FINALLY, some practical tips on how to sequence photos for a book using real photos. Very easy to understand and appreciate the choices involved. Thanks very much.
It's so cool that you're putting this info out. I really have struggled to understand this process having not gone to art school. The only time I've ever gotten a real grasp on this process was when a photography grad student reached out and gave me some tips, and I only got that help due to sheer dumb luck. It's cool to see this info being put out in a public space. Thanks for sharing!
@@AaronHardinPhoto It definitely does! I especially like the note about echoing form and not echoing content. I've really struggled to wrap my head around why one would go about it that way, but I think you did a good job of explaining this specific philosophy of forming concepts out of the sum of two disparate images by connecting them through similarities and differences in form. I know it's not the only way to go about things, but it's definitely an approach that wasn't intuitive to me. It was really enlightening to understand this school of thought better.
Thanks for taking the time to do this video man. Its really useful and very well explained. The most important step in this point of the book-making process is to print copies out, move them around and just play. Make connections, let the mind wander and it'll just start 'clicking'. Thanks again Aaron
Great stuff, Aaron. 👏🏻 Practical info on sequencing is hard to find. Your explanations are very helpful. I would love to know how these concepts translate to colour photography. A subject for another video, perhaps. 🙂
Ben, I'm glad it was helpful. Honestly, most of the same principles apply with color work. You just have several more aesthetic parameters to balance - how does the color palette connect or clash? Do sequential images have connected colors? How can you use contrasting colors to draw attention or connect images? And so on. In some ways, it gives you more options to visually connect images.
@@AaronHardinPhoto I think it’s those extra aesthetic parameters that are making sequencing colour a challenge. Especially with the busy colourful images, I'm currently taking on the Mexican streets. An incentive to keep things simple, maybe. And all the more satisfying when things do balance out. You've given me plenty to think about - thanks again, much appreciated.
Thats really cool! I study photography and just did a huge roadtrip through the US for my final exam. I tried to avoid the printing out part but your video changed my mind. Let´s make a good project to a great one!:D
Yeah, working with prints makes the process much easier, and gets you closer to the book form. After I do this, I re-print each photo on letter paper and put them together like a book. You will again see little changes you will want to make. Good luck with the book!
Thanks a bunch! That was extremely helpful and makes so much sense to the way I shoot. I've been kinda lost and confused about editing and sequencing my images. Love your thought process! Now I have to check your other videos. Cheers from Terceira island in the Azores! :)))))
BTW, have you considered placing the pit photo first and the kid jumping after? It would feel like a premeditated jump and the texture of the pit photo is similar to the one that comes before. Just a thought...
So glad it was helpful. The book has been resequenced a few times since I made this (as they always do). But I hope these videos can help you make the best work possible!
Sounds like the solution to sequencing is to center weight all photos 😜. Thanks for making this video! I’m at the beginning stages of my first Zine. I’m finding it very challenging because I have colour images and varied compositions. The subject matter is very consistent though.
Well that's just kind of the way I tend to see the world. You have to know your personal aesthetic and how to use it to weave a story. I may do another video on sequencing some color work in the future. Good luck!
Not many videos on sequencing, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I don't agree necessarily with your accent on letting visual elements tie the pages together - I believe narrative together with visual impact is crucial - but I respect your decisions and the insights they're based on :)
I found it to be a masterful editing class, very well explained and developed. But already, it would be interesting to go to the end with the creation of the photobook in indesing, for example, and see the finished book. Thank you very much and best regards.
That's tough to give general advice. I always begin my editing process by breaking things down into chunks. So if the artist has several complete bodies of work, I would spend time editing down and sequencing each one, one at a time. If the artist's work is a huge catalogue of individual pictures, I would first sift through the work and write down key themes, subject matters, locations, etc... This may give you a place to begin subdividing and connecting the work. Most artists tend to belabor the same subjects for many years (which is good). Now, the biggest and hardest bit of advice is that you have to be a brutal editor. You really have to cut down the work and only show the absolute strongest photographs. I tell my students that most photographers are only known by a handful of pictures in their entire careers. So really the first step would be a harsh edit down to the fewest number of images possible. Hope this helps!
@@AaronHardinPhoto Thank you, Aaron. Good solid advise, which I would give, as well. My photos are all musicians spanning 45 years, so the book as historical value. Over 45 years, even being brutal as an editor, stills leaves a massive number. I can get it down to 225-250 images. But in 45 years if a photographer does not have a lot of great images, they were in the wrong field or they wouldn't have been hired. And then, there is the negative factor. (remember negatives?) I will, as you say, break it down to 3 sections. That should help. All the best. thanks for your consideration and valuable time.
@@IreneYoungFoto Ah okay, that makes more sense. It's always hard giving advice without seeing thee work and knowing the photographer. But I think 250 is totally reasonable for a retrospective book. You could go semi-chronologically, by genre, by artist... So many options! I know it is a lot of work, but you will be so proud once it is finished. Good luck!
