Cafe Royal Books showcases some of the best young photographers working today, as well as archival projects within the same form; almost always black and white, A5, with a print run of just 200 editions. As CRB hits it’s 9th birthday, we catch up with founder, editor and photographer Craig Atkinson who tells us about the tragedies of unseen photography and the value of print.
Describe Café Royal Books?
They are what they are; I never pretend they are any more than very simple documents. Their simplicity is what I enjoy – no fuss or decoration, well finished, good paper, strong print and limited edition.
What does it bring to the publication world?
Hopefully it brings affordable books to those who want them. It’s more about getting the pictures seen, or seen again. Pausing people in time.
Are there any restrictions with the work you choose?
I’m always open to ideas and new work. I will only publish work that I like and books that I would buy. However, I can’t publish everything I like, it all has to fit within the general series of social change, or ‘change’ as a broader thing, and usually in the UK. It’s great when someone I’ve never heard of sends a sketchy email about some work they made and it turns out to be amazing.
Why do you work with archived photography projects?
The images are important historical and social documents. They are the UK, they remind us but also teach us. It’s tragic that so much work is unseen.
Why is it so important that CRB is in physical form?
It will remain the same format forever; It’s there, in print. Not backlit. The blacks are black, the paper has a texture, the ink smells, it’s physical. They wouldn’t work digitally. They couldn’t work digitally.
What do you think the role of printed photography publications has in 2014?
Still paper, still ink. If someone uses a digital format, they should be using it for the peculiarities of the format.
Credits
Text Rosie Ellis
Images courtesy Cafe Royal Books