CLOSED NOW! THE RPS PHOTOBOOK MASTERCLASS 2016 call for applications!

The RPS photobook masterclass 2015 made such a success as some of 2015 participants, Lijie Zhang and Yukari Chikura’s dummies were given the Steidl Book Award Asia 2016. Lijie also won the 2nd prize of Fotobookfestival Dummy Award Kassel 2016 as well as Miho Kajioka and Lijie again were shortlisted the LUMA Dummy Book Award Arles 2016. Julie Glassberg’s artistbook BIKE KILL was shortlisted of Fotobookfestival Dummy Award Kassel 2016 successfully produced 25 editions and Hajime Kimura’s SNOWFLAKES DOG MAN 69 editions, both book projects were developed in the Masterclass were all pre-ordered and sold out. The limited edition of Ng Hui Hsien and Kazuhiko Matsumura‘s artist books are also now out and available (Check out the video at the end of this page!). Here its 2nd edition Masterclass has been scheduled at Reminders Photography Stronghold in December 2016!! Now we open call for applications! We look forward to your participation!

At the six day masterclass at Reminders Photography Stronghold in Tokyo, Teun van der Heijden and Sandra van der Doelen together with RPS’s Yumi Goto, will teach all aspects of how to turn a body of work into a book. The subjects will be the editing and compiling process, concept development, design decisions like choice of size, paper, grid and typography, and the guidance of the printing process. The workshop is designed for photographers who are interested in working on a concept, edit and sequence for a book. All the photographers will be expected to participate in pushing each other creatively and conceptually in discussing ways to problem solve the medium shift between singular images to the book as an object in the current environment of photography.

“Although we live in a digital age there is more attention for the paper Photobook than ever before. Since the invention of the camera phone we have started to use photography as a visual language in a broader spectrum from the colloquial to the formal, a language that has no geographical or national boundaries. On the Internet we are constantly in contact with the rest of the world. We still have to fully embrace and adjust to this new frontier in visual communication. The paper photobook represents solidity, something we can literarily hold on to. It is a tangible object and it has the aura of the original object. The contemporary photobook can be seen as a visual novel. It is with this in mind that graphic design agency Heijdens Karwei designs their photography books.”

During the workshop, Teun, Sandra and Yumi will share their experience in conceptual work with photography books and photography book production. Together with the participants, they will go through the main stages of book production, from the concept to completion. Challenging the students to think outside their framework and create a unique object that complements the photographers’ vision. The workshop consists of lectures, practical classes and work on the students’ own book projects resulting in the production of a dummy book/publication by each of the participants.

The workshop is divided into two parts. In the first part students are encouraged to share ideas and spark creative genius discussing and thinking about concepts for each other. The second part is more individual in which students will work on an idea conceived in the first part of the workshop and create a dummy. During this part Teun and Sandra will guide the students and help with ideas, problem solving and probably stitching and gluing.

The workshop is aimed at photographers with a substantial project or body of work and are planning a publication. In addition to the images, the participants are encouraged to bring any other materials that can be potentially incorporated into their publication, such as texts, graphic elements, etc. It is highly recommended to bring along your B and C selections of pictures, including pictures you have doubts about or might find less interesting. A laptop with Indesign and Photoshop is a must, as well as small prints of your project for editing on the first days.

Workshop duration: Dec. 2, 3 & 4, 2016 (Fri, Sat, Sun), and Dec 16, 17 & 18 (Fri, Sat, Sun), total 6 days.
(the 1st and the 3rd weekends of December) On other dates, you may work freely on your own.
Dec 2 & 16 : From 18:00 to 21:00. Time may be changed / extended.
Dec 3, 4, 17 & 18: From 11:00 to 19:00 Including a break, time may be changed / extended.
**Detailed info on the schedule and program will be sent later to the participants only.
Place: Reminders Photography Stronghold 2-38-5, Higashimukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Fee: 88,000 JPY (RPS member: 85,000 JPY)
Instructors: Teun van der Heijden, Sandra van der Doelen, Yumi Goto (RPS)
Maximum number of participants: 10
Submission deadline August 10th (by 23:59 on August 10th in Japan Time, please mind the deadline in your time )
Send your submission to:
stronghold@reminders-project.org

Make sure you fulfill the conditions listed below before you apply for the workshop:
* Either #1 or 2 is required, but you must meet # 3, 4, 5 and 6.

