Zine Exchange 9: January - June 2025

Work is going to suffer this week...yesterday I spent too much of the working day designing my zine and consigning it to the Mixam sausage machine (due back Friday). Then this morning the postie brings the duo of exquisitely wrapped @Penlens zines. I will have to resist the urge to sit and read those or work through my emails; backlog - I need a coin to toss.

Good work @Penlens they look and feel lovely.
 
Thank you @Paul Morgan for your kind words. I'm glad the zines arrived safely with you.
 
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@Paul Morgan. Hope you're experience with Mixam goes well! I'm on the fence with them having now gone through most of the articles on Zine making/exchanges. I'm probably in for the next zine exchange and have already put a few photos in a folder on my desktop called Zine Exchange 10 lol.
 
Right - my effort has gone in the post this afternoon. I hope those on the list enjoy it.

I changed my usual spec (usually silk-based paper) and tried 135gsm Recycled Natural pages with a 250gsm Recycled Uncoated cover. I like the feel and environmental aspect but some colours are dulled a little. In a few days time (to give the zines time to arrive with the recipients) I will post some images of the publication.

Apart from that I happy with the zine and a nice addition to my growing archive of zines which my kids will feel guilty of disposing of when I pop off!
 
Been very late on mentioning the @John Barry zine - Isel of Harris. Great to have words from Rachel Talibart.

Lovely feel (always important) and great size. Sumptuous blues in the sea that remind of the Med (but colder). I like the image pairings and also the mix of rough rock textures and smooth seas and the moodiness. Nice to have an one and print too.

Great work Barry - going to need a bigger bookshelf.
 
Paul Morgan said:
Been very late on mentioning the @John Barry zine - Isel of Harris. Great to have words from Rachel Talibart.

Lovely feel (always important) and great size. Sumptuous blues in the sea that remind of the Med (but colder). I like the image pairings and also the mix of rough rock textures and smooth seas and the moodiness. Nice to have an one and print too.

Great work Barry - going to need a bigger bookshelf.
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Thanks Paul

And likewise with your zine which arrived today. A lovely mix of context, description & images. The uncoated paper suits the subject matter very nicely & I love both ends working towards the middle - that's inspired!

Looking forward to the final 2 with some anticipation
 
John Barry said:
Thanks Paul

And likewise with your zine which arrived today. A lovely mix of context, description & images. The uncoated paper suits the subject matter very nicely & I love both ends working towards the middle - that's inspired!

Looking forward to the final 2 with some anticipation
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Thank you very much - very unusually, even my wife liked it!
 
Very impressed with the MOUNTAIN/DESERT zine by @Paul Morgan which arrived with me this morning. Yes, the two divisions work very will to meet in the centre. A clever touch! I think all the colour illustrations are excellent, many quite haunting; the browns and greys in particular brought out so well with the use of the uncoated paper. (I'm a big fan of recycled uncoated paper).

The accompanying narrative runs well with the images and gives a fascinating background to the various explorations. All in all, a treasure of a zine.
 
Penlens said:
Very impressed with the MOUNTAIN/DESERT zine by @Paul Morgan which arrived with me this morning. Yes, the two divisions work very will to meet in the centre. A clever touch! I think all the colour illustrations are excellent, many quite haunting; the browns and greys in particular brought out so well with the use of the uncoated paper. (I'm a big fan of recycled uncoated paper).

The accompanying narrative runs well with the images and gives a fascinating background to the various explorations. All in all, a treasure of a zine.
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Thank you so much.
 
Just received the excellent @Mr Perceptive's zine. I love industrial archaeology and this location (without providing a spoiler) is high on the list of places I need to haul myself too. The B&Ws really show the harshness of the place and I love it. Nice fell again, that finish is nice and great prints too.
 
Paul Morgan said:
Just received the excellent @Mr Perceptive's zine. I love industrial archaeology and this location (without providing a spoiler) is high on the list of places I need to haul myself too. The B&Ws really show the harshness of the place and I love it. Nice fell again, that finish is nice and great prints too.
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Paul

Thanks, if you ever need a wingman stop me a line, I know the place pretty well, but better in winter months!!!
 
I've just received the superb zine by @Mr Perceptive. An excellent set of curated images illustrating so well how the remnants of an industrial legacy can be so well captured and transformed on film, using the heaviest of medium format kit.

Black and white renders the gritty stone and metal of a forgotten past magnificently, producing haunted tones beneath a darkening swirling mist. This really is a psychogeographic study in its own right.

