Pics: Striking Photos From The World Of Indie Publishing
While the print world is currently experiencing its highly publicized ups-and-downs, the world of independent publishing continues to flourish just beneath the radar. With resourceful and determined small or no-press creators inventing ever more beautiful or thought-provoking work, The Annual Photography Book Now Awards (held by indie publishing resource and tool Blurb) were conceptualized as a way to celebrate those who have stood out from the pack in a field already littered with bright new talent. This year’s illustrious winner was Valerio Spada’s ‘Gomorrah Girl,’ a moving yet insightful visual peek into the world of the Camorrah-controlled streets of Naples as seen (in visual diary format) through the accidental killing of a young girl. The combination of on-the-street photography with photos of the original police documents provide a compelling tour through city streets rife with hidden and often outright danger. The book was chosen by an international panel of judges, and culled from more than 2,300 submissions, to win the PBN award and its subsequent $25,000 grand prize. The awards, held at Aperture Gallery in New York City, were a chance for those in the field to mingle with their contemporaries, and for those uninitiated with the unique world of Blurb and independent publishing to peruse some of its offerings. While Gomorrah Girl certainly had the emotional depth to warrant such enthusiasm, Fine Art Category Winner YURI GAGARIN 50 Years of Human Space Flight (by Photographer René Nuijens and sold through Colette’s online shop), was also an awards standout for his epic journey through Russia in search of the ‘essence’ of the iconic cosmonaut. Below are some of the compelling images from this year’s other winners, which include Rafal Milach ‘In The Car with R’ (Documentary Category Winner), Thomas Michael Alleman ‘Sunshine & Noir’ (Travel Category Winner), and the above-pictured Goseong Choi ‘Umma’ (Student Category Winner).
Valerio Spada
Rene Nuijens
Rafal Milach
Thomas Michael Alleman
Goseong Choi
Recent Articles By Laura Feinstein 
Laura Feinstein is a regular contributor for PSFK.com who specializes in fashion ideas and inspiration. Laura is a freelance writer, social media expert, brand consultant and copy editor in Greenpoint Brooklyn. At PSFK for close to four years, she focuses on the intersection where design, technology, art, and fashion intersect.
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