Douglas Stockdale on Laura Braun “Metier-Small Businesses in London”

The recent book self-published under her imprint by Laura Braun, Metier, investigates the Small Business in London, which is a region where Braun resides. The book is a combination of environment portraits of the persons engaged in a small business, a study of the business interiors and all in conjunction with brief statements made by her subjects, usually in the context of how they arrived at this business.Since the term Metier was not well known to me, (a term that I never heard mentioned amongst the other small business owners in Southern California where our shop was residing), I thought it expansive to know more about this word in order to ground me as a reader. Perhaps this is a far more common term in England, as in California those folks who run the small businesses are more commonly known as store owners, small businessman/women or for the hip stores, entrepreneur.

England – 

The recent book published by Laura Braun, Metier, investigates the Small Business in London, a region where Braun resides. The book is a combination of environment portrait of the persons engaged in the small business, a study of the business interior in conjunction with a brief statement made by the subject, usually in conjunction with how they were where they are at that time.

Since the term Metier was not well known to me, (a term that I never heard mentioned amongst the other small business owners in Southern California where our shop was residing),I  thought it expansive to know more about this word in order to ground me as a reader. Perhaps this is a far more common term in England, as in California as these folks who run the small businesses are called are more commonly known as store owners, small businessman/women or for the hip stores, entrepreneur.

  1. A profession or trade, especially that to which one is well suited.
  2. A field of activity in which one has special ability or training; forte.

I suspect that the last part of the first definition creates more ambiguity in the reading of this book, as I find it extremely difficult to tell by looking a portrait or reading their statement that they are well suited to that professional trade. The later found definition seems to have a better connotation and connection with Braun’s sociological study.

 

Laura_Braun_SRGB_23


This book immediately resonates with me as many photographers, whether full time or part time profession, commercial, portrait or fine art, usually fall into this broad category of commerce. And in fact, she features three photographic oriented small businesses in her book.

At one time we owned and operated a storefront retail store selling a combination of picture framing services, do-it-yourself framing supplies as well a broad selection of fine arts materials. Similar to Braun’s environmental portraits of the store owner’s enclave, we also had the “back room” where all of the framing magic occurred and our framing team could relax a moment out of the spotlight of the customers gaze.

Her portraits are at once a look into the past and as well as potentially into the future for a small segment of society in North America and Western Europe. In other parts of the developing world, these portraits probably do not appear as strange, nevertheless with the mindless expansion of McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks other chains, even the far reaches of the universe may soon be impacted.

 

Laura_Braun-Metier-Small_Businesses_in_London_cover

 

In studying her photographs, it seems that the store interior soon take on a similar look as her subjects. The stores are autobiographic environments, from the neat, tidy and well arranged to those on the ragged edge of total chaos.

Unlike the current trend of neutral appearing subjects, it appears that Braun does not attempt to force her subjects into a predetermined formulistic pose. She captures what her subject’s offer, that perhaps this is part and parcel to her subject’s persona. It allows the reader to get a little more of a hint as to who this person might be and allows additional reflection on their story.

Likewise I find while reading this book recalling the various small shops and businesses I have frequented with some making a lasting impression and memory to this day.

I found this book to be a very enjoyable read.

The book has a stiff cover dust cover over a book block that has open thread binding. Okay, Braun describes the book as being naked bound with dust jacket, which I have discussed in much more detail in another post found here. As a result of this style of binding, the book lays flat and viewing the interior spreads a pleasure in combination with the smaller size of this publication. The flip side is that this is not a particularly strong type of binding thus the reader is encouraged to take a little more care in the books handling. My copy was immediately placed into a poly bag.

 

Laura Braun – Metier – Small Businesses in London

Copyright 2013 & published by Paper Tigers Books

Photography & Book Review by Douglas Stockdale

Related Posts

Jan Brykczynski: “Boiko” – Exploring the Rural Reality of Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains

Poland – Those Boikos are the most mysterious tribe the length and breadth of the Carpathians. No-one else is quite …

Shahria Sharmin: Call me Heena

Bangladesh –  “I feel like a mermaid. My body tells me that I am a man but my soul tells …

Mark Power: Die Mauer ist Weg!

Germany –  By a series of fortunate events, Photography feature – Mark Power was present at the fall of the Berlin …

Yoshinori Mizutani: Tokyo Parrots

Japan –   When I saw the hordes of parrots of several hundred birds, I was very scared, it was like, I …

Diana Matar: “Evidence” – Photographing Six years of Political Disappearance

Libya –  Years ago Photography feature –  Diana Matar‘s father-in-law, a Libyan opposition leader, was kidnapped by the Egyptian secret …

David Hornillos Mediodia

David Hornillos: “Mediodia” – Spanish Midday Love For Orange Brick Wall

Spain –  Madrid’s Atocha station was formerly known as Mediodía (Midday), as it was the city’s Southbound railway hub. This …

Sputnik Photos Lost Territories

Lost Territories: Support Sputnik Photos project on Post-Soviet Countries of Central Asia

Poland –  Twenty-five years after the fall of the USSR five Sputnik Photos photographers are setting out on a journey …

Wasted and Wounded : Palash Krishna Mehrotra on Andri Tambunan

Indonesia – Book review : Against All Odds by Palash Krishna Mehrotra Andri Tambunan had a moment of epiphany five years ago. He …

Marlous Van Der Sloot: Le Corps Vecu

Netherlands – In modern society we often forget that ‘the physical’ is also a source of information. Because of rationalization, …