Creating your first street photography zine
I know that many (if not most) people who come on my workshops aspire to create a street photography zine or book. For the uninitiated it may seem like a daunting task - but it shouldn’t be. One of my workshop clients, Rob Mandel, recently produced his first zine and I asked him to talk about his experience . . .
Where did the idea come from?
For most of us the easiest streets to photograph are those in our neighbourhood. While the local area is unlikely to have the ‘pzazz’ of midtown Manhattan, it’s probably more accessible, and with a bit of exploration can yield its unique character – for better or worse!
Although a Liverpudlian, I have lived in Prestwich (midway between Manchester & Bury) for many years. However, since retirement it has become not just a venue for errands, but a place to wander and explore its damp ‘shabby-chicness’ with open eyes and a camera. After much procrastination, my ideas evolved, I drew photographs together and produced my first photo-zine - ‘Prestwich Perspectives’.
There was a particular motivating factor. The centre of Prestwich is imminently due for a major redevelopment such that the areas where most of the photos were shot will soon disappear in its current form. This has given the project a degree of urgency and of extra meaning – if only in terms of providing an excuse for some early nostalgia.
What’s the project about?
The initial idea was to pull together some of my many neighbourhood images as I felt they deserved a wider public audience, and I wanted to share my impressions of Prestwich with the people of Prestwich. I didn’t want to formally document the area but to gather together a candid, affectionate and hopefully imaginative take on my patch of suburbia.
My fascination with street photography and abstracted styles has influenced my approach such that the collection draws together straight candid representational images with more impressionistic ones. I have tried to include light-hearted and comic elements – an approach which always draws me.
I hope that the zine will help locals to reflect on the space and community which is being lost with the impending physical changes.
What was your experience of shooting the images?
Shooting in ‘Downtown Prestwich’ felt very different to that in the City Centre. After all, who legitimately photographs suburbia other than estate agents?! Nevertheless, pressing on through self-consciousness and some suspicious glances (as, I guess, we all do), I accumulated several hundred pictures. The proximity of the area to my home enabled me to shoot over hundreds of visits, at differing times of day, weather, moods etc. and to photograph locals and environments from a range of differing perspectives.
What gear did you use?
I’m not particularly ‘gear-focused’ but I have and used two x-series Fujifilm cameras. I have recently been led by the hype and acquired a GR3, the portability of which has opened up picture taking into times and places I would not previously have photographed. The zine’s rear cover was shot with the ‘ever-so-wide’ setting on my Android phone.
How did you design and print the zine?
I leafed through several other photo-zines trying to identify the features which I liked and, in some cases those I wished to avoid. I had not previously taken much notice of type and thickness of paper, layout style or choice of appropriate cover images. So, in a cliché, it has been a ‘steep learning curve’ but a satisfying one.
I targeted the zine at both the local population as well as at photo enthusiasts. Consequently, I added an introduction to outline the project and its rationale.
What difficulties did you encounter?
As this was my first publication, I felt rather apprehensive facing a new challenge. However, working through each stage, I found myself formulating ideas as to how to shape the project. Key difficulties included:
How to select the pictures. I wanted to present a diverse array of photographs, using a range of differing styles in both colour and black & white. Hence, the inevitable downside of diversity is that the project doesn’t quite hang together as well as it might.
Getting to grips with the Mixam software. As with all new systems it took forever to perform the simplest of functions until such time as it’s worked out – at which point it was fairly intuitive and speedy.
I felt that a few of the images lacked sufficient ‘punch’ in printed form. However, once I sold my first batch of 30 (in just over 2 weeks), I re-edited some photos to give them a little more impact.
I hadn’t given much thought to the price of the zine. I’d estimated that £6 was a reasonable figure to go for but when I saw the finished product, I felt that I’d underpriced it.
Choosing a title that was not twee, pretentiously over-intellectualized and actually reflected the content, was ‘agony’! As with all the picture selections, it ended in a compromise.
Throughout the project I felt that I was operating in a bit of a ‘critical vacuum’ ie without adequate feedback or critique. Once completed, I received useful feedback from Brian which will be helpful for future projects.
What to do with the proceeds? My initial aim was just to cover printing costs but decided to approach a local charity and donate to them.
In the end, I’ve produced a quality zine which, somehow, I both love and hate – it’s quite good, but the next one will be better!
What advice would you give to others who are considering doing their first zine?
Bearing in mind that I am still a novice in zine-world, a few suggestions.
If you fancy making a zine, don’t delay (as I did), just do it.
Think through a theme that feels important to you and decide what you want to say with it.
Decide what audience you want to appeal to and direct the zine to them.
Enjoy the process!
Where can people buy a copy?
I currently have plenty copies left to sell. If you would like to buy one, contact me via Instagram: robert.mandel.16 or r.mandel2019
Copies are £6 each. Postage is (gasp!) £2.10.
All proceeds to Prestwich Street Kitchen – details of which are included with each zine.
