Multiple output photography: the way forward for successful projects

Sequencing a panel from my 1Point4 Miles project

There is a resurgence of creating prints in the photography community

I love printing. There are so many ways to gain pleasure from it. I like to choose the paper that suits the image. I like the tactile experience as I hold a print in my hands. And there is a marvellous sense of having created something, especially when I see it on my wall.

However, I also have a problem with so many of the articles and videos that encourage people to print. My issue is that they are focussed on creating a single image. In my blog Why It’s Better To Work In Photography Projects I outline why I think we should stop thinking about single images. Instead, I prefer to create a body of work that can communicate more than the single image.

A body of work shouldn’t be about a single output

When we have a group of images there are so many things we can do with them:

Create a panel

A group of images can work well in a diptych, triptych or as a larger group of images on a single print. They do not have to be arranged in an orderly manner: I was recently looking at a wonderful body of work that was created as a ring of images.

Curate a group of prints

How would a body of work look on a wall or in a room where you live? How would you arrange them to tell the right story? What would be the best way to lead the viewer through the narrative?

Make your own zine or book

I love a publication that I can spend time looking through. A zine can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. I have seen very compelling zines that have been printed on a desktop printer and quickly folded and stapled together. There are a number of sites offering single copy photobooks. Making your own commercially printed book can be a lot more cost-effective than you might think if you use some of the online printing services. Or you can spend the time to create a beautiful handmade book.

Produce a video

I think that the benefits of video are often overlooked by people who create still images. I’m not suggesting that we change to the moving image. But we can encourage viewers to see our work differently if we use video. It is easy to learn programmes like iMovie and there are a lot of apps that are even simpler.

What I would encourage people to do is to try and output their photographic projects in a number of these formats.

Why is creating multiple outputs so important?

Multiple output projects can bring a much greater sense of depth to our work. Here’s why:

Multiple outputs encourage us to explore our work more deeply

As we move between the different types of output, the body of work is constantly changing. Each output can encourage a different selection of images as well as a different sequence. We see our body of work in different ways. This encourages us to communicate our narrative with a different phraseology each time.

There is a focal point for a project

Our output presents a target to work towards. As our work gradually takes shape we have a greater sense of purpose when we have decided how we will presen it. The advantage of multiple outputs is that it gives us freedom: we are not constrained by a single format.

We have closure on a project

This depth of exploration and output allows us to know when our work is at an end. It can be after 24 hours or it may take years. But, deep down, we will know when it is time to move on. We will have created the best expression of what we are trying to say. 

Doesn’t one project suit one format?

I used to work with a single final output in mind. I often decided this early on in a project. But, in my 1Point4 Miles project I realised that there was so much more that I could do with it. It has been really interesting to see how the project and the body of work changed as I moved between website, video, handmade book and the published book.

Personally, I wouldn’t have gained as much from creating this body of work if I hadn’t explored all these different formats. I also had a lot of fun trying out different ideas!

Try multiple outputs for yourself

Here are three simple ideas that can give you some more inspiration:

Create a panel of images. This is easy to do in Lightroom and similar programmes. There are also numerous apps that create panels

Try out some simple video editing software. Spend a couple of hours putting together a two-minute video with a few images, some interesting transitions and some music

Go on a bookmaking workshop. With the right instruction you will be impressed at what you can create: I certainly achieved more than I thought I was capable of!

Contact me if you would like any tips or advice on any of these three ideas.

So where does this leave the print?

I would encourage all photographers and artists to print their work. Printing is essential to many of the outputs that I have discussed in this article. But we can do so much more with a number of prints rather than just one.

By the way, if you like collecting prints look out for some announcements here soon!