A photo book or photobook is a book in which

photograph A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitivity, photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. Th ...

s make a significant contribution to the overall content. A photo book is related to and also often used as a

coffee table book A coffee table book, also known as a cocktail table book, is an oversized, usually hard-covered book whose purpose is for display on a table intended for use in an area in which one entertains guests and which can serve to inspire conversation o ...

Early

Early photo books are characterized by their use of photographic printing as part of their reprographic technology. Photographic prints were tipped-in rather than printed directly onto the same paper stock used for

letterpress Letterpress printing is a technique of relief printing for producing many copies by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against individual sheets of paper or a continuous roll of paper. A worker composes and locks movable t ...

printed text. Many early titles were printed in very small editions and were released as partworks to a network of well-informed and privileged readers. Few original examples of these books survive today, due to their vulnerability to light and damage caused by frequent handling. What is arguably the first photo book, '' Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions'' (1843–1853) was created by

Anna Atkins Anna Atkins (; 16 March 1799 – 9 June 1871) was an English botanist and photographer. She is often considered the first person to publish a book illustrated with photographic images. Some sources say that she was the first woman to create a ...

. The book was released as a partwork to assist the scientific community in the identification of marine specimens. The non-silver

cyanotype The cyanotype (from , and , ) is a slow-reacting, photographic printing formulation sensitive to a limited near-ultraviolet and blue light spectrum, the range 300 nm to 400 nm known as UVA radiation. It produces a monochrome, blu ...

printing process worked by pressing actual specimens in contact with light-sensitive paper; hence the word "impression" in the book's title. '' The Pencil of Nature'' (1844–46) was produced by

William Henry Fox Talbot William Henry Fox Talbot (; 11 February 180017 September 1877) was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the Salt print, salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later 19th ...

, who had invented the

Calotype Calotype or talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot, using paper coated with silver iodide. Paper texture effects in calotype photography limit the ability of this early process to record low ...

photographic process in 1839. Although significant as the first negative/positive photography process, the Calotype was also envisioned as a commercial prospect for the reproduction of images in books through mass publication. Anticipating commercial success, Fox Talbot established purpose-made printing premises in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

to carry out the reproduction of his book. '' The Pencil of Nature'' was released in six parts between 1844 and 1846, to an initially promising list of private subscribers whose numbers dwindled, causing the premature termination of his project.

Julia Margaret Cameron Julia Margaret Cameron (; 11 June 1815 – 26 January 1879) was an English photographer who is considered one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. She is known for her Soft focus, soft-focus close-ups of famous Victorian era, ...

created the first photo book to illustrate a literary work. The 1874 edition of

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's ...

's ''

Idylls of the King ''Idylls of the King'', published between 1859 and 1885, is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892; Poet Laureate from 1850) which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love f ...

'' contained twelve Cameron images that had been specially created, but reproduced as

wood engraving Wood engraving is a printmaking technique, in which an artist works an image into a block of wood. Functionally a variety of woodcut, it uses relief printing, where the artist applies ink to the face of the block and prints using relatively l ...

s. Cameron sought her own publisher, creating a new version of ''Idylls of the King,'' containing her original photographs as albumen prints, which came out in December of the same year.

Japanese

Photographers such as

Shinzō Fukuhara was a Japanese photographer. He was born in Kyōbashi-ku, Tokyo, on 25 July 1883, as the fourth son of Arinobu Fukuhara, the head of Apothecary Shiseidō (which in 1927 would be incorporated as Shiseidō) and Toku Fukuhara (). The third brothe ...

were producing photography books in the 1920s. The postwar years brought low-priced photography books, such as the many volumes of Iwanami Shashin Bunko magazine. From the 1950s onward, most Japanese photographers of note have had photo books published. The simplest Japanese translation of photo book is ''shashinshū'' (), and the ''shashinshū'' section of a typical Japanese bookstore displays books of photographs with various levels of documentary or

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

istic merit. They primarily portray currently popular

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

in a variety of settings and outfits. Many are of

cheesecake Cheesecake is a dessert made with a soft fresh cheese (typically cottage cheese, cream cheese, quark or ricotta), eggs, and sugar. It may have a crust or base made from crushed cookies (or digestive biscuits), graham crackers, pastry, ...

models (''guradoru''), or porn starlets (''nūdoru''); others are of singers, television personalities, professional sportswomen (often wrestlers) and so forth. One of the best selling Japanese photobooks of all time, '' Santa Fe'' (1991), a fine art nude photo book modelled by Rie Miyazawa and photographed by

Kishin Shinoyama was a Japanese photographer. He is well-known for having photographed the covers for John Lennon and Yoko Ono's albums, ''Double Fantasy'' and ''Milk and Honey (album), Milk and Honey''. Before his marriage to Saori Minami in 1979, he took a ma ...

, sold 1.5 million copies in the early 1990s.

Personalized

Storing digital images in traditional photo albums means printed copies are inserted in the pages of an album. Companies allow users to create personalized photo books. The resulting book is printed on digital color printers and case bound. Professional printing and binding services offer easy creation of photo books with professional layouts and individual layout capabilities. Because of the integrated design and order workflow, hardcover bound books with customized pictures and text can be produced very cost-effectively. Currently there are many photo book software companies who sell licensed solutions to photo labs and print houses so that their customers can create photo books (and other photo related paraphernalia) with ease. These software solutions are available for free download or online access or through apps.

Sources

* Parr, Martin, and Gerry Badger. ''The Photobook: A History.'' London: Phaidon, 2006. Vol 2. *Parr, Martin. ''The Photobook: A History''. London: Phaidon, 2004. Vol 1. * Heiting, Manfred, and Roland Jaeger (ed.): ''Autopsie. Deutschsprachige Fotobuecher 1918 bis 1945''. Band 1; Goettingen:

Steidl Steidl is a German-language publisher based in Göttingen, Germany. Founded in 1968 by Gerhard Steidl, it publishes photobooks. Overview The company was started by Gerhard Steidl.Bill Kouwenhoven, "Off to see the wizard", ''British Journa ...

Verlag, 2012.

References

External links