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Self Publishing is a concept that is to old to be new, but young enough that people on mass are not really aware. Many photographers have books, it seems a right of passage as time passes and photographers grow. Getting published is the goal for many photographers, young and old. We make our best works in the hope to be ‘published’. A few years ago, taking things into your hands and self publishing was seen as a: a weak way out as no one else would publish you, or b: on a personal quest for glory.  These days, this is very different world and the concept of self publishing is very much alive and kicking.

A number of years ago, getting your work printed in a hard back edition was going to be very expensive indeed. One of the only ways was to speak to a wonderful high end company like Album Epoca (who I do use and love) for a one of bespoke album of the highest grade. These books lived at home with us and never got shown or shared. Along came Blurb and gave us another route. The book below is my first leap in to the world of Blurb, a 14o page telling the one view of my last two years..

A collection of portraiture and landscape photography from 2010 – 2012, Shot by Dave Kai Piper. Locations such as London, Italy, and America combined with stunning art photography and beautiful portraiture. This book is has many of my favourite images including the “Flying Horse” and the “Ice Queen” photograph as well as many new UNSEEN images. -  Book Link on Blurb: http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/3443818 

Book Link on Blurb: http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/3443818

Over at DKP educational, we run this thing called `The Book Project`. The aim of this program is to help inspire and channel a photographers vision into a curated, hard copy of there visual imaginings.

I love being able to say to people, I am a ‘photographer’, this is what I do, and pass them a finely printed body of work that is only viewed in context, designed from cover to cover to provide all the answers to the questions the viewer will have. When creating a project such as a self publishing project, it really will draw out the wider questions. What are you photographing, why are you photographing it, what are you trying to say? It is only when you step back and look at the wider picture you can see how you are going to begin to answer these questions.

Photography does involve the physical creation of a photograph. Digital files are not photographs, they are digital files and will been seen as such.

Creating a body of work is a challenge for even the best creative minds. To stack on track, with a single focus or story is a tough job, a couple of years ago, I decided to really focus on printing my work as I go to document the change in style and progress. Looking back is a frightful journey sometimes, but fun also to see how far one has come. The People and Places book pictured below is the to be the new yard stick for the DKP life journey. With the conclusion of this book marks some very important personal changes in my life. This book also marks a slight change in direction.  This book was a goal achieved and a line in the sand. I am aware and would like the world to know, projects like this, don’t happen by one persons hand or actions. This book , if anything, is a story about the people who shaped and provided me with the laughs and smiles along the way. The tears and drama. The random stories that will never be told but always missed.  Sounds over dramatic, but, digital files on hard drives do not store emotion as well as paper.

In many ways, the need to record my personal journey was the reason behind the `Book Project`, but once you have your stunning work, loving laid out and printed, it does let you step up and show the world  who you are and what you do.  Again, paper and ink will do this in a way that digital files will never do. Photography is as tactile as visual.

So what would you print? What would your book be about ?  Another joy of creating a project like this is that you begin to create ideas that mould into visions and plans.  We begin to create stories and drama.  We begin to create photography, not photos. Getting deep into a project can bring out wonderful personal challenges and push your self in new creative directions.  New challenges will present them self just as fast as new skills are learnt.  If you want to come and enrole in the Book Project, head over to DKP EDUCATIONAL.

This particular book was made using Lightroom 4 and Blurb. The whole layout was done using the Book Module in Lightroom. The Main title page was created in Photoshop and added in. Editing was all done using Photoshop.

Over the next few weeks there will be a couple of blogs explaining how this book was shot and created. If you would like to know more about this book or any of the photography inside the book,

please contact on [email protected]

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