Do you have a story in mind before you take the pictures, or do you take the pictures and then write the story?
Before I start taking pictures I create a sequence that will fit in a 48-page book. Then I start taking pictures and assign the pictures to the squares I drew. Once I have pictures telling the story I start writing in sequence, which is dictated by the pictures. I let the pictures tell me the story. I find that I do better if I know nothing about a subject before I start the book. The discovery of a subject is what makes it fun and that makes the book fun. I like to end up with a life experience that will enrich my life.
How many pictures do you have to take to make a book?
Usually for every picture, I use one roll of film. There are usually 50 pictures in a book, so there are 50 rolls and each roll is 36 exposures. So, for a book with 50 pictures I will take 1,800 photographs.