How I Made My First Photography Zine: “The Sinking Sun”
I’ve got big news.
After almost a year and a half of taking photos, planning, sequencing different images, and making multiple drafts, my first public photography zine “The Sinking Sun” is finally done.
*claps
I’m giving myself a moment to celebrate because this is a really big milestone.
This is a project I’ve been working on for a very long time.
I’ve always wanted to make some sort of photography book but it’s been difficult to make the time. And this was way harder than it looks.
But now that it’s finally done I can’t wait to share it with you guys.
Today we’re going to break down this photography zine, the process I went through to build it, and the things you guys can do if you want to build your own.
If you’re interested, the zine is now available for pre-order.
I’ll be showing you guys a draft version today, but:
the first edition softcover will be limited to only 50 copies
the special edition hardcover version is limited to just 10 copies
Plus all preorders get a special 11x14 fine art print to go with it.
I make these myself, which usually go for about 50$, but they’re complimentary with all pre-orders.
The zine itself also other add-ons like postcard sets and special prints that go with it.
So if you’re interested, the link is down below.
Lets get started.
Collecting Images
The process began when I first started collecting images of sunsets.
It was around fall of 2022 when I had burned out with this YouTube channel and was trying to find my footing with photography.
During this time I went on tons of walks.
Walks were a great way to clear my mind in-between creative work.
Which, useful tip: if you have a lot going on in your mind, take a walk and change your environment - you’ll feel much better afterwards.
Naturally, I brought my camera along with me and started running into these insane sunsets.
To be honest, I didn’t know the world could look like this - maybe I just never paid attention.
The cover photo for this book I still remember the day I took it.
I was sitting on the hill looking out into the sunset and there were tons of people around me also appreciating the view. The entire sky was stormy, red, and looked unreal.
And it was moments like these that really inspired this book.
Photographing these massive clouds and sunsets melted into a new love of photography for me.
I knew I wanted to make some kind of book, I just didn’t know what.
There was a feeling the world gave me during these moments that I couldn’t describe with words alone.
Making the zine allowed me to lean into that idea, develop that idea, and find a way to express it.
A big lesson I learned when building this book is: the idea comes to life as you work on it.
None of these ideas we have are fully fleshed out.
However, as we work on them little by little, they begin to make more sense.
So that’s how everything started.
If you’re thinking of making a photobook, start with a topic that interests you and begin collecting images around it.
I’d recommend to follow your interests - not what everyone else is doing.
Your interests are unique to you and no one cares as much as you do.
Meaning: if there’s something you want to make, that is your responsibility to make.
You don’t need someone else’s approval to make what you want to make.
So don’t worry about:
whether its good or bad
what people are going to think
if its going against the grain
Your job is to simply make what you are here to make - the rest you can’t worry about.
Picking a Theme
With this book I knew couldn’t just throw a bunch of nice looking images together and call it a day.
That might make it “look good” but I also wanted to go deeper and have more impact.
Plus, I had already done stuff like that before.
So this meant picking a theme that I not only connected with but that others could relate to as well.
I asked myself questions like:
what is the sinking sun?
what do sunsets mean?
why does this matter for them?
what am I trying to express or make them feel?
what do I want them to get out of this?
how can this change their lives?
Many artists construct something to describe what they’re feeling and stop there.
But they aren’t thinking about the audience and what others are seeing as they flip through the pages.
So I wanted to build this book with the audience’s viewpoint in mind.
To create something about an idea I wanted to express that others could understand as well.
That was the big shift for me.
If people don’t “get” your art, it’s because you haven’t communicated it well enough.
That’s the job of the artist.
You can be as subtle or as direct as you want, but you have to craft it in a way that others will understand.
The better and more masterful you are able to communicate this, the “better” your art.
You’ll see when you read it but I chose a very direct approach this time - I’ll play with different styles later.
So what is the central theme of “The Sinking Sun”?
Lets do a brief overview.
The Sinking Sun is not just about sunsets.
Its about what sunsets represent and the feelings we get when watching a sunset.
This is a feeling we can all understand but can’t quite put into words.
We’ve all had those moments when we’re out watching the sunset with friends or family, looking off into the view, and thinking about life.
Everyone, everywhere, not just you and me, are gathered together to watch the same thing and get the same feeling.
We are all different people, have different bodies, different lives, but somehow by looking at the same thing we can all experience the same emotions.
I find that incredible.
I’ll read you one of the quotes from the zine:
“Golden hour is our daily reminder that now is not forever.”
That’s the idea.
The Sinking Sun is about our limited time here on this planet.
When the sun sets we are reminded that any and every day could be our last.
