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Got a project on the go that you never finish?
Got a set of photos that tell a story?
Why not publish them in a Zine and share with a group on here?
This is a group project where all participants make a zine over the course of a year, then exchange it with everyone else taking part.
This challenge aims to get people printing and publishing their work. What you produce and how, is up to you.
What is a Zine? The word is a shortened form of the word magazine (or maybe fanzine?) and the product is a short, small format magazine - generally a small circulation, self-published work. For this challenge it is a collection of your photos edited together into a magazine or booklet format. Self-published does not necessarily mean self-printed, you can print yourself or you can send your work off to a printing service. For this group, a zine isn't just an album or portfolio of your favourite photos or pictures of your family, the aim is to put together a magazine with images that are the product of a project, or shot as a coherent set.
Sign-up, chat, banter, progress reports, questions and queries can all be posted in here.
You don't need to decide right now, there are a few of us who are committed to this so watch this thread, hang around, ask questions and start pulling together the content you might include, then when you are comfortable with that let us know.
Timeline:
December 2021 to 6th November 2022 : You come up with an idea, take pictures and design your zine. You can even build it in your software of choice.
7th November 2022 : This week I will be asking people to formally commit to making their zine. You will have 7 days to PM me your name & address to confirm your commitment. I generally tag anyone who has registered an interest to remind them, so if you post on this thread that you might be interested, I can let you know closer to the time.
14th November 2022 : I will send out a PM to all confirmed participants with everyone's name & address as well as a confirmed amount of zines people need to print.
15th November to mid-December 2022 : Everyone gets the appropriate number of zines printed and mails them out to everyone on the list.
Links
- Link to the Book & Zine Making Thread.
- Link to the 1st zine exchange
- Link to the 2nd zine exchange
- Link to the 3rd zine exchange
- Link to the 4th zine exchange.
Some buried and useful posts.
- My tips for surviving Mixam's UI
- Dave's thoughts on the different print services
- My post on making a page ready for print using Lightroom & Photoshop
- Dave's post on potential zine storage options
- Graham's list of links for making a photobook
- My silly post on how to make a 6 page mini zine from a single sheet of paper
- Potential packaging suppliers (for postage)
- Typography - a mini discussion (with links)
- Flip through video example by Andy
- Procrastination. A TED talk linked by Chris
- A review of the different paper types supplied by Mixam
Off TP links
- Emulsive guide to printing a zine
- Dave's blog post on how to make a zine
- Another blog post from Dave about the thinking behind ZE:III (Zine Exchange III)
- Introductory post on using Affinity Publisher to set up an A5 zine (Sourced by ChrisR)
FAQ
Q: Can anyone take part?
A: Yes. However if you are outside the UK it will be OPTIONAL for people to post zines out to you mainly due to the cost. I'm happy to post anywhere, so you will at least get one zine, but it wouldn't be fair to force people to post outside the UK.
Q: So how much will it all cost?
A: My experience is that you can get a box of 25-30 zines from Mixam delivered for about £40. Then there's the postage to each person taking part. Previous zine exchanges have fluctuated in numbers. 6, 8, 15 then 8. Have a read through the thread to get an idea of roughly how many are taking part. Postage of a "normal" A5 zine will be £1 to £1.50 using 2nd class. (Large letter, then depends whether it's >100g or not)
Q: How many zines will I have to send?
A: Not sure. We'll monitor how many people show interest and we're mindful that sending 20-30 zines out will be expensive, so will be looking to try and limit the costs somehow should we get a lot of entrants. Rest assured that you can leave it until the last month before committing to the point of spending any money so you can make a decision then.
Q: How should I design it?
A: That's the challenge of making a zine. It's not just about plonking a bunch of photos in a book, it's about crafting something. Text or no text? Colour, monochrome or mix? Square, landscape or portrait (or mix)? One image to a page, or collages? A Google search for "Photography zine" will give you some good cover ideas too! If you're new to the challenge, ask in the thread to see if anyone will send you an example of theirs.