Not many videos out there re: photo sequencing so thanks so much for this... your pairing of the kid jumping with the image of the hole, really well seen, can imagine that pair being placed diagonally on the page/across the spread... question: how much of the sequencing process did you have in mind prior to or while shooting the actual images? Do you “storyboard” things before shooting or is it some kind of instinctual process during the shooting with some rough guidelines/ideas? I imagine you put some planning during shooting (since you come from a photojournalism background)...
Kevin, glad this was helpful. Per your questions: I don't plan at all during the shooting phase. For me, photography is instinctual. Often the narratives are working out in my subconscious and I'm rarely fully aware of the story. Generally, I have some rough guidelines I'm adhering to (certain mediums or image capturing devices, as well as locations and people). I find that the photos then tell me the story or narrative after the fact. The process of editing and sequencing is extremely important to understanding the work. I find that my best work always comes from less of me consciously forcing the photos to happen and more of me walking through the world with my hands open.
I haven’t yet. I’ve printed several versions and layouts of the book so far to figure out what I want. But I hope to release a short run of the book in 2021. I’ll be posting more when that happens on my Instagram: @aaronhardinphoto
FINALLY, some practical tips on how to sequence photos for a book using real photos. Very easy to understand and appreciate the choices involved. Thanks very much.
Glad it helped! I know everyone has their own method, but this is just what makes sense to me. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for this!!!
Great video - actual useful tools that we can use - that’s brilliant thanks!!
So glad it was helpful! I love helping the community make the best work possible.
It's so cool that you're putting this info out. I really have struggled to understand this process having not gone to art school. The only time I've ever gotten a real grasp on this process was when a photography grad student reached out and gave me some tips, and I only got that help due to sheer dumb luck. It's cool to see this info being put out in a public space. Thanks for sharing!
Hope it made sense! There definitely a lot of ways to go about sequencing. This is just one possibility. But it has worked well for me over the years.
@@AaronHardinPhoto It definitely does! I especially like the note about echoing form and not echoing content. I've really struggled to wrap my head around why one would go about it that way, but I think you did a good job of explaining this specific philosophy of forming concepts out of the sum of two disparate images by connecting them through similarities and differences in form. I know it's not the only way to go about things, but it's definitely an approach that wasn't intuitive to me. It was really enlightening to understand this school of thought better.
It's really one of the best explanations of how to sequence images for photobooks. How to pair them, how to find common things. Thank you.
Thanks for saying so. It took me a while to develop a method and simplify it down to be accessible for my students. Hope it helps!
Greatly appreciate this! Thank you for bringing us along for the process. I found heaps of inspiration to get my zine out of a rut.
Glad to help. There are so many ways to go about making a sequence. But this is how I think about it. Good luck on the zine!
Wow! Great tips! Love how thought out these are and how clear you communicate it. It just really make sense. Thanks!
You are very welcome. I'm glad it made sense.
Thanks so much for sharing these videos! They’ve been so helpful and insightful!
Glad to help!
Thanks for the tips! Good work ❤
@@adao7310 you are welcome! Thanks for watching.
exactly what ive been looking for!!
Thank you!!
@@kelseymatarese good luck!
This a great video! Thank you, Aaron for making it!
My pleasure!
Thanks for taking the time to do this video man. Its really useful and very well explained. The most important step in this point of the book-making process is to print copies out, move them around and just play. Make connections, let the mind wander and it'll just start 'clicking'. Thanks again Aaron
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you, that was very helpful!
@@irinakudres thanks for saying so!
Great stuff, Aaron. 👏🏻 Practical info on sequencing is hard to find. Your explanations are very helpful. I would love to know how these concepts translate to colour photography. A subject for another video, perhaps. 🙂
Ben, I'm glad it was helpful. Honestly, most of the same principles apply with color work. You just have several more aesthetic parameters to balance - how does the color palette connect or clash? Do sequential images have connected colors? How can you use contrasting colors to draw attention or connect images? And so on. In some ways, it gives you more options to visually connect images.
@@AaronHardinPhoto I think it’s those extra aesthetic parameters that are making sequencing colour a challenge. Especially with the busy colourful images, I'm currently taking on the Mexican streets. An incentive to keep things simple, maybe. And all the more satisfying when things do balance out. You've given me plenty to think about - thanks again, much appreciated.
Thats really cool! I study photography and just did a huge roadtrip through the US for my final exam. I tried to avoid the printing out part but your video changed my mind. Let´s make a good project to a great one!:D
Yeah, working with prints makes the process much easier, and gets you closer to the book form. After I do this, I re-print each photo on letter paper and put them together like a book. You will again see little changes you will want to make. Good luck with the book!
