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This is a group project where all participants make a zine, then exchange it with everyone else taking part. No money changes hands.
All participants agree to send their zine to all other participants at their own cost. What you produce and how, is up to you.
As a shortened form of the word fanzine with its origins in the 1930s, a zine is a short run, small format publication - a DIY self-published work with a limited circulation. For this challenge, it is a collection of your photos edited together into a magazine or booklet format. You can either print the zine yourself, have it photocopied or you can send it off to a printing service.
You don't need to decide right now; there will hopefully be some who are committed to this so watch this thread, ask questions and start pulling together the content you might want to include in your zine. Then, when you are comfortable with that let us know.
Timeline:
1) July - November 2025: You come up with an idea, take pictures and design your zine. You can even build it in your chosen software.
2) Saturday 25th October 2025: I will be asking people to formally commit to making their zine. You will have until midnight on Friday 31st October 2025 to PM me your name & address to confirm your commitment.
3) Saturday 1st November 2025: I will send out a PM to all confirmed participants with everyone's name & address as well as the confirmed amount of zines people need to print.
4) November 2025: To avoid the Christmas hustle and bustle, everyone gets the appropriate number of zines printed and mails them out to everyone on the list by the end of November 2025.
FAQ:
Q: Can anyone take part?
A: The exchange is open to contributing members here at Talk Photography. If you found out about this from somewhere else, you're very welcome to join in.
Q: I don't live in the UK; can I take part?
A: Yes. However, it will be OPTIONAL for people to mail zines to you mainly because of the high costs of postage involved.
Q: How much will it all cost?
A: A box of 25-30 zines, for example from Mixam delivered, costs around £50. Then there's the postage for each person taking part. Previous zine exchanges have been in the region of 6-10 participants. Read through the thread to get an idea of roughly how many are taking part. Postage costs vary, but sending an A5 zine with Royal Mail 2nd Class - Large letter size over 100g costs around £2.00 - £2.50, as of April 2025 prices.
Q: How many zines will I have to send?
A: We'll monitor how many people show interest. Sending out 10-20 zines will be expensive. You can leave it until midnight on Friday 31st October 2025 before committing to the point of spending any money, so you can make a decision then.
Q: How should I design it?
A: Images can be in colour, monochrome or a mix, with or without text. Square, landscape or portrait, or a mix. They can be sequenced one image to a page, or one image to a spread or maybe collages.
Q: How big should I make it?
A: As a minimum, A5 size, containing between 10-15 pages. Participants have also produced square (210 x 210mm) and A4 size zines. Remember, you need to pay for it and post it, so the bigger or heavier the zine, the more expensive it will be.
Q: What should the zine contain?
A: Zines are about creativity, play, experimentation and independence. They can be produced around a theme or a project. It is entirely up to you. You can use film, digital, phone or pinhole - it doesn't matter.
Q: What software do I need to make a zine?
A: Affinity Publisher seems to be a favourite as it has a relatively easy learning curve and is sometimes available at a discount. Other programs are available. Please ask in the thread if you're not sure.
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(got my banker project sorted, now working on a new one!)
Damn. I gotta say though, on the lighter print, the map text is super sharp