That’s what makes life special.
If we lived forever, we simply wouldn’t care.
So I end the book with a call to action.
When the sun finally sets are you happy with how things end?
Sunsets are a metaphor for our lives.
We think we have time but we really don’t - and we also waste a lot of it.
Some people waste their entire lives simply by not living a life they want.
Meaning if you’re not spending your most finite resource, time, in a way that is worth it for you, what are you doing?
Whether you realize it or not, the clock is ticking.
And the sun is sinking.
That’s the book.
Here’s a few questions to help you pick a theme:
what is an idea or concept that I truly connect with?
what is an idea or concept that many people can relate to?
what is something I can make based on where I live or photos I already have?
Putting It Together
Lets talk about printing, materials, and all of that.
What you’ll see here is a draft version - there are a few changes I still have to make for the final version.
The book itself is printed on satin paper.
If you don’t know what satin paper is, it’s a type of semigloss paper that’s in-between luster and semigloss.
Semigloss paper usually has no texture, while luster typically has a more aggressive texture.
I use satin and luster for most of the fine art prints I sell.
This gives me the contrast and color rendition I want, without being shiny like glossy paper or muted like matte paper.
This draft version has a glossy outside finish while the final softcover will feature a matte laminate finish.
That way it’ll be nice and soft to the touch.
When making this book, I had the choice of printing through a company or making it on my own.
This was a tough decision to make because I’m quite picky about the print quality of my work.
All of the single prints I sell, 13x19 and below, I make on my own.
This gives me more control over the print, which allows me to get the best quality.
Because of this I tried to handmake the books myself.
Unfortunately, this didn’t turn out so well…
It was difficult finding a paper that was good enough, of the right specs, and affordable for this kind of project.
Plus, my bookbinding skills are pretty bad…
But trust me, I did my best to make this book as good as it could be.
Ultimately, I decided to outsource the printing and am quite happy with the results.
This is going to cost more money upfront but I think it’ll be worth it.
I’ve also lowered my expectations a bit, because this is a zine, and logistics wise it’s not supposed to be of the same quality as something you’d put on your wall.
There were two main things I was concerned about:
color rendition
contrast
Because it’s a sunset zine, the colors had to pop and the contrast had to be bold.
So as long as those were good, I was good.
And safe to say, they came out well.
What I Learned From Building this Book
Building this zine took a long time.
Collecting images itself took about a year.
The building process took about 5 months.
This was a gradual process of building and rebuilding over and over again.
There was a lot of frustration.
There were times I thought of simply scrapping the whole idea to begin with.
When building this photography zine I had many many doubts like:
“no one’s gonna care”
“its just a bunch of dumb pictures”
“there are way better photographers out there than you”
“it’s not going to be good, you’re not good enough to make what you want yet”
All of that and more.
And I know that deep down it’s merely my dumb insecure self talking.
But those were still big obstacles I had to overcome.
So I kept at it and made it work.
It was only after I went through this process and finished the project that I realized that the real benefit of building the photobook wasn’t the book itself.
Building the book satisfied my “artist self”.
But the true benefit was: overcoming all of these barriers in the process.
By making something that challenged me, I became a better creator.
And this isn’t to overinflate it, because it’s just a book, but that’s what it felt like to me.
Creating a more serious project not only challenged me but leveled me up.
This growth will allow me to do bigger and harder projects in the future.
The doubts I have may remain, but I’m going to make the thing anyways.
Why?
Because I want to.
Because I can.
And there doesn’t need to be any bigger or deeper reason than that.
So if you have something you want to do, understand: we have it all backwards.
It’s often we think we have to be good to make something - but it’s actually the reverse.
For example, we might think: “I have to be a great photographer or have a massive audience before I can make a book.”
Wrong.
You don’t need to be a world class photographer to make a photobook.
You don’t have to have a hundred billion subscribers to make a photobook.
That’s all.
Doing the work is the only permission you need.
All these other things is just our own minds telling us “we can’t”, because we don’t think we can.
You probably don’t feel ready to make the thing.
You’ll probably never feel ready to make the thing.
Make it anyways.
If you make the project anyways you’ll become better by making it.
So if there’s anything you want to do, make, or create, tell yourself:
That’s the envelope we have to push in creativity.
Every day we are teetering on the edge of our own limits.
If we aren’t doing that, we are not growing.
It may be uncomfortable, but it’s necessary.
If you’re looking to build anything, do it - even if you don’t feel ready.
I hope this bit of advice could help.
If it did, please share this with a friend who may also find it useful.
And don’t forget to preorder your copy of the zine before they’re all gone.
Thanks so much for reading.
Have a great day.
