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Sequential photography8/13/2023 ![]() As Robinson’s mother told Abril in an interview, “People said: ‘You would not have done any different.’ But yes, I would have.” In this way, the reader could also place themselves in the position of Robinson’s family, who continued to grapple with the signs of bulimia they missed. Through the book, the reader would discover how the death occurred. Abril adds, “The narrative was very much influenced by mysteries and thrillers.” At the start of the story, the central character has been dead for seven years. “After many tries, Laia came up with this idea, and said: Let’s start with the end, and then fill in her story,” Pez says. Several of Pez’s sketches for the cover and layout of Abril’s book. The challenge, Pez says, was to organize material from different periods of time, and rebuild the life of an absent protagonist. ![]() Abril wanted the focus of the book to be on “the collateral victims” of eating disorders. ![]() Abril had photographed and interviewed the family, and they had given her access to mementos, letters and other material to better understand Robinson’s life. In it, Abril tells the story of Cammy Robinson, who had died at the age of 26 from complications of bulimia, in 2006. ![]() One of his more challenging projects, he says, was Abril’s 2014 book The Epilogue. “You’ll discover the idea of the narrative on the last page,” Pez explains. The title refers to the number of homicides committed in Rio between 20. “When you change those things, you are creating a surprise.” In Pina’s new book 46750, on violence in Rio de Janiero, for example, he decided to move the title page to the end. “All readers know you have the end papers, the title page, the colophon,” he notes. To Pez, the book is “a device for telling a story,” and every part of the book can be used to set a mood or introduce an element of the story. “That way I can understand the direction he wants the story to take.” He’ll then look for holes in the story, to see if the photographer needs more images, “or to collaborate with an illustrator or a writer.” Pez says he likes to begin a book project by looking at the photographer’s first edit. Since founding Ramon Pez Studio in Barcelona, Pez has also designed Libyan Sugar by Michael Christopher Brown, The Hunt by Álvaro Laiz, 46750 by João Pina and other photo books. After photographer Cristina de Middel asked them to design her acclaimed 2012 book The Afronauts, Pez and Abril collaborated on Ponte City by Mikhael Subotzky and Patrick Waterhouse, and books featuring Abril’s photos. While working as the senior art director at Colors magazine, Pez learned to “play with visual narrative,” he says, and formed a close collaboration with Abril, who served as the magazine’s photo editor. ![]() In Laia Abril’s book The Epilogue, some pages folded out to reveal information about the life of the subject, a young woman who had died from complications of bulimia. To understand the different ways a series of images can be turned into a compelling photo book, PDN asked respected photo book designers to explain their process for creating visual narratives, and how they have worked with photographers to edit their photo books. “Sometimes lesser quality images that capture a certain mood, or are empty, or even vague can function ideally as a release.” “Like in a film or a novel, you have to build up to the tension and then you need to release the tension.” He typically begins by asking to see the photographer’s outtakes, he says. “If you simply select the best 50 images in a series, it’s not an interesting book, because the tension in the photos is always the same,” says Teun van der Heijden, who has designed many acclaimed photo books including Black Passport by Stanley Greene, Interrogations by Donald Weber and The Autobiography of Miss Wish by Nina Berman. “Do you want him to know everything already, do you want him to be confused, do you want him to get emotional? You play with the content depending on what you want the reader to feel.” “What’s the journey you want your reader to go through?” says Laia Abril, a photographer and editor who has collaborated with designer Ramon Pez on The Afronauts by Cristina de Middel and other photobooks. What makes a successful photo book different from a slide show of images? Experienced book editors say they strive to create a narrative arc that carries the reader from the first page to the last. ![]()
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