Q: How big should I make it?
A: As a minimum, I'd suggest A5 and containing 10-15 pages. A5 also makes storage easier. Bear in mind you need to pay for it, and post it, so the bigger or heavier you go, the more cost to you.
Q: What should the zine contain?
A: It's up to you, but most zines work well when based around a theme or project. I prefer to take new images for it, whilst others like to go through their back catalogue. Do what makes you happy - film, digital, or phone - doesn't matter. I'd say pick a theme or a topic and work to that but my last zine was a mess of incohesion and indecision, so don't listen to me! And if you want to put poetry in it, or scans of your paintings, or stick men on a mountain, that's fine too!
Q: What software do I need to make a zine?
A: Again - up to you. Many previous participants used Affinity Publisher as it has a relatively easy learning curve and is often available at a 50% discount. Photoshop will also do the job if you have the Adobe Photographer plan. Other programs are available though, so please ask in the thread if you're not sure.
Q: I have no clue what a zine looks like? Can I see some examples?
A: Andy did a flip through sample of one of his zines (see links above), and I'm fairly sure there will be some people happy to send you one of their previous efforts so you can see the sort of things we're doing. Just ask in-thread.
Q: Why is this over a year? I'll forget all about it!
A: We were doing this six monthly, but for those of us who have been in all of them, we now have a lot of zines! Also, it avoids "zine-fatigue" where projects are just completed for the sake of a deadline.
P.S. If you've got this far and are still thinking "my photography isn't good enough", rest assured it probably is. None of us are experts on what constitutes the "best photographs" but we are all experts on "what we see" which makes our/your view unique. Why not throw your photography out there? No one is going to say your zine is crap because.... well.... you're literally probably the worst critic of your work if you got this far, and this isn't about who is better than who. It's about looking at how other people see the world and experience it through photography. Your voice is just as valid as anyone else's. Add to the discussion rather than compete.
Got a set of photos that tell a story?
Why not publish them in a Zine and share with a group on here?
This is a group project where all participants make a zine over the course of a year, then exchange it with everyone else taking part.
This challenge aims to get people printing and publishing their work. What you produce and how, is up to you.
What is a Zine? The word is a shortened form of the word magazine (or maybe fanzine?) and the product is a short, small format magazine - generally a small circulation, self-published work. For this challenge it is a collection of your photos edited together into a magazine or booklet format. Self-published does not necessarily mean self-printed, you can print yourself or you can send your work off to a printing service. For this group, a zine isn't just an album or portfolio of your favourite photos or pictures of your family, the aim is to put together a magazine with images that are the product of a project, or shot as a coherent set.
Sign-up, chat, banter, progress reports, questions and queries can all be posted in here.
You don't need to decide right now, there are a few of us who are committed to this so watch this thread, hang around, ask questions and start pulling together the content you might include, then when you are comfortable with that let us know.
Timeline:
December 2021 to 6th November 2022 : You come up with an idea, take pictures and design your zine. You can even build it in your software of choice.
7th November 2022 : This week I will be asking people to formally commit to making their zine. You will have 7 days to PM me your name & address to confirm your commitment. I generally tag anyone who has registered an interest to remind them, so if you post on this thread that you might be interested, I can let you know closer to the time.
14th November 2022 : I will send out a PM to all confirmed participants with everyone's name & address as well as a confirmed amount of zines people need to print.
15th November to mid-December 2022 : Everyone gets the appropriate number of zines printed and mails them out to everyone on the list.
Links
- Link to the Book & Zine Making Thread.
- Link to the 1st zine exchange
- Link to the 2nd zine exchange
- Link to the 3rd zine exchange
- Link to the 4th zine exchange.
Some buried and useful posts.
