Photo Books Open New Opportunities for Local Photographers

The artistic process can take many forms. There’s the act of creating art, and then, sometimes, there’s the act of turning that art into a book. The latter process is one that Sister Bay-based photographers Heather and Lucas Frykman recently wrapped up with their new book, Home & Away: A Portfolio of Images by Two Door County Photographers.

This is the Frykmans’ second book: a 168-page hardcover collection that features images of Door County and other favorite travel spots. 

“Our title is Home and Away because it is images we took in Door County and on our travels,” Heather Frykman said, adding that feedback has been interesting. “People look at it and go, ‘Oh, no, it’s not just Door County.’ We could have made a book of 120 pages that was just Door County.”

Equally interesting was going through the bookmaking process. In contrast to their first book, which was published through Peninsula Publishing, the Frykmans published this one on their own.

“The process took several months,” Frykman said. “You don’t just whip it together. The most interesting part was collecting all of the images and arranging them in ways that are pleasing – that’s the artistic side of it.”

When it came time to find a printer for their new book, they chose Shapco Printing, based in Golden Valley, Minnesota. The company has printed books on Richard Avedon and Picasso for Larry Gagosian, one of the world’s leading figures in contemporary art.

“It is amazing to have something printed here in the U.S.,” Frykman said. “We could go out there for press checks.”

But that’s not to say the process wasn’t without its challenges and a healthy learning curve. Deciding how many copies to print, for example, can be a gamble – and an expensive one at that. 

“We had to invest $30,000-$35,000 because we printed 2,000 [copies],” Frykman said. “We projected we would sell out in five years; we are a little behind that.” 

Jerry Greer of Mountain Trail Press in Tennessee is a photographer who hopes to lessen that learning curve – and sticker shock – for photographers who are interested in creating their own photo books. He takes the knowledge he’s gained creating calendars and books to help other photographers make their own photo books. 

Recently he worked with Baileys Harbor-based photographer Luke Collins and his book, Door County Icons, which was released last October.

A high-end, 10-inch-by-10-inch photo book with 150 pages will cost $10,000-$20,000 to produce, and the minimum run for offset printing is 500 copies, he said. Greer works with photographers who sell directly and use the internet and social media for promotion.

Greer also advises fellow photographers on paper choices. He counseled Collins to use a beautiful matte paper, which he did, as well as a fifth color run that adds a spot varnish to the image. 

“If you don’t spot gloss, you really need to print on a glossy paper, which feels different,” Greer said. 

The photo book as an art form is making a comeback, according to Greer. It’s becoming an attractive way for photographers to promote their work, but for Greer, the book is the end product, not a form of promotion.

“I teach them how to do the book,” he said. “My goal is to bring the photographer into the project. They do a lot of the work because that is the only way they will understand how the process works.”