Trinity College Law Books Black and White Library Photography
Cracked Bindings and Faded Labels Against a Dark Shelf
In Trinity College Library in Dublin, this row of worn law books made me slow down and look closely. The black and white photograph isolates their spines against a dark background, bringing English law reports, faded lettering and cracked bindings into view. I wanted to stay with the books themselves rather than make a wider picture of the room.
The volumes stand close together, but each has a different surface. Some bindings are comparatively pale, others retain dark title panels, and a loose piece curls away from one of the spines. The top edges are uneven too. Those small differences interrupt the regular row and give it more character than a perfectly matched set would have.
Gentle light across the shelf reveals scratches, creases and the wear along the lower corners. Working in monochrome helped me bring out those changes without allowing colour to separate one volume too sharply from its neighbours. The dark space above the books keeps the outline of every binding clear, while the shelf below gives them a shared base.
I remember being absorbed by how much there was to see within such a small part of the library. The titles identify the books, but the physical details invite a slower look: a label, an edge, a patch where the finish has worn away. This photograph holds that close encounter. It leaves the books together as I found them and gives their surfaces enough room to be noticed.
© Dan Kosmayer, 2017
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Every photograph in my collection comes from my own travels, explorations, and years behind the camera.
I create my work as photographic art rather than mass-produced decoration. From street portraits and abandoned places to landscapes, architecture, and the unusual subjects I discover along the way, each image begins with something that made me stop and look.
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