Ever wonder how a story in print takes shape? For me, it starts with photos spread out in front of me, each one waiting to be part of something bigger and meaningful. Stacks of images spread across the desk. Images laid out like a quiet conversation.
That is how Prelude: A First Look At Sixteen Tales From Around The World came to life. A small publication with a big pulse. A zine made to breathe before the larger work arrives.
Seeing Prelude featured by Ted Forbes on The Art of Photography felt like the project stepping into its own voice. Recognition, yes. But more than that, a nudge to keep going.
“I love that Paul is using the zine to flesh out ideas that will later become a book. It reminds me of my band days, making demo tapes before an album. It is a way to experiment, refine, and build, and I really connect with that in his work.”
Ted Forbes
I smiled when I heard that. Because it is true. Prelude is my demo tape. A place to test rhythm, to feel pacing, to see what belongs together and what needs space to breathe.
About the Prelude Zine: A First Look at Global Fashion Stories
Prelude is both a visual digest and a beginning. It offers the first glimpse of my upcoming photo book, Fashion & Editorial Photography: Sixteen Tales From Around The World. The zine does not travel by geography. It moves by feeling. Stillness into curiosity. Boldness into joy. That emotional arc anchors the sequence and gives the pages their flow.
You can read it online in an interactive preview or hold a printed copy. Both experiences were important to me, because access matters, touch matters, and the way we engage with images changes how we feel their story.
Fashion & Editorial Photography: A Sneak Peek at the Upcoming Photo Book
The zine foreshadows the larger work. The photo book gathers sixteen stories across eight cities on four continents, shaped by collaborations with models, designers, stylists, and friends. San Francisco. New York. Paris. Ho Chi Minh City. Seoul. Bali. Melbourne. Los Angeles. Each chapter is a self-contained tale. Fashion as language. Place as atmosphere. Story as the bridge between them.
The project page on my site collects chapter glimpses and project updates as this journey unfolds. It is the best way to follow along as we work toward a release planned ahead of the year-end holidays.
At the heart of the project sits a belief I wrote about when I first teased the photo book.
Fashion is the foundation
Style is fashion made personal.
Storytelling is style made meaningful.
The subject shapes the story. They are not styled into a scene. They become the scene. This is where my photography finds its voice, at the crossroads where clothing, person, and place start speaking to each other.
Ted Forbes Features Prelude on The Art of Photography YouTube Channel
Ted’s feature placed Prelude in a wider conversation about creative process. His demo-tape metaphor fits the way I work. Drafts, edits, prints on the floor. The act of sequencing becomes the story. This is not my first feature on The Art of Photography. He previously highlighted The Street Is My Studio and later The Melbourne Portraits Project, each time inviting viewers to consider intent, emotion, and the craft of editing as much as the act of shooting.
Lessons from Ted Forbes’ Zine Workshop: Editing and Sequencing with Intent
Attending Ted’s zine workshop was a turning point. We talked about editing with intent. Sequencing as rhythm. The value of physical mockups to test pacing. I began producing small test runs, learning where an image should sit and when to let silence do the talking. That iterative practice turned zines into a creative laboratory. It sharpened my storytelling and gave me the discipline to carry an idea from spark to book.
If you are thinking about making your own zine or photo book, consider one of his online sessions. Practical. Supportive. Focused on the craft.
Visually Speaking: Ted Forbes’ Book on Visual Storytelling
On my desk sits Ted’s book, Visually Speaking: A Guide to Visual Storytelling. I reach for it often. The pages balance insight and practicality. Composition as conversation. Framing as intention. Rhythm as structure. It is a guide that meets photographers where they are, new or experienced, and moves them closer to visual clarity. In my review I described how it helps connect with an audience through narrative, not only through technique. That is why I recommend it to any photographer who wants their images to carry meaning that lasts.
Reflections on the Journey of Prelude and the Photo Book
To create a zine is to share a beginning. To put something imperfect yet intentional into the world. Prelude was that beginning. Seeing it through Ted’s lens on The Art of Photography has been both affirming and motivating.
The zine now lives in conversation with the book. One intimate, the other expansive. Together, they form a bridge across continents, collaborations, and stories waiting to be told.
If you are a brand, designer, model, or creative with a story to tell, I would love to collaborate. From fashion editorials to runway coverage to publishing your work in print, let us build images that move with purpose. Reach out to begin the conversation.
© Paul Tocatlian. All Rights Reserved.
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