separately funded and produced for a purpose other than participation in these swaps, but welcome nonetheless.
The zine is a collection of environmental portraits with a little about the subjects and their sexuality. As a relatively (by comparison with the photographer and subjects) old, straight male the world portrayed is quite alien to me, being somewhat more complex that the straight/gay/bisexual split of my youth.
Reading this zine inspired me to research pansexual, a term I wasn’t familiar with, although having done so I still can’t see the difference between that and bisexual and I remain equally in the dark as to the reason someone would classify themselves as “queer” as opposed to Lesbian or Gay.
To live in a world where labels are unnecessary…
Beside the Water II – Toni (Ancient Mariner)
Well, it seems Toni has stolen one of my ideas for the next zine, and annoyingly he’s done it rather well.
The portrait format used is quite unusual but suits the images allowing them to lead deeper into the frame than a landscape format would.
I loved the ethereal nature of many of these photographs with the winter series standing out above the others.
My wife, a rather outspoken critic for the most part, also enjoyed this zine, though she did suggest that you should have lined up the farthest 3 picnic tables to create an unbroken lead line…..(autumn photograph #2).