The Halide Project, Andrew Piccone and Indie Photo invite you to join a Photo Zine Workshop. Take your work offline and learn about the exciting world of self-publishing photo zines! From humble xeroxed and hand folded to professionally printed, the photo zine is a timeless medium that requires little more than time, patience and an idea.

Over this two-session workshop, photographers will take their existing photo work and ideas to the next level. Through group discussion and collaboration, participants will come away with a solid plan and blueprint to turn their work into a self-published photo ‘zine. 

From workshop facilitator Andrew Piccone: “I made my first zine back in 2020, and fell in love with the experience of curating and sharing work in this accessible, handcrafted format. For too long I was gatekeeping myself, waiting for an opportunity to publish and share work on a larger, analog scale. Since that first zine, I’ve self published 10 photo zines and one photo book over the last few years, picking up a lot along the way. I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned, as well as seeing and discussing participants' work.”

Additionally, workshop participants will get a crash course on the ever important technical side of putting together a zine, getting into the nitty gritty of specific formatting and template details. The bulk of our time together, however, will be spent focused on taking our ideas and figuring out how to best present and share them. Being your own editor and making tough decisions on culling and pacing is a hugely important part of the storytelling process that makes a zine cohesive and successful.

Week 1 - The workshop kicks off with participants sharing ideas, looking at each other's work, engaging in crit, as well as learning about the history of ‘zines and the different directions for layout and printing. Participants will bring around 40 prints from an existing photo project that they want to turn into their ‘zine. We’ll pin the photos up on the wall and talk through everyone’s projects, taking time to carefully consider what works, what could be expanded upon, and what could be edited.

Between sessions - Participants will be tasked with working on editing and pacing of their work after getting feedback from their peers, as well as determining layout and printing plan. Through email, the group has the opportunity to stay in touch and get feedback from each other on decisions throughout.

Week 2 - We’ll come back together the second week to present our “final” plan, pinning up work on the wall with intentional cover, title, and sequencing decisions made. Sharing next steps on printing, funding and distribution decisions, the workshop will culminate with participants feeling ready to take the final step and hit publish, making their ‘zines a reality.  

Along the way, we’ll have a visit from a special guest, take a photo walk, and engage in a creative exercise or two to get our collaborative juices flowing.

Prior to the workshop, Indie Photo will provide participants with prints of their culled work to have on hand and pin up, engaging in conversation about themes, directions, and sequencing. Indie Photo is offering to print 40 4"x6" prints per participant for an add-on materials cost of $10. Indie Photo is also excited to carry copies for sale of all the final ‘zines made during the workshop.

Workshop Withdrawal Policy

We recommend choosing workshops with care after reading our withdrawal policy. If you have questions about any of our workshops, please contact dale@thehalideproject.org 

Artist Bio:
Andrew Piccone is a Philadelphia based artist working in photography and painting.

His work focuses on the identity of family, capitalism, consumerism, the decay of language and communication in the internet age and the juxtaposition of that with the natural world. His photo work has been shown in group and solo gallery shows in Philadelphia in New York City. In 2023 he spoke on a panel at the 20/20 Photo Fest about his work centered on his family. He has self published 10 photo zines and one photo book. He lives in the Mount Airy section of Northwest Philadelphia with his family.

This workshop is generously sponsored by The Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation.