Photo Books & The Kindle: Is The Writing On The Wall?

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A lot can be and has been said about the transformation of the publishing world. In the last few years photographers have been given the power to self-publish through PDF based e-books and through self-publishing services such as LuLu and Blurb. In a short period of time I’ve seen numerous photographers, amateur to professional, experiment with these avenues of publication. With the announcement of the Kindle DX another step has been taken in the evolution of how readers consume content. How does this translate to the creators of photographs?

While I’m all for technological development the Kindle still strikes me as having a lot of room to grow particularly when it comes to real world use beyond text heavy books. Boasting a 16-level gray scale display it reminds me of the limitations, yet promise of the old Macintosh 512K and Macintosh Plus computers. While each product is technically sophisticated in its own right for its time, both are limited by their early stage of product development and availability of advanced components. Don’t get me wrong I know the Kindle DX and Kindle use innovative parts, but compared to what is to come it will look quite primitive. Much can be said about any product I suppose, but in this case the best is yet to come particularly with flexible OLED displays poised to become mainstream.

Would anyone in their right mind buy a photo book on a Kindle or Kindle DX today? Not likely and for that reason its highly unlikely that Amazon will be producing any photo books anytime soon. Even a B&W photo book would need a more robust display. From the availability of instructional books like The Digital Photography Book, Volume 1 (Kindle Edition) the future might be closer than you’d think. I’d imagine the display of this type of book will certainly resonate with early adopter technophiles, but for true fine art photo fans it would seem the technology has a way to go.

E-books for photographer or fine art photography fans focusing purely on the electronic display of photos still seem to be a faint glimmer in the distance, but it would be a wise decision to keep your eye open for developments on the horizon or just over it. It’s beginning to look like the pieces are coming together to make this avenue of publishing a reality leaving two questions…

Will photographers be ready to provide e-book content?
Will people adopt viewing fine art photography through e-books?

Question 1 would seem to be dependent on question 2. Most photographers don’t waste time and energy unless they feel there is a market for their efforts. What’s your take? Will people adopt a Kindle or Kindle-like product to view photography books or photo rich media and for that matter what about video? Given the demand existed today how does publishing your photos in the medium sit with you?

A Photo Comparison of Kindle Klassic and Kindle 2 – A Kindle World

Hands-On: Kindle DX Is a Pricey Pleasure — Despite Many Flaws – Wired

Hands-on: Amazon Kindle DX – CrunchGear

Technorati Tags: Kindle, e-book, ebook, photography, self-publishing, publishing, Blurb, LuLu

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Posted by Jim on 05.07.2009 at 1:46 am
Tagged: Hardware, News & Current Events, Photography, Technology , Photography, Technology

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Sandra Lee Tatum

The idea sits very well with me- I'm a documentary photographer and writer who is eager to share my credited (c) images and text with as many viewers as possible. I'm thrilled by the idea of being among the pioneer artists for photo book e-publishing. Please Kindle- do create a venue for my photo book as soon as reasonably possible and do assist with underwritten support for my strategic communication plan. Kindle rocks!

Jim Goldstein

"I just see parallels to old discussions about film vs. digital - and certainly it seems we have moved past that."
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Well some have and many have not. Perhaps many in the circle we know have, but I was just at a Sebastiao Salgado talk and the host Ken Light clearly had not. No matter what change in format may be underway there will certainly always be people strongly in favor of one or the other. For many such things are a form of ones identity. There's nothing wrong with that... its just human nature.

Mark

I can certainly appreciate the points Guy has made here. I certainly feel much the same when it comes to a hand held photograph versus viewing one on a monitor. With regards to the questions about what we are giving up - I am not sure. Perhaps there is room for both. I still enjoy live music more than I do a recording - whether digital or otherwise. I will go see live music whenever I have the opportunity. But having the recordings available to me, now my entire music library on a single device - allows me to be able to enjoy it more often. Perhaps therein is the fit for such technology in photo books. For as many images that remain in my mind for inspiration, it certainly would be nice to have them with me to flip through whenever I felt the need for that extra boost.

I certainly see the benefits in textbooks and other such media where a professor doesn't need to release a new edition, print another batch and obsolete the old text at the price of various resources. I just see parallels to old discussions about film vs. digital - and certainly it seems we have moved past that.

Aggie Villanueva

You're welcome, Jim. I too am tracking this whole VOOK thing. They don't have much info right now, but it interests me too. Have a great one.

Jim Goldstein

@Ivan It's an interesting perspective that you hold about there being greater resolution in viewing photos electronically. I think that can only be true if the photographer releases his images in high resolution of course. I've always found Printed photos to be the best way to view them, but perhaps I'm old school. If and when a book or ebook or whatever is released of my photos I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks for adding to the conversation and your kind compliment.
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@Aggie Thanks for the info on Vook unfortunately they don't have much information out about themselves. I'll be sure to track their announcements to learn more and thanks for the link back to this post.
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@Guy <-- its Internet lingo I didn't make it up :)
No doubt there is a flaw in our society when people would be happier to view a virtual version of the world that is itself right outside their door. Another facet of this problem was discussed in an older post of mine Fewer Americans Visiting National Parks. Why? Lets see… Clearly the ethos regarding nature and wildlife suffers in the US as it does in many countries. Few people are exposed early enough to thinking about nature, conservation, and the impact of man. A lot could be said also of the average activity level of Americans as well. For many a drive-through is getting out.
Nature and wildlife photographers are in a true pickle when it comes to marketing. For many to be successful in reaching an audience you have to embrace some of the tactics that you also despise. Finding the balance is the key. The discussion of the technology available to reach people is meant to spur discussion and thought about how that balance can be achieved. For some like yourself it is clearly going to be outside a comfort zone to market to people through such devices. At the same time perhaps by marketing through such a device you can conserve other resources that would be used for more traditional marketing efforts. It's a personal choice, yet a choice that can't be made if you're not aware of the options or present/future behavior of your audience.
As always your comments are great. Thanks for adding to the conversation!

