Who Cares About Books

Early in this essay, Darius Himes explains how reading a book on his MacBook Air is not something he would like to do. I find this fairly ironic because, before beginning my reading of this article, I attempted to print it. I was fairly disappointed to find that I only had two pieces of printer paper left, and was forced to read it on my MacBook. I find that reading essays, or anything longer than a few pages on a computer screen irritates me. I usually want to be able to hold the pages in my hand, underline important points, and scribble notes in the margins if I feel the need. This relates directly to the desire I feel to be able to hold a photograph. I am often frustrated that all of my photos, whether I consider them personal or professional, are kept as digital files. I frequently miss being able to pull an old stack of photos from a drawer and look through them. This kind of action seems to bring about more memories and emotions than browsing photos on my computer ever has.

When looking at photos in a photobook, you are able to feel the texture of the paper, smell the ink, and hear the sounds of the pages as you turn them. This is a much more personal, and sentimental, experience than observing a photograph that is represented in pixels, or affixed to a wall and held behind glass, both of these keep the photograph out of reach of the observer. Himes describes the accessibility of photobooks by explaining that all you need is "a lap, two hands, a few hours, and some sunlight." No electricity or trip to a gallery is required.