Within Photo Book

To present my portfolio, I decided on creating a handmade book. After 3 iterations experimenting with binding, layouts and text. I settled on the design below.

I chose to print on different surfaces; plain paper, tracing paper and acetate, to mirror the methods and resources I used to create the work. The cover is a cropped image of one of my final and unedited images, printed onto acetate.

The whole process was enjoyable but also challenging, as I had issues with the paper sizes compared to the printing limits of my printer. The book size is 7"x 5" in portrait format, the images are printed small and deliberately off centre on single pages to mirror the natural and imperfect feel. It is bound by hand, with a stab and stitch method, which I felt suited the aesthetic of the book and work, having the thread weave through and layer each page. I did have an idea to hide the binding under an earlier idea of the cover, but I preferred the idea of the viewer being able to see and feel the process.

To cover sustainability, the plain paper used was sustainably sourced and the ink cartridges I used are made with over 40% recycled plastic. The cartridges themselves are also recyclable. I used materials I already owned to help reuse old papers and resources.

Figures 1-2: Laura Marsh, 2021, Within, Work in Progress Portfolio

Below is the flip-through video of 'Within', Work in Progress Portfolio

Within, By Laura Marsh, 2021