- My tips for surviving Mixam's UI
- Dave's thoughts on the different print services
- My post on making a page ready for print using Lightroom & Photoshop
- Dave's post on potential zine storage options
- Graham's list of links for making a photobook
- My silly post on how to make a 6 page mini zine from a single sheet of paper
- Potential packaging suppliers (for postage)
- Typography - a mini discussion (with links)
- Flip through video example by Andy
- Procrastination. A TED talk linked by Chris
- A review of the different paper types supplied by Mixam
Off TP links
- Emulsive guide to printing a zine
- Dave's blog post on how to make a zine
- Another blog post from Dave about the thinking behind ZE:III (Zine Exchange III)
- Introductory post on using Affinity Publisher to set up an A5 zine (Sourced by ChrisR)
FAQ
Q: Can anyone take part?
A: Yes. However if you are outside the UK it will be OPTIONAL for people to post zines out to you mainly due to the cost. I'm happy to post anywhere, so you will at least get one zine, but it wouldn't be fair to force people to post outside the UK.
Q: So how much will it all cost?
A: My experience is that you can get a box of 25-30 zines from Mixam delivered for about £40. Then there's the postage to each person taking part. Previous zine exchanges have fluctuated in numbers. 6, 8, 15 then 8. Have a read through the thread to get an idea of roughly how many are taking part. Postage of a "normal" A5 zine will be £1 to £1.50 using 2nd class. (Large letter, then depends whether it's >100g or not)
Q: How many zines will I have to send?
A: Not sure. We'll monitor how many people show interest and we're mindful that sending 20-30 zines out will be expensive, so will be looking to try and limit the costs somehow should we get a lot of entrants. Rest assured that you can leave it until the last month before committing to the point of spending any money so you can make a decision then.
Q: How should I design it?
A: That's the challenge of making a zine. It's not just about plonking a bunch of photos in a book, it's about crafting something. Text or no text? Colour, monochrome or mix? Square, landscape or portrait (or mix)? One image to a page, or collages? A Google search for "Photography zine" will give you some good cover ideas too! If you're new to the challenge, ask in the thread to see if anyone will send you an example of theirs.
Q: How big should I make it?
A: As a minimum, I'd suggest A5 and containing 10-15 pages. A5 also makes storage easier. Bear in mind you need to pay for it, and post it, so the bigger or heavier you go, the more cost to you.
Q: What should the zine contain?
A: It's up to you, but most zines work well when based around a theme or project. I prefer to take new images for it, whilst others like to go through their back catalogue. Do what makes you happy - film, digital, or phone - doesn't matter. I'd say pick a theme or a topic and work to that but my last zine was a mess of incohesion and indecision, so don't listen to me! And if you want to put poetry in it, or scans of your paintings, or stick men on a mountain, that's fine too!
Q: What software do I need to make a zine?
A: Again - up to you. Many previous participants used Affinity Publisher as it has a relatively easy learning curve and is often available at a 50% discount. Photoshop will also do the job if you have the Adobe Photographer plan. Other programs are available though, so please ask in the thread if you're not sure.
Q: I have no clue what a zine looks like? Can I see some examples?
A: Andy did a flip through sample of one of his zines (see links above), and I'm fairly sure there will be some people happy to send you one of their previous efforts so you can see the sort of things we're doing. Just ask in-thread.
Q: Why is this over a year? I'll forget all about it!
A: We were doing this six monthly, but for those of us who have been in all of them, we now have a lot of zines! Also, it avoids "zine-fatigue" where projects are just completed for the sake of a deadline.
P.S. If you've got this far and are still thinking "my photography isn't good enough", rest assured it probably is. None of us are experts on what constitutes the "best photographs" but we are all experts on "what we see" which makes our/your view unique. Why not throw your photography out there? No one is going to say your zine is crap because.... well.... you're literally probably the worst critic of your work if you got this far, and this isn't about who is better than who. It's about looking at how other people see the world and experience it through photography. Your voice is just as valid as anyone else's. Add to the discussion rather than compete.