Thanks a bunch! That was extremely helpful and makes so much sense to the way I shoot. I've been kinda lost and confused about editing and sequencing my images. Love your thought process! Now I have to check your other videos. Cheers from Terceira island in the Azores! :)))))
BTW, have you considered placing the pit photo first and the kid jumping after? It would feel like a premeditated jump and the texture of the pit photo is similar to the one that comes before. Just a thought...
So glad it was helpful. The book has been resequenced a few times since I made this (as they always do). But I hope these videos can help you make the best work possible!
Sounds like the solution to sequencing is to center weight all photos 😜. Thanks for making this video! I’m at the beginning stages of my first Zine. I’m finding it very challenging because I have colour images and varied compositions. The subject matter is very consistent though.
Well that's just kind of the way I tend to see the world. You have to know your personal aesthetic and how to use it to weave a story. I may do another video on sequencing some color work in the future. Good luck!
Thank you 🙏🏻 very informative video
You are very welcome! I hope it helps you make wonderful things.
This is so good! Thank you 😊
Thanks for stopping in!
Awesome! Thank you.
Hope it was helpful!
Not many videos on sequencing, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I don't agree necessarily with your accent on letting visual elements tie the pages together - I believe narrative together with visual impact is crucial - but I respect your decisions and the insights they're based on :)
There definitely isn't a singular way. But this is where I've landed after working through many many photobooks.
Great content and advise.
Glad it was helpful!
Brilliant!
Thanks!
Very useful. Thanks man!
Glad it helped!
Your right theres very little info on book sequencing this is a great video
Thanks for watching!
grate!
Thank you!
You are the man
Thank you!
I found it to be a masterful editing class, very well explained and developed. But already, it would be interesting to go to the end with the creation of the photobook in indesing, for example, and see the finished book. Thank you very much and best regards.
There are several more videos in the series and a final flip through of the book. Thanks for watching!
Thank you! Do you have suggestions for a 45 year retrospective where thousands of images need to be considered? I know it is a big question.
That's tough to give general advice. I always begin my editing process by breaking things down into chunks. So if the artist has several complete bodies of work, I would spend time editing down and sequencing each one, one at a time. If the artist's work is a huge catalogue of individual pictures, I would first sift through the work and write down key themes, subject matters, locations, etc... This may give you a place to begin subdividing and connecting the work. Most artists tend to belabor the same subjects for many years (which is good). Now, the biggest and hardest bit of advice is that you have to be a brutal editor. You really have to cut down the work and only show the absolute strongest photographs. I tell my students that most photographers are only known by a handful of pictures in their entire careers. So really the first step would be a harsh edit down to the fewest number of images possible. Hope this helps!
@@AaronHardinPhoto Thank you, Aaron. Good solid advise, which I would give, as well. My photos are all musicians spanning 45 years, so the book as historical value. Over 45 years, even being brutal as an editor, stills leaves a massive number. I can get it down to 225-250 images. But in 45 years if a photographer does not have a lot of great images, they were in the wrong field or they wouldn't have been hired. And then, there is the negative factor. (remember negatives?) I will, as you say, break it down to 3 sections. That should help. All the best. thanks for your consideration and valuable time.
@@IreneYoungFoto Ah okay, that makes more sense. It's always hard giving advice without seeing thee work and knowing the photographer. But I think 250 is totally reasonable for a retrospective book. You could go semi-chronologically, by genre, by artist... So many options! I know it is a lot of work, but you will be so proud once it is finished. Good luck!
@@AaronHardinPhoto THANK YOU, Aaron! Thank you very. much.
Not many videos out there re: photo sequencing so thanks so much for this... your pairing of the kid jumping with the image of the hole, really well seen, can imagine that pair being placed diagonally on the page/across the spread... question: how much of the sequencing process did you have in mind prior to or while shooting the actual images? Do you “storyboard” things before shooting or is it some kind of instinctual process during the shooting with some rough guidelines/ideas? I imagine you put some planning during shooting (since you come from a photojournalism background)...
Kevin, glad this was helpful. Per your questions: I don't plan at all during the shooting phase. For me, photography is instinctual. Often the narratives are working out in my subconscious and I'm rarely fully aware of the story. Generally, I have some rough guidelines I'm adhering to (certain mediums or image capturing devices, as well as locations and people). I find that the photos then tell me the story or narrative after the fact. The process of editing and sequencing is extremely important to understanding the work. I find that my best work always comes from less of me consciously forcing the photos to happen and more of me walking through the world with my hands open.
Thanks for sharing, man.
Thanks for watching!
Great help! Thanks a lot :)
You're welcome!
1. Bird’s eye view of all pictures
2. Commonality of aesthetic (formal connections e.g. angles) instead of contents
👍
Great video.
Thanks!
Did you release these photos as a zine or book that is available to buy? I would be interested if so!
I haven’t yet. I’ve printed several versions and layouts of the book so far to figure out what I want. But I hope to release a short run of the book in 2021. I’ll be posting more when that happens on my Instagram: @aaronhardinphoto