Editor-in-chief of Pylot magazine Max Barnett on his favourite books

When all-analogue magazine Pylot launched last year, it stood out from its super glossy counterparts for its strict no retouching policy. In a digitally saturated industry, Pylot set out to celebrate the unique artistry of analogue processes. Now in its fourth issue, the biannual fashion and photography publication continues to showcase a range of new and emerging talent in its rich pages. Editor-in-chief Max Barnett has been at the helm since the mag started and here he talks about the books that inspired him to get into photography in the first place.

Jean-Paul Goude: So Far So Goude

Other than the fantastic pun there are too many reasons as to why I love this book. Purchased while on a trip to Paris Photo about five years ago, I fell in love with Goude’s sense of humour, use of colour, and his fascinating way of cutting up and manipulating slide film.

He is one of the only photographers in my mind to have succeeded across all areas of fine art, fashion, portraiture and commercial photography – a complete inspiration to say the least, which all started with the purchasing of this book.

Paolo Zerbini: Rough Ride Down South

Having been lucky enough to work with Paolo on Pylot issue three, I have admired his work ever since. Rough Ride Down South is a fascinating journey that shows Zerbini drawing similarities between his native rural northern Italy and some southern parts of the US.

The journey is full of intriguing images of people and places, Highlights include portraits in front of a store called Piggly Wiggly and a man dressed all in red, sat on a metal railing staring into the camera with an air of threatening despair upon his face.

Steve Crist (editor): The Polaroid Book

One of my best friends Jon bought me this book for my birthday last year. This was such a spot on present for me as I work a lot with instant film and the saviours of the instant film movement The Impossible Project. This book is filled with amazing ideas which I love to see when looking for inspiration. Hopefully this type of photography will long continue to inspire and produce keepsakes that remind us of the physicality of analogue photography.

Roger Ballen and Didi Bozzini: The House Project

This book holds a special place in my heart. Not necessarily because of the captivatingly dark and haunting imagery that resides inside. But because I have long looked up to Roger Ballen as a photographer and his uncompromising vision. As a favourite within the fashion, music, and art industries we were delighted that he agreed to collaborate with Pylot on issue three.

This book marks the time I finally got to meet him in person at the launch at the end of last year. I got to give him his copy of Pylot and he signed this book for us – it’s moments like this that give smaller publications like us a boost, they remind us that we are on the right track, even if we don’t know what is coming next.

Kodak: Photography

This is an old Kodak booklet I found in a charity shop just off Grays Inn Road for 50p. It’s only small but filled with all the kind of introductory information one would expect to see in a Photography for Dummies manual.

However taking into consideration the context of when it was produced (around the 60s and 70s), I think that this would have been a great booklet to have. I appreciate the colours and typography on the cover and it features the work of some of the first pioneers in photography such as Eadweard Muybridge and Julia Margaret Cameron.