Launched my 1st Printed Photo Zines - Here's What I Learned

Deniz Demir
Mar 4
4 min read

Updated: Mar 5

Urban collage of Hong Kong night photography featuring neon shop signs, a roast meat window display, dense street signage, and a portrait framed through reflections, highlighting the layered architecture, food culture, and glowing city streets after dark.

For what felt like an eternity, I existed almost solely in the digital world as a photographer. I was fascinated by those who printed their work for galleries and exhibitions, and my eyes would light up with a mix of curiosity, appreciation, and envy whenever I held printed publications such as books and zines. They were beautiful and at the same time intimidating.

I had previously printed my work, mostly as one-offs for clients and test prints. However, the idea of creating something like a book or zine seemed unattainable. Last year, an overseas publisher approached me about compiling a collection that they would print as a beautiful hardcover book and sell through their shop in Europe. At the time, I postponed or declined because I was uncertain about the overall theme I wanted for the book and felt that the retail pricing was quite high.

However, something shifted when I returned from my travels to Hong Kong and Taiwan in December 2022. These destinations had topped my bucket list for quite some time, and it was my first visit to both places. What was meant to be a vacation transformed into 10 days of intense shooting, exploration, and meeting new people. From morning till night, I was out capturing images, and everything felt... new. Having been in Japan continuously for so long before, this experience was exactly what I needed to regain that 'first time' perspective.

"WHAT DO YOU FEEL THE FIRST TIME YOU VISIT A CITY OR PLACE?"

A cinematic portrait of a young woman lit by warm red neon light, turning toward the camera inside a dimly lit urban setting, accompanied by smaller window-framed portraits and a text page introducing First Impressions, reflecting on the emotions of visiting a new city for the first time.

And that's when inspiration hit!

I wanted to show the world my travels... the things I saw, the people I met... and I wanted you all to feel it from the perspective that it was all through the lens of my first time or as the subsequent Photo Zine series ended up being called, "First Impressions" or "第一印象" in Chinese.

With inspiration and a theme in mind, I was eager to start piecing together a layout for the zines and did a lot of research on the topic before feeling a bit overwhelmed with the more 'pro' choices like InDesign and opted for the easy route, Canva.

This was my first mistake.

The initial magazine layout process was a breeze, and Canva is extremely intuitive to use overall, but I gradually learned that if you are going to be printing at a pro print shop, this was not the way to go. Several test prints (and thousands of yen) later, my files, which looked great on screen, were a hot mess in print. Why? Canva is great for designing things you want to keep digital or in RGB mode, but before you waste any of your hard-earned money, you better understand the difference between screen and print.

This was my second mistake.

Understanding RGB and CMYK color spaces is not just nice to know. It's a must when printing, and I can tell you my knowledge on this subject was way too limited when I ran my first test prints from Canva. Everything looked great on screen, but that was because I edited FOR screen, including using the wrong color space. Yes, the printers can convert for you, but you are leaving it to them, and you have no idea what the final output will come back as. Essentially, editing on your screen with your brightness cranked up with a backlit monitor making everything look bright and colorful might be great for Instagram or your website, but printed paper cannot reproduce this brightness and even the full gamut of colors that your screen can.

The fix?

I recalibrated my second monitor for print and edited all the photos accordingly (raised the darks and shadows, overall brightness, saturation in certain colors like reds/oranges, etc.).

I learned InDesign in the shortest amount of time possible and redid all the designs the proper way.

I converted every single photo from sRGB to CMYK from InDesign, edited them to my liking in Photoshop after the conversion, and brought them back to InDesign. This way, I had full control over the final print and knew pretty much what I would be getting back from the printers.

One test print later, and I was blown away by the difference from my earlier trials. This was exactly how I saw it in my head, and I was now ready to share it with you all.

BOTTOM LINE

If you're on the fence about making a zine or photobook, I'm here to say that while it's not 'easy,' it's not as difficult as you think. Yes, there are many things to grasp and learn, and you will make mistakes, but the gratifying feeling of having something you made out of absolutely nothing other than your passion, camera, and computer is just such a rush. Putting your vision out there on your terms is something all photographers should experience. I was also surprised to find out that the costs to print are not as out of reach as I imagined.

Just do it and thank yourself later.

The Reveal

First Impressions VOL 1 Taiwan + First Impressions VOL 2 Hong Kong launched to great success at the Tokyo Streets X Exhibition last month here in Tokyo, selling many copies live. Thank you to everyone who picked one up! And now I'm ready to start shipping worldwide with my first orders leaving today!

A collage of Hong Kong street scenes at night including a busy late-night seafood restaurant, small food stalls glowing with neon menus, cyclists parked outside a bustling eatery, and pedestrians moving through narrow alleyways illuminated by colorful signage and streetlights.

Collage of Taiwan night market scenes showing busy street food stalls, glowing menu boards, and customers gathered around late-night vendors, paired with a portrait of a woman sitting alone at a bus stop under soft neon lighting along a quiet city street.

Stylized neon-lit portrait collage of a young woman posing in Hong Kong streets at night, photographed through glass and illuminated by red and green signage, with dynamic motion blur and layered compositions that evoke the city’s vibrant nightlife and cinematic energy.

Split composition featuring a dim residential building glowing with red light in the night alongside a dreamy portrait of a woman reclining with cigarette smoke drifting through neon lighting, creating a moody and cinematic atmosphere.

They are 2000 yen each in my shop + shipping, but as a bonus, if you order 2 copies or more, there will be a 500 yen discount, which makes these highly affordable additions to your collection.

I'm already thinking of new locations to expand on this series, so if you have any ideas, let me know in the comments.

Thanks, as always, for reading and your continued support!