Hi Marco,
Thanks for taking the time. You’ve recently kicked off as the first independent publisher focussed solely on street photography. There are several publishing houses that offer street photography books. In what way will the Eyeshot books add to the existing spectrum? And what made you decide to shift from magazine making into publishing books?
There are several publishing houses that offer street photography books indeed, however, Eyeshot wants to be different by focusing solely on street photography and by innovating some of the aspects of the publishing business associated to photo books. One of the key aim for Eyeshot is to consolidate a strong relationship with the artists, making sure they receive fair royalties for their books. Moreover, these books will be published as part of a limited edition series, an essential feature of Eyeshot publications. The transition from the magazine to the book publisher has been well planned from the very beginning, as are our future initiatives.
You offer six street photography books at the moment. What motivated your choice for the specific photographers?
The choice of the six photographers has been very well planned and not easy at all. The fact that the artists are all from different nationalities has been an important element as it’s their excellent photographic practice. More photographers will be added to the series with the aim to cover an even bigger spectrum for the contemporary street photography.
Is it important for you that a photographer is already known in order to make a publication, or are you also open to lesser known names? Can photographers approach you with an idea for a book?
The book production costs are all on Eyeshot, without asking the artists any financial contribution. Moreover, the realisation of the books is based on fine materials for the limited editions. We truly invest in the artists. For Eyeshot it’s important that the whole book works. Sure thing, less known photographers can submit their work! We actually have some news coming soon about this, this first series it’s only part of a bigger publishing plan! It’s also worth mentioning that Eyeshot offers to everyone the chance to submit their work and to be published on the website and on our Instagram page.
Can you tell something about the process, how did you work together with the photographers? Did you make editorial choices together?
The process is still a work in progress and so far it has been long and very interesting. Eyeshot loves collaborating with the artists so a lot of choices are made together and in different steps, for example the photo selection. The editing is entirely curated by Eyeshot though, along with other design elements, because of the idea of the limited edition series behind the book publishing. For sure, despite Eyeshot having the full control, everyone involved in the publication needs to be happy for it to be a success!
What was the biggest challenge during the process?
Every aspect is a challenge for Eyeshot as the project is based on millions of details to be taken care of. For example, both paper and packaging decisions passed at least ten tests! The decisions around the graphic elements needed to create a cohesive series for very different photographers, has been a difficult one. Every detail is a challenge because we are after best quality and great innovation. Eyeshot wants to go beyond the photo book publications to create something that truly represents the artists and becomes an experience for the readers.
What is your dream for Eyeshot in general?
Eyeshot’s aims to become an example of quality and innovation within the photo book publishing industry. A recognised and recognisable brand which readers refer to when talking about street photography.
You can see & pre-order the books here.
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© All the pictures in this post are copyrighted. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
by Julie Hrudová, founder of StreetRepeat
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