Self-Portrait Saturday
On Physical Books
When we buy a physical book, we can do with it what we want – cut up the pages, burn it for warmth, give it to friends, and so on. Because the contract of ownership between reader and object is implicit, not dependent on any third party, the physical book also becomes a true souvenir of the reading experience.
Craig Mod, ”Future Reading”
Wolverine Line
Riding the train from Chicago to Michigan, Pt. 1.
Not quite what Amtrak shows off on their promo website.
Artists In Jackson, the eBook
I’m super proud of how my Artists In Jackson book turned out. It’s 100+ gorgeous pages of artist profiles and portraits.
As a part of the package, I also made an eBook version. I created it as a more portable companion piece to the book, and it’s available as a PDF and Apple iBook now on the Artists In Jackson website.
I created both the PDF and iBook using Apple iBooks Author. The template format made it super easy to transfer the photos and text from an InDesign document. Plop photos in the picture spots, copy and paste the text, and work on a few formatting things like pull quotes and the table of contents, and you have an eBook. All pretty easy, as long as you’re okay giving up some formatting control.
Just export the iBook as a PDF and you have a format that anyone can enjoy. It really makes it a one-and-done online publishing option.
The book is still the objectified end-point of the portrait project. It’s the artifact, the thing that (hopefully) will last for decades. It’s also, at $89, a bit of a luxury item. Not everyone can afford almost $100 for a book, and I recognize that. The book is still what you should buy, but I get the affordability issue.
So the eBook is only $9. Much more affordable, and priced so just about anyone can read the profiles and view the photos on the go.
Buy the eBook and support the project!
Artists In Jackson in Jacksonopolis
Thanks to Jacksonopolis for the feature and Q&A.
A deeper dive into the how and why of my Artists In Jackson project.
It’s Here: Artists In Jackson
Today I’m releasing my portrait project Artists In Jackson to the world. Since June, I’ve interviewed and photographed 15 Jackson-based artists about their talent, their challenges, and their hometown. The final product is a beautiful, 100+ page book featuring stories and portraits from the artists.
You can learn about the project at artistsinjackson.com. And the book makes a great holiday gift!
Thank you so much to the artists who participated. Through painting, or photography, or metalworking, or tattoos, they’re making my hometown of Jackson, Michigan, a more beautiful place. Support them!
And thanks to all of you who have supported and shared this project.
Artists In Jackson, The Book
For the past five or six months, I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know the artists, creatives, and makers in Jackson, Michigan, as a part of my Artists In Jackson project.
The culmination of the project, I always figured, would be a book. Photos and profiles of the artists, an explanation of the project, and a beautiful artifact of all the work I’ve done.
I love photo books. I’ve become a bit of a collector in the past year or so. That, and (as @alesserphotographer advocates) paper is what you keep for 100 years and give to your grandchildren.
So the Artists In Jackson book is now available for sale. I couldn’t be more proud of how it turned out.
This first run of copies (about 25) are going to get some special love and attention from me before they ship out. After that, I’m doing a buy-on-demand system from Blurb, the book publisher.
Also, the project’s artist profiles are now live on the website, along with a selection of photos from each artist’s portrait shoot.
It feels mighty good to have this project out the door and into the world. I’ve received lots of great feedback from family and friends, and lots of support from the community. Thanks to everyone for their time and attention.
I made something. It shipped. And away we go.
Beware the Woods At Night
It’s been a pretty great October here in Michigan. And just before it turned pitch black on my morning commute, I grabbed some foggy forest shots as the leaves were turning.
Consider it a goodbye to the leaves for seven months or so.
Society6 Store
I’m now adding more photos to my Society6 store. If you’re interested in purchasing a print of one of my photos, let me know and I’ll add it to the store.
Use this link through November 8 to get free shipping and $5 off any item.
Have A Great All Hallow’s Eve
A fallen angel in His lair
In midst of sinners kneeling down before his clout
Friggin’ love Ghost.
Have a great All Hallow’s Eve, everyone.
Every Day Is Halloween
Her perfume smells like burning leaves.
Every day is Halloween.
Miss you Pete.
Happy Halloween!
Pumpkin Patching
Nothing like shopping for the perfect pumpkin at the local farm.
Autumn in Michigan is pretty great. And though my mood takes a turn for the worse because of the creeping darkness, I’m really trying to embrace this fall. It helps that the weather has been so great all October.
So let’s do it. Let’s do the Halloween thing and the pumpkins and the cider (lots of cider, what with six orchards within 20 minutes of my house). Let’s beat back the oncoming winter blues with some autumnal spirit.
Here Are the Artists In Jackson
Here they are: the 15 featured creatives in my Artists In Jackson portrait project.
They are 15 people that are making my hometown of Jackson, Michigan, a more beautiful place to live. And so generous with their time and attention – I can’t thank them enough for participating in this project.
“Things I normally write about”
There are other things in life beside autumn, women, religion, and fire…the things I normally write about. Now we chose death, drugs, depression, and Halloween.
