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August 1, 2014 by Travis Jonker

The State of Photography Illustration in 2014

August 1, 2014 by Travis Jonker   5 comments

What is the summer if not a time for short blog posts about random things? Today we have a classic case of “Am I just noticing it more, or is it happening more?”

The topic? Photography as picture book illustration.

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While commonly used in works of nonfiction, it’s pretty rare in the fiction picture book world. I’ve talked about this before (in the review for Step Gently Out). And A Fuse #8 Production covered the topic well in her post Can Photos Win Awards?

It’s safe to say I root for photography.

And it appears we’re in the midst of a bumper crop for books that use the medium in one way or another. Here are the 2014 picture books I’ve noticed. If I missed any, let’s hear it in the comments.

Fall Leaves by Loretta Holland; illustrated by Elly MacKay

Two-dimensional character drawings are layered with two and three-dimensional landscapes to create a unique look.

Hank Has a Dream by Rebecca Dudley

A follow-up to the excellent Hank Finds an Egg, Dudley brings even more detail to Hank’s three-dimensional world.

I Am A Witch’s Cat by Harriet Muncaster

Muncaster creates three-dimensional sets and props, then populates them with characters that are drawn and cut out.

Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales

While not exactly a fiction picture book (it’s a bio), it definitely deserves to be mentioned here. Viva Frida has received some Caldecott buzz, and to my eyes, the artwork is worthy of being in that discussion. This book also sports a remarkable sequence when the artwork transitions from puppets to acrylic paintings and back as Frida is dreaming.

Flo & Wendell Explore by Walter Wegman

You may have heard of Wegman before – he’s become well known for his dog photography. In this follow-up to Flo & Wendell, Wegman starts with dogs and creates worlds around them.

He also has a board book series arriving in 2014:

Nancy Knows by Cybele Young

Young has incorporated three-dimensional elements into her books before, and this story of an elephant fits with her unique style.

The Secret Life of Squirrels by Nancy Rose

I mentioned this book in my Wildest Children’s Books of 2014 post. This one stands out along with Flo & Wendell as the only books on this list where some of the subjects are not under the complete control of the artist – I bet that’s tricky.

Peanut Butter & Cupcake by Terry Border

I talked about this one in my 2014 Summer Preview and it certainly fits with this crew.

*Edited to add*

Thank you to those of you who chimed in with additional titles in the comments. Here are more titles that feature photography:

Lulu & Pip by Stephanie Rausser, Jess Brown, Nina Gruener

Swim, Duck, Swim! by Susan Lurie; photographs by Murray Head

Marcel the Shell: The Most Surprised I’ve Ever Been by Dean Fleischer-Camp and Jenny Slate

I Wish I Had a Pet by Maggie Rudy

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Comments

  1. Fuse #8 says

    August 4, 2014 at 9:39 am

    Excellent excellent excellent! Now let’s add in Swim, Duck, Swim by Susan Lurie, Marcel the Shell: The Most Surprised I’ve Ever Been by Dean Fleischer-Camp and Jenny Slate and I Wish I Had a Pet by Maggie Rudy. And that’s not even counting YA books like Christine Hepperman’s Poisoned Apples.

    I once asked a panel of photographers why we were seeing this uptick. They said that with the rise in digital photography and cheaper full-color printing costs it was much easier to do photography books for children.

    • Travis Jonker says

      August 6, 2014 at 10:27 am

      Thanks for the additions, Betsy!

  2. Rebecca Dudley says

    August 5, 2014 at 11:40 am

    Fantastic post! I am excited to see Jason Fulford and Tamara Shopsin’s new book in September ‘This Equals That’.

  3. Shutta Crum says

    August 5, 2014 at 4:00 pm

    The FALL LEAVES book looks beautiful! And many of the others seem fun. Will check out some of these titles. Thanks!

  4. Deanna Roy says

    August 10, 2014 at 11:00 am

    I was JUST talking to some authors yesterday at a SCBWI meeting about the exciting options of starting with photography as a basis of illustrations for picture books. Perfect post! Thank you!

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