The printed output is certainly sympathetic to the images and the two extra prints is a generous touch.
 
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Penlens said:
I've just received the superb zine by @Mr Perceptive. An excellent set of curated images illustrating so well how the remnants of an industrial legacy can be so well captured and transformed on film, using the heaviest of medium format kit.

Black and white renders the gritty stone and metal of a forgotten past magnificently, producing haunted tones beneath a darkening swirling mist. This really is a psychogeographic study in its own right.

The printed output is certainly sympathetic to the images and the two extra prints is a generous touch.
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Thanks!!
 
Well folks, this zine exchange has nearly come to its end and I'll be posting up details of No.10 in a few days time. I can't help wondering though, if you'll forgive me for saying this, whether there is some sense of exhaustion, boredom, losing interest, not enough time, etc, around these increasing zine exchanges. Sadly, No. 9 attracted only five participants. Maybe due to it being summer time? This is only my third zine exchange, so I'm still a relative newcomer. I have enjoyed each exchange and being opened to the most astounding productions.

Thoughts?
 
Penlens said:
Thoughts?
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I’ve been in all 9 exchanges, people are very enthusiastic at first, but I think it gets put on the back burner as they think I’ve got loads of time, then when it gets to the commitment stage they haven’t started yet so bail!!

I’ve shot all the images for a zine one day, and put the zine together the next, so it can be done in a weekend!!

I usually have a banker project, I’m one project ahead, so when the zine exchange is announced, I usually come up with a new project to work on, then if it doesn’t work out, I can fall back to the banker project.

I think that people are put off by the amount of work, but it doesn’t have to be great, and it’s fantastic to see your images in print, and even more of a delight to receive sets of curated images from others, it always opens my mind to new projects to consider
 
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Penlens said:
Thoughts?
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I’ve done three I think and I do love them. I was very short on time this due to the date of my holiday but actually I found it easier this time perhaps because of the rush and having a template set up (more confidence?).

I’m not sure how to encourage more participation - imposing a page/size limit etc to reduce cost would just be creatively stifling. Could so a fixed format like the A4 folded zine but again a stifle?

Perhaps release #10 in a month or two?

The subject of the zine should not be a hindrance. I’m about to go off on another holiday and plan a zine from that (whether for the exchange or not) but receiving a zine of dog walk sunsets and sunrises would be just as exciting for me because it’s also about the effort and thought put in, not just the images.
 
Paul Morgan said:
The subject of the zine should not be a hindrance.
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This ^^ We've had some incredible zines over the years in the exchange, with an enormous range of diverse subjects, we've also had zines home printed and bound (or even folded), another in the form of a newspaper, and many in also sorts of paper layouts. The software used to lay them out also has been diverse, many using Affinity Publisher, but others using Word, Adobe, and some freeware publishing software.

The cost of making zines has gone up though, printing houses charge more and Royal Mail costs have increased, but my view is that its very small outlay in comparison with what you get back, through your own zine, and the receipt of others.
 
Time has been problematic for me (2 jobs, 2 houses, more time here trying to cover as a mod) and although I have a project, sorting the photos has been difficult. I would like to be in the next round if there is one.
 
I want to sign up for the next one, it's kinda well on it's way, but it might clash with my own holiday plans. I mean I could probably have the zine layout ready before any deadline but I would really like to use the holiday to get a couple of shots I want :)
 
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Mr Perceptive said:
I’ve shot all the images for a zine one day, and put the zine together the next, so it can be done in a weekend!!

I usually have a banker project, I’m one project ahead, so when the zine exchange is announced, I usually come up with a new project to work on, then if it doesn’t work out, I can fall back to the banker project.
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I'm like this when I'm planning my holidays :) Putting together a doable 2 weeks trip in March but haven't booked any flights for a 3 week holiday this coming October lol.
 
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Penlens said:
Well folks, this zine exchange has nearly come to its end and I'll be posting up details of No.10 in a few days time. I can't help wondering though, if you'll forgive me for saying this, whether there is some sense of exhaustion, boredom, losing interest, not enough time, etc, around these increasing zine exchanges. Sadly, No. 9 attracted only five participants. Maybe due to it being summer time? This is only my third zine exchange, so I'm still a relative newcomer. I have enjoyed each exchange and being opened to the most astounding productions.

Thoughts?
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I've sent out 4 zines & received 3 - Julius, Paul & David. Has anyone received zines from the whole group, or any news on the last one?