Guy

Just call me Guy. I only use the "@" for formal occasions :)

Just how far do you take the "market and sell" argument? We're already exposed to over 3,000 ads a day, on average. What's the marginal value of adding the 3,001st? Worth the sacrifices?

I certainly see the proverbial writing on the wall, and I realize I'm in the minority, but it does make me sad.

More examples: someone built an IMax theater next to the Grand Canyon! When it comes to a bona fide Wonder-Of-The-World, some people actually prefer to travel all the way and then see the movie rather than the real thing. Here in Utah, the taxidermy display at Cabela's is a greater tourist attraction than 5 national parks!

I guess I'm old fashioned. When I'm at the Grand Canyon, I'll go for a hike. I'll drive the extra 200 miles and deal with the trails and the weather to see real wildlife rather than stuffed dummies, and any advertiser out there who thinks they can sell me something through Kindle can scratch me off the list right now.

"For if there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life. " --Albert Camus

Guy

Aggie Villanueva

If ebook type photography is accepted, I doubt it will be through Kindle. More likely it will go the course that the VOOK has set. See my report: The Vook: the opposite of Kindle http://www.visualartsjunction.com/?p=1079

BTW, Jim. I'm posting a brief report on the Kindle DX right now will link to this article of yours for my readers. Thankx for your insights here.

Ivan Makarov

I don't see a point in Kindle as it exists now. Why would I spend as much on a reading device as I can on a fully functional computer?

As for ebooks, I actually bought ebooks from William Neill and Don Smith, and published my own portfolio PDF through InDesign and Acrobat Pro, which presents my photos in my opinion better than the website does, and it's since been downloaded hundreds of times.

I think there's a future there. First, the authors selling an ebook get a lot more profit per download than if they had to sell it through a bookstore and pay publishing fees. Second, we're at the point where definition on the screen is higher than in print, so you see more detail in images than if you bought the actual book.

Finally, Jim, if you ever decide to publish a PDF/ebook with some of your work, I know I'll buy it right away. I love your work, and if there was a way to appreciate it in high definition and without watermarks, even for a small fee, I'd love to.

Jim

@Zak it was just a matter of time
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@Mark I think its going to be a blessing and a curse. There is something magical about the tangible nature of photographs. Once that disappears I fear the impact of photography may forever be changed.
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@Guy On one hand I totally agree. I used to enjoy going to a music store with friends to find music and have pleasant surprises of finding hidden gems. Now buying music is a sterile process of searching online alone to find what you want. Strange to think a new generation of people have completely missed out on this type of experience. The same will be true when all books are purchased this way. On the other hand the ability to market and sell products in this fashion is going to become quite appealing as the cost and burden to do so will likely be lower. With the good comes the bad. If only there was a way to balance it. I suppose the audience will fracture and there will always be those that love certain types of books in print while others will focused on speed and convenience.
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@David Exceptional comment. I've not messed with a Kindle first hand, but I'd love to give one a test run to see what kind of interactivity is possible. I agree having the ability to link to additional sales mechanisms would be ideal and would certainly entice quite a few photographers/videographers to get content out for such a device. The next step I suppose if they kept such linking application proprietary might be an Apple like App store, but for secondary products. I'd prefer an open market model.

David Sanger

Question 3. Will eBook publishing provide sufficient revenues for authors and photographers to be able to do the work of putting a book together?

Possible answer: enhanced book with click-thru links to additional services. eg. click a picture, buy a print, send a card, license as stock, even click thru to sponsor sites.

Then rather than a bookreader you have a netbook.

Guy

As with so many discussions about technology, it may also be worth considering what we may be giving up. Very few man-made institutions offer mystery and inspiration these days but old libraries and used book stores are such places. I'm sure many of the readers, like me, could spend hours in one of those - the older and the messier the better, and come home loaded with treasures acquired for just a few dollars. The whole experience - sights, smells, not knowing what gem will present itself among the volumes on the next shelf is not compatible with modern technology. It's too bad technology is so often the enemy of romance.
Put encyclopedias, self-help books, and the tax code on these devices but keep the good stuff on paper. Let it age a bit so it is just a little off white, hold it close to your face to breathe in the rich aroma of an old book, and take it to bed with you.
I for one am not snuggling up with anything that has an acronym or model number in its name :)

Guy

Mark

I can't wait to see OLED hit the photo book market (or any book market for that matter.) As much as I enjoy flipping through my current coffee table books, I look at my full bookshelf and simply can't see purchasing many more unless it is really special. I have already told family and friends - no more books!

Personally I see it as a perfect fit.