Matt Eich wanted a way to make photography less disposable.
A Charlottesville- based photojournalist and photography professor at George Washington University, Eich has published extensively in the New York Times, The Atlantic, and Time. But he long ago became disillusioned with the short shelf life of photographs as an art form. He established Little Oak Press in response and has since published almost a dozen photography books and zines.
Eich recently spoke to 434 about his work, self-publishing, and brunch.
434: What’s that terrible noise?
Matt Eich: I apologize for the noise. I’m scrambling some eggs. I was born in Richmond and raised in southeast Virginia. I studied photojournalism at Ohio University and started self-publishing portfolios and projects. Those were the analog days. Then we transitioned to digital, and that wasn’t ideal. So photo books have always been a big inspiration.
How did you get into self-publishing?
In photojournalism, a photographer might spend weeks, months, even years to have an image go to print one day and be lining the litter basket the next day. A lot of us talk about putting sustainable work in the world that has some longevity and shelf life. A lot of us make photos because we want them to outlast and outlive us. But the internet is this black hole for images.
So publishing your own books was the answer.
Books are the ideal form. But they are expensive to make, and there’s really no way to make a profit. In 2010 I did a limited series book called Carry Me Ohio—100 copies through a publisher. There’s a certain process to making a monograph with a publisher. It’s costly and tedious, and I came up in the punk music scene where zines were a part of the culture. Jump to early 2019: I had been freelancing since 2005 and started teaching in 2017 to stabilize things. I’m an avid book collector and was experiencing this drought in work. I was talking to a buddy in D.C., and he encouraged me to slam something together and put it out to get out of my funk and depression. It was called Does Anyone Dare Despise This Day of Small Beginnings, and was a collection of my favorite photos from the year before. I sold enough of them to break even on the printing costs and sent the remaining copies to editors and magazines and curators that could support my career to come. The response was good.
Where did you go from there?
For the last two years I’ve been trying to put out these semi-regular zines called Seasonal Blues. They are collections of pictures from day one of a season to the last day. Those are the only rules. It’s a nod to our frequent hills and valleys and also blues music. Each one opens with a poem and unfolds into poetic visual correlations.
Have you continued to publish in the media?
Yes, but commissions are a double-edged thing. They can open up opportunities, but there are the limitations of time and editors’ expectations. Commission work has grown more and more complicated, and the industry has been deeply affected by the pandemic. It’s not an easy industry, and it is kind of ironic I am teaching photography and photojournalism at an institution. I’m transparent and honest with my students in a way that my professors probably weren’t. Most of them had been out of the industry as long as I’ve now been in the industry.
Matt’s faves
What I’m reading: I’ve been reading mostly poetry of late, including Terrance Hayes, Tim Seibles, Molly
McCully Brown, and Charles Wright.
What I’m listening to: A variety of things. Recently I’ve been enjoying songs by Danika Jones, Gregory Alan Isakov, Sylvan Esso, Mulatu Astatke, and Julia Stone.
What I’m watching: We’ve been plowing through too much TV over the past year. My kids are watching lots of baking shows. My wife and I rarely have the energy to watch anything by the time we get the kids in bed.
What I’m eating: We’ve been learning how to make omelets on the weekends. Our family favorite for takeout is Tacos Gomez.
What I’m buying: Too many photo books (always), pour-over coffee supplies (from Vessel Craft Coffee and George Howell Coffee), and photographic materials.