Analogue Photography Notebook

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Analogue Photography Notebook (48 pages) is a follow-up and an accompaniment to Andrew Bellamy’s Analog Photography: Reference Manual for Shooting Film.

Even though most new negatives are now viewed on a screen, many of us want more analogue interactions. Paper doesn’t need an internet connection, time to load, or a battery. It also can be easier to interact with than a screen — it’s portable, foldable, and infinitely malleable. Paper notes are a natural complement to film photography.

Most of my film photos are only viewable on a screen. I’ve even built apps to take notes on film usage, track chemical expiration dates, and invert negatives. But paper still plays a large role in my work. I think it’s the best tool for planning involved projects, like my recent attempt to redscale Aerochrome, building a functioning camera out of bread, and an experiment involving pushing HP5+ to ISO 100,000.

Alas, I’ve bought many beautiful notepads in the past, only to leave them blank, and I don’t value my notes enough to keep an archive; that’s why most of my sketches live on scrap paper and sticky notes. But I couldn’t decline Vetro Editions when they offered me a pair of notebooks featuring Andrew Bellamy’s designs up for review.

In this review: Notebook design and build quality. Content, lining, organization. Where to buy Analogue Photography Notebook. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!

Notebook design and build quality.

Analogue Photography Notebook stands out just like the book its design is based on. It’s bright yellow, and it’s garnished with high-contrast, exceptionally well-drawn graphics.

The notebook looks like something that could’ve been made in the 1970s, although the materials are undeniably modern. The cover is made of cardstock with a pressed canvas texture that feels secure in hand and produces a pleasant sheen in the light.

Compared to the book (the Reference Manual), the notebook’s cardstock texture is significantly more pronounced. Both feel and look great.

Because the notebook is supposed to be handled more roughly and frequently, I tried scratching the cover and creasing the corners to see if it could be easily damaged. It’s by no means indestructible (it’s mostly just paper), but it passed my tests: the ink does not rub off easily, and the textured nature of the cover obscures the creases slightly.

The inner pages feel like normal lined paper with a bit of a tan. The fonts, graphics, and lining are monochrome-gray.

Content, lining, organization.

I talked about why I like taking notes on paper above; Analogue Photography Notebook spends two first pages explaining how making measurement records can improve the quality of your images. They are well-written arguments and examples, though I’m not sure I need this in each one of my notebooks.

The following six pages are a set of basic exposure explanations, like the Sunny 16 rule and how the aperture works. I like this section because it has nice illustrations, and even though I’m familiar with the concepts, this can still be a useful reference in certain conversations.

This notebook is trying to fulfill several uses: a reference (above), camera/film/lens & per-frame lined notetaking, a section for freeform notes, and six pages of contact information space.

The trouble with a notebook designed to do several things is the predefined ratio of space dedicated to each of those tasks. There are all kinds of photographers and notetakers out there who may have different needs. But given a dark enough pen, notes can be made in any way or place you like.

Where to buy Analogue Photography Notebook.

Vetro Editions is a Berlin-based publisher, which is why their products may not be ubiquitous in the US and Canada (although I did find them at Brooklyn Film Camera). You can also find your copies directly on Vetro, or you can check out shops in the EU and the UK that are likely to have them in stock, like Ars Imago and Analogue Wonderland.