Join photographer and book maker Adrian Tyler for a one day workshop exploring the practicalities involved in making a photobook dummy. From conception through to design and production, you will explore the practical options available to enhance your project with a view to using the book as a medium to express your photographic work. 

Making a book dummy is an effective tool to help visualise and understand a photo project and in this workshop we will look at the use of different materials, printing techniques and the basics of how to design and produce a simple photobook. 

The day will begin with a short interactive talk by Adrian Tyler on his photographic practice, touching on some of the photobooks he has made and his experience in editorial, corporate and museum book production, as well as his own photography. Following this, participants will spend the morning working in small groups looking at editing and sequencing their work, exploring sizing and pairing photographs.

After lunch at the Foundation (provided), each participant will make a book dummy based on their own photographic project, working with small prints, cutters, glue and different papers. We will then explore how to produce the same layout digitally in a manner suitable for printing on a home printer, in order to produce your book as a singular artwork or to be able to produce multiple copies. 

Because layout and sequencing is a nuanced process, this workshop will from the outset aim to help participants think about where their work comes from on an intimate and personal level, with the intention that this knowledge will bring a clarity of vision necessary to edit and sequence work with greater ease.

This workshop is intended for photographers who have a coherent body of work and are thinking about how to organise their images into a form suitable for printing and have basic knowledge of indesign and photoshop.

Basic production materials will be provided, including a variety of sized papers, adhesives, plus cutting and binding materials. Please bring with you any specialised papers, materials, or ephemera that you would like to use.  

Please bring with you multiple printed copies of your work for sequencing and producing your book dummy. Please include -
- one full set of prints sized within 12cm x 8cm
- larger prints if you would like to experiment with cutting and cropping images
- smaller prints if you would like to experiment with multiple images on a page
- please also bring digital files of your images if possible
 
Include your current outtakes in the main 12cm x 8cm selection as these can often end up being put back into the final production. An A4 laser printer will be available throughout the day. Please also bring a laptop if you have one.

Coffee, tea and lunch will be provided.

Use discount code BOOKMAKER2023 for concession price.

The MPF collection is home to many of Adrian’s handmade book dummies and this workshop has been programmed to coincide with the MPF exhibition ‘Abandoned’, presenting the work of Adrian Tyler and Jill Quigley, on display in the MPF gallery from 28 SEPT to 22 DEC 2023.