Book
21st September 2022
I finally took possession of the 50 soft copies and one hard copy of my book. I’m so please with the standard of the work from the printers. The quality is really good and they have gone above and beyond to achieve such a professional finish. The following image shows both the hard and soft copies:
I have started to advertise the sale of the soft copies on social media and OCA student sites:
I will create a video for my OCA blog and the website for the project (here).
Video of book can be seen here
30th October 2022
Since publication I have been actively advertising and selling the book and have currently managed to sell half the print run. The rest will be available for sale at the exhibition. Feedback has been amazing with just some of the comments received as follows:
Hi Michele
What a great book you have produced showing off your photography project and creative skills
The photos are fantastic and are a good representation of the Ngawi community and landscape. The presentation of the images, with ones behind the main image, adds to the story telling through the photos, the use of colour and subject matter. The remoteness of Ngawi is brought to life through the use of the black and white image. I enjoyed viewing the images in the book – it reminded me of the feeling that I feel when I do visit the region around Ngawi.
Congratulations on producing such a beautiful book which represents the story you are telling.
All the best
Debbie
And from Sue who was included in the book:
Oh Michele, I have just had time to really look at (and read) your beautiful INSIDE THE SHELL – it’s absolutely spell binding, what a truely lovey capture of NGAWI
Thank you so much for my copy
Can you remind me of your Exhibition details as I would love to come if I can.
Sue xx
Hi Michele,
When I first opened your book, Michele, I immediately saw the connection between the title, the layout of your book and the story of this very resilient group of women. The combination of the black and white imagery and the colour imagery makes a powerful statement to me as it is again reflecting that feeling of resilience. You have carefully curated the images to complement the written word, and the two languages reflect the long history of the area.
Congratulations on your book, Michele, it’s fantastic!
Love,
Fran
Gday Michele,
Your book I gather is for your course.
Loved it for its simplicity, yet creative thought to story line and continuity.
Lovely paper stock and design. Images are processed very well and importantly clear as to the story.
Well done!
Have sent this onto Pearce as he will love it. He has a big photo book collection.
He has just finished his Uni course which I think is the cousin course of yours.
He did it full time. He loved it!
Keep up the great work and I know this is helping you to enjoy your photo adventures…
Darran Leal
Photographer/Tour Operator/Author/TV Presenter
Got the book today from Robert – it’s gorgeous, I really mean that. Totally blown away, beautifully printed and structured the images just pop out. The gatefolds work so well. You must put this in for book competitions, Chico Hot Springs etc. This deserves a wider audience. The wonderful thing is the tactile nature of holding the book, an attachment to it you would never get seeing this on screen etc.
It also the record of an important place and coastal community that can be studied in the future. Priceless work in fact.
So proud of you!
xxx
Jack Delmonte
I’ve been fortunate enough to follow the development of this body of work for a few of the phases. Over that time it has continued to evolve as Michele has applied her artistic process.
Her vision from the beginning was to take a different perspective on the life of the community. Many people go to/through Ngawi and on to the Lighthouse as a day trip, perhaps pausing to look at the tractors and the trailers on the edge of the inhospitable coastline. If the caravan is open, they might get fish and chips but otherwise it’s around to the Lighthouse and home again. Michele saw that there was something quite different going on in this community. She noticed the independent, other lives of the people who stayed on the land. These people weren’t just waiting for the boats to come home.
Michele saw all of that. She took the time to connect with people, build relationships, and ultimately catch them in those quite reflective moments as they went about the days work.
In its final form, inside, the shell represents all of that. It juxtaposes those quiet lives with the wild environment that shapes them still. Michele has shown genuine respect for the people she’s photographed, found the thread and ultimately told a different story of the community than most people see. There are quite a few of the photographs that I love on their own, but when you put them into the published form and they sit tucked away inside those big landscape views, they take on another meaning.
I really do love the book. I was lucky enough to see a lot of the photographs that didn’t make it into the book, and the thing I really like is that the ones that did make it in still represent the subjects very well.
John Saunders
Exhibition
I started advertising on Instagram and Facebook early so that my network were prepared. I posted on my personal account as well as social media pages for the local camera club, PSNZ and NZIPP:
I then continued to post up to the date of opening:
I posted details of the hanging for the exhibition:
And then with a success:
And from entering the Glasgow Gallery of Photography End of Year 2022 Exhibition:
And advertising new techniques:
Michele Usher 