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Album Award for Kiwi Photographer
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(07/16/2010)
On Monday I read a story
about obsession. Some
people have a compulsion
to do their best, often at
the sacrifice of what may be
deemed as ‘normal’ behaviour.
For the last four weeks before
writing this article I have had
a singular focus on creating an
outstanding album for the New
Zealand Institute of Professional
Photography awards.
There were many reasons why
this was worth the effort.
If I am successful it will be
my third such award in a row.
If I am not I have just created
a wonderful piece of art. If it is
unsuccessful, the learning exercise
was intensive and beneficial.
The outcome is a beautiful
book of somebody’s dream.
This is not without help
however, as I had the constant
support of Jo, my wife, and the
efforts of Queensberry.
At a late stage and incredibly
busy moment for Heather we
agreed on a design for the book
and she spun her magic to create
something truly amazing for
us.
I wanted to create a book
that was like a personal and
intimate journal.
I wanted to tell a story in a
less than obvious way
I wanted the book to say
these things before you even
opened it.
I referred to the feel of the
album as being similar to your
old, comfortably worn couch –
this couch is the one where you
sit in the sun and read while listening
to the music that moves
you. It gives you comfort and
has a reality, almost a wisdom,
about it that comes from years
of being a couch.
I wanted the viewer to feel an
honesty and a beauty when they
held this amazing book.
I wanted it to suggest a
quality that said way more than
a bunch of photographs on a
page.
This album wanted to be
suggestive of a rich reward to
anybody who had the privilege
to hold it, and the curiosity to
look inside
You could argue – “but it’s
just a book of pictures!”.
In one sense you might be
right, but the truth is that it is
somebody’s dream that we have
retold. Dreams are worth more
than that.
Effectively I wanted the book
to say ‘respect me’, but I wanted
that respect to be earned
I approached Heather Baugh
from Queensberry about how
this might be possible.
By good fortune they were
working on a new concept for
their albums that would be
unique, bespoke, and based on a
very similar concept.
I feel that Queensberry are
very in tune with my needs. This
is why they have my loyalty and
support.
I designed the album using PJ
remix. I had an idea that story
needed to unfold in a unique
way – I started off being mysterious
and not revealing the face
of the bride until she was in the
church. I thought it was a great
idea but everybody else missed
the point and asked why!
I conceded and added some
portraits.
I wanted the story to unfold
with “the answers coming almost
in time with the questions”.
I wanted to say that Weddings
can be overwhelming,
and that there is a fairytale
part, that is flavoured with the
love for each other, family, and
friends.
I chose to work with creative
imagery punctuated by images
that told more of the story.
I wanted to reveal the feelings
and the beauty.
The bride was a paper conservator,
so I was very aware of
the tactile aspects of the album.
The skirt on her dress looked
like gracefully crumpled tissue
paper. It was incredible.
I desaturated the images to
emphasise the tonality over the
colour
I changed the ‘tone of the
monochromatic prints as the
day progressed into the evening.
This change was to represent
the closing in of the darkness.
But I wanted it to be a realisation
more than being a statement.
I enjoy the idea that even
after several viewings of the
album you might still discover
new things each time
I kept the design simple
adopting a style which, predominantly,
had a single key or
art image supported by one or
more smaller supporting images.
The wedding was in Barcelona.
At the time I was disappointed
to have absolutely no
time to create imagery with the
daunting Spanish architecture.
In hindsight we did very well –
but it would have been fabulous
to take the bride and groom on
an exploration.
In another bit of hindsight I
would admit that the imagery
was not about the cityscape,
The imagery was about the
bride and groom, their families
and friends, and their feelings.
I sent the design to the bride
for inspirations and she replied
with this note:
“I loved the choice of photos...
(a funny anecdote: you took a
very good portrait of a stranger
and used it for the album! We
always found this so funny so
we´d like the stranger to be there
– after all, so many strangers
clapped at us when we left the
Salo de Cent, or afterwards when
we were leaving… what a trip! \
“And the fountains on for us…
also full of strangers smiling at
us… we were in a cloud and saw
them as part of us all…
“I collected the album the
other day and it was even better
than I imagined.”
So, the album is made it is a
beautiful graceful friend. It is
the keeper of a dream, and the
teller of a story. It will live in a
special place, and it will tell its
owners that once upon a time
in beautiful place there lived
a handsome prince and a very
pretty bride.
– Johannes van Kan