1. You have a finished photo work/project ready for making a photobook.
2. You have experience making a book dummy or photobook, or participated in a photobook workshop (Non-RPS workshop also possible)
3. You have a computer installed with Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design, and you have knowledge of using basic graphic softwares such as Photoshop and Illustrator (In Design knowledge preferred)
4. You can prepare English text for your photobook and for applying to the workshop (or you have access to translation services)
   * Language used in the workshop is English.
5. Once you are enrolled in the workshop, you need to attend all the scheduled dates. Please be punctual. (Please check the workshop schedule thoroughly before applying to the workshop)
6. Your enrollment will be confirmed once you make payment for the workshop. It is advisable that you have sufficient funds at the time of application.

Check the conditions above, and fill in the questions below. 

• Your Full Name
• Email address and phone number
• Link to view your work, your narrative bio and CV
• Ideas for your photobook, list 6 words/keywords which represent your central idea for the planned photobook. One A4 page text on the contents and the story.
  Around 15 to 45 photos and/or materials for your photobook project (the materials may be replaced with other images accordingly. At this point, submit the images you will most likely include in the book)
  * Each image file should be 72dpi, up to 1200 pix on the longest side. These images are to view on PC screen, thus each file should be sized 200KB or smaller. If you already know the sequencing, number the images as 001.jpg. Put all images in one folder and compress it. Or, you may import the numbered images to one PDF file. Attach the compressed file or the PDF file to the submission email.
• Whether you have ever made a photobook(s) or participated in a photobook workshop(s).
  If yes:
  Please describe the book you have made, or the photobook workshop you participated in. If you have produced a photobook, prepare a web page where one can view the images of page spreads, film, or PDF data. If images are sized as instructed as above, you may attach them in the email. Dropbox or Google drive preferred. Make sure the link to view your work does not expire before the deadline. If the link expires before the deadline, your application may be declined.
• If you have ever participated in a photobook workshop, and if possible, please describe the workshop and/or the book you made.
• Your English proficiency level
  * Before you submit, please make sure you fill in all the information. Send your submission to:
  stronghold@reminders-project.org
  If you don’t receive a response for over 72 hours after the submission, please re-send your submission or let us know with an email. If you still do not hear from us, send a message via Facebook. Our facebook page:
  https://www.facebook.com/Reminders.Photography.Stronghold

Submission is open till the deadline. After the deadline, selection will be made based on the submission materials and the selected participants will be notified after mid-August. RPS will not answer any inquiry concerning the acceptance of your submission.

Sandra and Teun with the books they have desgined in RPS photobook library in 2015.

About the instructors:

Teun van der Heijden and Sandra van der Doelen are graphic designers and founders of Heijdens Karwei, a graphic design agency based in Amsterdam known for the design of award winning photography books including Rape of a Nation – Marcus Bleasedale, Latitude Zero – Monique Stauder, Black Passport – Stanley Greene, Interrogations – Donald Weber, What We Wear – Pieter van den Boogert, Diamond Matters and Via PanAm – Kadir van Lohuizen, War Porn – Christoph Bangert, Gold Coast – Ying Ang, Inshallah – Dima Gavrysh, When I was Six – Phillip Toledano and recently Belgian Autumn – Jan Rosseel. Since more then ten years, Heijdens Karwei have been designing the World Press Photo yearbooks and exhibitions.
Teun van der Heijden has given guest lectures at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Art Academy St. Joost in Breda and is external examiner at the ABKMaastricht in Maastricht. He has taught workshops for ISSP in Estonia, for the Trans-Border Institute of the University of San Diego and ICP in the US, for Linke Gallery in Milan and 10b Gallery in Rome, Italy, for Chobi Mela in Bangladesh and for World Press Photo in Estonia and Angola.
Together Sandra and Teun have taught workshops in Lagos, Nigeria for Photo Lagos and in Tuscany, Italy for TPW.

These are some of the great results from the Masterclass 2015.

SOLD OUT! Julie Glassberg BIKE KILL

SOLD OUT! Hajime Kimura SNOWFLAKE DOG MAN

ON SALE NOW! Ng Hui Hsien THE WEIGHT OF AIR

ON SALE NOW! Kazuhiko Matsumura GURUGURU – MY TRANSMIGRATION