©Lisa McCord, Cover of Rotan Switch, published by Kehrer Verlag 2024

Lisa McCord’s Rotan Switch, published by Kehrer. Lisa’s first book is a record of memory and place, documenting a period of time in the south and serves as an archive and legacy for Lisa. Design Direction, Luminosity Lab.

©Lisa McCord, Spread from Rotan Switch, published by Kehrer Verlag 2024

©Lisa McCord, Spread from Rotan Switch, published by Kehrer Verlag 2024

©Lisa McCord, Spread from Rotan Switch, published by Kehrer Verlag 2024

©Lisa McCord, Spread from Rotan Switch, published by Kehrer Verlag 2024

©Lisa McCord, Spread from Rotan Switch, published by Kehrer Verlag 2024

We want to be remembered, whether in our professions or by our friends. As photographers and artists, the first thing that often comes to mind is to find an institution who will take our archive and look after it for years to come, preserving the images and the piece of ourselves that we believe lives in the work. The lucky few will achieve this but even with skill and a bit of fame it’s not easy to find a home for a collection. In part because of the high costs for institutions to maintain and store the work. The process has also become increasingly difficult due to the massive growth in population and ubiquity of cameras. We have seven billion people on the planet, billions of which take photographs and millions are photographers. How many photographers are looking for their images’ final resting place?

We generally romanticize the notion of an archive. The common reality is that prints will be kept in the darkness of a storage drawer with an identification number associated to each photograph. They often never see the light of day unless the artist has made it into the upper echelons of their medium.

Books provide an effective method to generate legacy on their own or in tandem with an archive. They benefit from being able to reach a wide audience, garner press and uniquely the artist can control the process, timing and creation.

Known for being democratic for their availability and affordability books are also a democratic medium for the artist— they can impact the artists recognition at any point in their career.

Many publishers have rosters of artists from different moments along their path. Kehrer, a large photobook publisher, recently published Lisa McCord first book and Stephen Shames tenth, both books were created with the idea to be an integral part of the artist’s legacy.

Books especially those that are thoughtfully built are rarely kept in the dark, they live on the shelves of shops, homes, libraries and museums. We glance at their spines on a shelf or their covers on a colleague’s desk, we discover them browsing at a store or are given them as gifts; books can be casually picked up and flipped through or they can be read with introspection. Every interaction with a book transfers some of the artist’s vision through knowledge and feeling to the reader.

©Stephen Shames, Cover of Stephen Shames: A Life Time In Photography, published by Kehrer Verlag

 Stephen Shames: A Lifetime in Photography, Steve’s retrospective book published by Kehrer, encompassing work from his iconic Black Panther and Bronx Boys series and

©Stephen Shames, Spread from Stephen Shames: A Life Time In Photography, published by Kehrer Verlag

©Stephen Shames, Spread from Stephen Shames: A Life Time In Photography, published by Kehrer Verlag

©Stephen Shames, Spread from Stephen Shames: A Life Time In Photography, published by Kehrer Verlag

©Stephen Shames, Spread from Stephen Shames: A Life Time In Photography, published by Kehrer Verlag

©Stephen Shames, Spread from Stephen Shames: A Life Time In Photography, published by Kehrer Verlag

Design Direction: Luminosity Lab

Book Documentation The Book Photographer