Ps David, another cracker to add to the slate workings sets
 
John Barry said:
I've sent out 4 zines & received 3 - Julius, Paul & David. Has anyone received zines from the whole group, or any news on the last one?

Ps David, another cracker to add to the slate workings sets
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Same here, only 3 received.
 
TodayIsAGoodDay said:
Hi all, the last remaining zine is almost on it’s way. I’m sorry for the delay. It’s my first one and the process has taken me longer than anticipated and my timings were not optimal. It will be with you soon, I promise.
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It arrived in the post this morning, thank you

It's a powerful and sobering subject sensitively handled and assembled. I've never visited, but my son has and subsequently became a Holocaust ambassador. He now works in part on human rights within the FCDO

I do hope you'll join in the exchange running currently as I'd like to see more of your work. An excellent first contribution, much appreciated
 
TodayIsAGoodDay said:
Hi all, the last remaining zine is almost on it’s way. I’m sorry for the delay. It’s my first one and the process has taken me longer than anticipated and my timings were not optimal. It will be with you soon, I promise.
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I received my copy from you this morning. Thank you. The zine is strong, both in its subject matter and the manner in which the subject matter is presented. The finely sequenced images act as a catalyst to bring two aspects of the place into sharp focus with one another: the trees as memory and a life force against the ovens as that of another memory and of a death force. The zine too, in its way, is a witness of memory. As an aside, I've read that trees do communicate with one another...

I hope this zine marks the first of many more to come.
 
John Barry said:
It arrived in the post this morning, thank you

It's a powerful and sobering subject sensitively handled and assembled. I've never visited, but my son has and subsequently became a Holocaust ambassador. He now works in part on human rights within the FCDO

I do hope you'll join in the exchange running currently as I'd like to see more of your work. An excellent first contribution, much appreciated
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Thank you so much for your feedback, John. So glad to hear that your son is helping to raise awareness about such an important moment in history. Perhaps one day you can go with him.
 
Penlens said:
I received my copy from you this morning. Thank you. The zine is strong, both in its subject matter and the manner in which the subject matter is presented. The finely sequenced images act as a catalyst to bring two aspects of the place into sharp focus with one another: the trees as memory and a life force against the ovens as that of another memory and of a death force. The zine too, in its way, is a witness of memory. As an aside, I've read that trees do communicate with one another...

I hope this zine marks the first of many more to come.
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Thank you @Penlens - and you're right, the zine is a witness of memory, which is nice in it's own way.

Hopefully more zines to come. It was a fun experience, and I'm so glad I took part. It's been so satisfying doing something with my photos.
 
@Paul Morgan - thank you for the zine. Loved the concept of the split magazine representing both days. Really enjoyed this theme, and how the pages, colours, title fonts reflected the different the terrains in areas not too far apart. The images are beautiful: the blush pink of the sand, the gorgeous green tree tops and the fingerprint-esque patterns of the sand. Looked up the lifeboats - very cool. The vertical close up of the mountains/rocks was a favourite. Thank you.
 
These are 2 great zines, @Penlens - I enjoyed how you blended the poetry alongside the photography, making the reader pause before turning the page. I'm a big fan of photography that explores urban architecture with rural spaces and how they intersect. The stone archways and cobbled streets in #1 are a highlight, as is the beach staircase and the white boat with the paint peeling off on the beach in #2. Thank you very much for sharing them.
 
I loved these images, @Mr Perceptive . The inside first image is beautiful, with the sharp edge of the house cutting into the sky. The moodiness of the day comes through so well in the image of the chains rolling over the top of the wall into the grey abyss (very happy to have that one as a print - thank you). Together the images paint a big picture of the huge amount of work that would have undergone there, the machinery, the buildings, the mountains of slate. You've caught it all so well. I particularly like the flat shine from the slate against the natural surroundings. Thank you.
 
This is a truly beautiful zine, @John Barry , and I'm thrilled to own a copy. The images are jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The colours come to life so well with the thick white borders, helping to absorb the movement within the frame. The size of the zine also really elevates the images as they have more space to breathe, which is exactly what you feel like you're doing when you flick through it: filling your lungs with fresh Isle of Harris air. I love how the colour of the lichen reflect the aquas greens that appear in many of the images. My favourites are those with black cold stones/rocks on pages 2, 19, 22, 23, 27 and then bam! Page 27… the sereness. Beautiful work. Thank you for sharing it with me.
 
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