How to Photograph Absolutely Everything in a Photobooth
Lou Southgate (Blurb, 2012)
A description of the work, from author Lou Southgate: "The work I make responds to and is influenced by amateur photographic practices - which is to say a practice that survives through a social or seasonal desire (holidays, weddings, Christmas).
"I discovered my obsession for photobooths when I was looking for a cheaper alternative way into photography and I began this research by testing the photobooth's ability - both analogue and digital - to perform as an everyday camera. This developed across a period of 4-5 months and I was inspired at this point to create a book of my findings. My research and practice brought together the idea to create a user manual for the photobooth - similar to those found in your local book shop based on photography generally - to demonstrate how to use each element of the photobooth based on my tests, removing the photobooth from the idea of an ID photo.
"I worked with illustrator Anna Siviero to create health and safety signs and the photobooth illustrations. Each set photographs you see on the page were created using either a digital or analogue photobooth and are now individual pieces of work which are being prepared for display. The book sits between an artist book and a functioning user manual as it shows the collection of artist works.
"Elements of the Photobooth is the first in the series. The following volumes will include people, animals, gardens and landscape."
Contributed by Lou Southgate
