The Well-Realized Photography Book, a workshop w/ Christian Patterson

This three-day workshop with artist and bookmaker Christian Patterson invites photographers with developing projects to explore the book as a creative form. The focus is on the relationship between images, narrative, rhythm, and structure. Participants will bring photographic work in progress and will spend the weekend experimenting with how ideas move across a sequence of pages.

Through illustrated presentations, group discussion, and hands-on work, Patterson will share his approach to editing and shaping photographic stories. He will draw from his books Redheaded Peckerwood, Bottom of the Lake, and Gong Co. to introduce strategies for sequencing, pacing, visual structure, and the translation of conceptual ideas into material form. Attention will be given to how scale, proportion, materials, and design choices influence the emotional and narrative flow of a book.

The workshop emphasizes process. Participants will work directly with prints, paper, tape, and simple tools to create rough mock-ups that explore structural possibilities. These mock-ups function as simple book prototypes that allow participants to test how images behave across spreads, sequences, and page turns. The goal is not a finished book but a clearer sense of how the project might evolve. Patterson will work closely with each participant, helping them identify a productive path forward.

Participants should arrive with printed images or small work prints. Digital files can also be sent ahead of time for basic work prints. Each participant will share their project on the first day and outline the ideas, questions, and challenges they want to address.

Biography

Christian Patterson is recognized as one of the most influential photographic bookmakers of the past fifteen years. His books include Redheaded Peckerwood, Bottom of the Lake, and Gong Co. He is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Vevey International Photography Award recipient, and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grantee. He is represented by Rose Gallery in Santa Monica and Robert Morat in Berlin.

Schedule

Friday, January 30, 3 to 8 pm. Introductions, presentation on methodology, and group discussion. Dinner included.

Saturday, January 31, 10 am to 5 pm. Hands-on editing and sequencing exercises using printed images. Lunch included.

Sunday, February 1, 10 am to 5 pm. Layout and paper prototype building session with concluding critique. Lunch included.

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