After meeting with fellow photographer Steve Immel nearly a month ago, it was easy to realize that the get together not only kicked our respective creative juices into high gear, but provided enough subject matter to keep me busy through the remainder of the year and beyond.

Many of you know that photography, writing, assorted media, and libraries have filled my life since I was roughly ten years old.  In the beginning, I was what some called a reluctant reader.  But when, in ninth grade,  I ended up working in a public library after school and on weekends, I started to appreciate books.  Being a visual person, children's books and their amazing illustrations captivated me, along with art and photography books. I am always happy to read stories about the printed word and books making a "comeback", although they really never left.

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But what I want to address today is the book as a source of history and data.  There have always been history books, but I am referring to the incredible gifts a friend's mother gave to all the children in her family.  These were books filled with photographs of their lives from the time they were born until the point in time when she would complete the books.  That friend has been doing the same thing for her daughter and granddaughters, and I think it is an exceptional labor of love.  I have a photo album my mother made for me.  Here is an image of the cover.  I like the graphics and format of the book.  

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The inside pages are probably some sort of high end, black construction paper.  The photographs were held in place by "corners" that were glued onto the pages so they could be removed if necessary.  Very old school, but functional.     

 Below is a loose photograph on the black paper.  

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When I began photographing weddings, I searched far and wide for the best quality photo albums I could find to present to the bride and groom. There were variations on a theme of style and methods for actually keeping photographs in place, including paper that was coated with a light adhesive and then covered with a thin, see-through plastic, to albums with pages of plastic sleeves in which photos could be inserted.   Problem was, if your wedding lasted more than, oh, say, 50 years, the glues on the corners and on the paper would become dry, or the plastic sleeves would change in consistency allowing photographs to fall out and get lost or ruined.  One of the greatest ideas, in my opinion, that has come from the so-called computer age, is the ability of everyone who has a computer and the creative desire, to use template driven software and design, build, and publish your own book.  I highly recommend it.  It is the most secure and stable way of keeping memories, and you can hold it in your hands for a lifetime.  You don't have to worry about prints falling out, and you can include and arrange your best images with a personal touch.  

There are any number of websites through which you can make a book.  And yes, it does feel as if it is expensive, but for me, as a photographer, I remember how much it cost to buy color film and have it developed, have larger prints made, and work in the darkroom to develop black and white prints. Photography has never been an inexpensive hobby or career.  In actuality, I think making a book online might be less expensive than the entire process I previously used, although I have not done the math.  And now, I can create a book for the married couple with what I consider the best and most interesting photographs, roughly sixty pages, along with a thumb drive with all the images for their use.   

The image here is of a book featuring the collection of photographs I put together for an exhibit in Eldorado in 2013.  It has its own place on a shelf, where it can be viewed and enjoyed.  I used Blurb to make this book.  It was the second book I did with their template-driven software.  

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My hope is that each of you can bring your photographs together and create a book with them, for whatever reason.  They are part of your life and deserve to be kept in perpetuity.

Thanks to Jean & Sam, Marilyn G., Connie, Louise, Gustavo, TTT, Lisa, Lawrence, Catherine, Victoria, Steve, Brena, Sara, M. Fred B, and Veronica for writing last week and commenting on the hummingbirds.  I hope to get my last photos of their 2026 season in the mountains this week. 

until next week,

DB

a passion for the image©