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the walton wood journal

the walton wood journal

i have made mention on several previous occasions that it is rarely sufficient to sponsor a formula one racing car without subsequently informing the world that the car has been sponsored. logically, it's a necessity that obviates pragmatism, but the apparent kudos to be gained from association with such an exciting sport seem to extend beyond the circle of aficionados who could actually give a toss. and it is something of a tautology to mention that the name of the game here is exposure. sponsorship is, to state the glaringly obvious, a means by which one can gain appropriate exposure for one's product(s) or service(s).

the walton wood journal

but what, i might add, are the prospects for one who needs exposure in order to carve a furrow in this modern and increasingly commercial world? since the object of the exercise is to gain suitable remuneration for one's skills, the option of sponsoring something or someone is somewhat of a redundant, not to mention expensive undertaking. i am thinking here of the sports photographer in particular, and given that these pixels are mostly concerned with bicycles, the lensperson with a predilection for capturing images of speeding bicycles and the environment in which speeding takes place.

were i for a moment, to hypothetically apply this prospective career to myself, you will be aware that i am not ideally located to leap from one european stage race to the next with camera in hand. (we are the walton wood journal momentarily suspending the fact that i'd be hard-pressed to handle a modern dslr in the first place). this is, i'm sorry to say, a rather long-winded way of pointing out that, in the pursuit of gainful employment, it might be necessary to incur untold and open-ended expenditure. not a desirous state of affairs, i'm sure you'll agree.

however, if we delve even deeper into my hypothetically constructed world, having built a sizeable portfolio of quality imagery, now what do i do? for even the very best photographs of speeding cyclist are worth less than a valve cap if no-one other than immeduate family ever get to see them.

it is a quandary wrapped around a conundrum, but one that has been most satisfactorily solved by the first published collaboration between graphic designer paul wood and photographer ian walton. unsurprisingly the manifestation of this joint effort is thewaltonwoodjournal, a title that engenders mental pictures of rural arkansas for some reason.

the walton wood journal

ian walton, in this case having captured some stunning images from the 2013 volta a catalunya, wishedto self-publish them in order to tell the story in his own way. it shows a robustness of character on his part i think, since entering the marketplace to sell to the highest (or only) bidder immediately devolves control to a third party. that he has found his graphic soul-mate in paul wood is not only fortuitous for him, but for us too, for this compact and bijou, forty-six page book is a joy to behold.

comprising an eclectic selection of monochrome and colour images from catalunya, a race won by garmin's dan martin, there is much to admire not only in the photographs themselves, but in the the walton wood journal sympathetic manner of their presentation. unlike david carson's raygun magazine, where design took precedence over the content, paul wood has managed to strike a delicate balance between imposing a graphic simplicity and remaining transparent in favour of the pictures.

available in issuu, pdf and printed format, i'm afraid i fail to comprehend how this makes commercial sense at present, but i do understand that the two gents are seeking sponsorship for issue number two. and that, i'm happy to say, is exceptionally good news. for with issue 01, they have hit the ground running and it would be verging on the criminal were the series to be curtailed when showing so much promise for the future.

the walton wood journal

saturday 24th august 2013

twmp