DIET SPREAD: Eden Berlin and Ulorin Vex in Steve Diet Goedde’s upcoming Arrangements Vol III
Goedde makes Arrangements to celebrate 25 years’ work
Highly regarded Los Angeles photographer Steve Diet Goedde celebrates his 50th birthday and a quarter-century of fetish photography this month with plans for a three-volume set of books, to be partially crowd-funded through Kickstarter. Tony Mitchell, first to publish Goedde’s work while at Skin Two, gets the story behind the project and discovers what’s on offer to backers. Banner model Skin Diamond, top, and all other images by SDG
It’s not surprising that photographer Steve Diet Goedde, 50 this month, sees 2015 as a major milestone.
“I have now spent exactly half my life devoted to my artistic passion,” he says. And to mark this achievement, he is publishing three books covering his entire 25-year photographic career, describing them as “the ultimate compendium of my work”.
To be published over the next 12 months or so in reverse order, the new volumes each represent key phases of his output. The newest work (2007-2015) will be released first, followed by his “most productive” years (2001-2006), and culminating with the “infancy and most iconic” period (1990-2000), otherwise known as The Beauty of Fetish years.
Each volume will feature well-known work plus a multitude of recently discovered, never before seen photographs. All black and white and colour film work will be digitally rescanned from the original negatives resulting in new clarity and better tonality.
The books, called Arrangements: 25 Years of Photography Volumes I, II and III, will be produced in standard hardcover versions measuring 9.5 x 13in (241 x 330mm — the same size as his earlier Beauty of Fetish volumes), and also in limited slipcase editions including deluxe prints.
The three volumes, edited by the legendary Eric Kroll and produced in collaboration with Los Angeles fine art gallery and publisher Century Guild, will be partially crowdfunded through Kickstarter. Volume III, covering the years 2007-2015, will be the first to be released, and is due out in June 2015. See Thumbnail Gallery below for sample spreads from the book.
The Kickstarter campaign for Volume III began at the end of January and runs until March 3, with a target of $35,000. At press time (February 10) the campaign had already passed its halfway mark, with 131 backers pledging $20,000 and 20 days still to run.
What can you get as a backer through Kickstarter? The minimum pledge of $27 gets you a 10x8in print of the model of your choice (from the 12 in Volume III who are participating in the rewards), signed by the model and the photographer.
A pledge of $59 or more will secure a copy of Volume III itself, posted to you anywhere in the world, while for $86 or more you can get the book plus a photo signed by model and ’tog.
Boosting your pledge to $129 gives you access to one of the 12 special book packages comprising the book autographed and personalised by Goedde, plus an 8×10 of your chosen model signed by model and ’tog.
The 12 Models participating in the $129 package are Angela Ryan, Eden Berlin, Jade Vixen, Justine Joli, Kimberly Kayne, Kumi, Lauren WK, Margaret Cho, Masuimi Max, Mosh, Skin Diamond and Ulorin Vex.
For larger pledges from $199 up to $1,500 (or more), the rewards range from book plus five signed model photos up to the Top Patron’s Package (below).
This comprises deluxe limited (to 25) edition ‘Clamshell’ volume signed and numbered by the photographer with special cover debossed with the SDG25 logo, in a special clamshell box with three pencil-signed photographs printed by Transmission Atelier.
The top package also includes a numbered, hand-pulled, signed silver gelatin print, all 12 signed model prints, access to the private book release party, your name printed in all the volumes as a patron, and five copies of the regular edition to share with friends.
And in case you’re not sure how Kickstarter works, your pledged funds can only be accessed for the project if the Kickstarter target is reached. So you are protected from the risk of losing your investment on a project that doesn’t raise the target amount it needs.
Arrangements Volume II (covering the years 2001-2006) will be crowd-funded during July 2015 for likely publication in November, while Arrangements Vol I funding (1990-2000) will be finalised in early 2016.
Steve Diet Goedde reveals that his new publishing project was initially going to be one book comprising work done since publication of his last book in 2000.
“However,” he explains, “once I gathered the amount of work from the past 15 years, I was staggered by just how much material I had to choose from. Editing down 15 years of photographs into roughly 120 pages seemed like an injustice.
“Now, I do believe in a well-edited and concise overview of work (less is always more) but this was ridiculous! I’d be haunted by questions like ‘what about that one beloved Kumi photo?’ and ‘what about that one alternate shot of Jade Vixen in addition to the well-known one?’.”
When he presented this dilemma to Century Guild’s Thomas Negovan and his editor Eric Kroll, they agreed that he had to make the book he wanted to make, which resulted in the book became books.
“We wanted the volumes to document the classics but also show plenty of unseen work that was overlooked initially but was later discovered with fresh eyes,” he says.
“And then we realised the 25th anniversary angle and decided to add the Beauty of Fetish years as well, and make it a full career retrospective.”
Goedde also reveals that the lack of further SDG volumes after The Beauty of Fetish Volume II in 2000 has not been due to lack of interest from the print trade. In fact numerous publishers approached him after that book.
“But they could not guarantee the size, image selection, page-count, or most importantly, the reproduction quality of my work,” he says. “My tonal quality, especially with my black and white photographs, is a vital visual element of my aesthetic.
“So when I found out Transmission Atelier’s James Kay would be overseeing the pre-press and reproductions with the overseas printers, that’s when I knew that Century Guild would deliver the level of quality that my work deserved.
“James’ attention to detail and colour accuracy is unprecedented, as seen with the work he’s done with the Clive Barker archive, a project he’s continually working on to this day.”
BELOW: Click on any image to view our gallery of spreads from Steve Diet Goedde’s Arrangements
Tags: Book Releases, Models, Personalities
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