22.01.2026

Professional days in Amiens

Journée de sensiblisation au livre de photographie

France PhotoBook, in partnership with Agence régionale du Livre et de la Lecture des Hauts-de-France (Regional Agency for Books and Reading in Hauts-de-France) and the The Bibliothèques d’Amiens Métropole (Amiens Métropole Libraries), is organising an awareness-raising day dedicated to photography books on Thursday 22 January 2026 from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm.

Since 2020, the number of photobook publishers has grown, yet the enthusiasm shown by audiences at book fairs has not been matched by a comparable increase in the availability of photobooks in bookshops and libraries. In response, France PhotoBook has developed a one-day programme aimed at book industry professionals, designed to raise awareness of photobook publishing. The initiative introduces participants to the photobook as a distinctive publishing form and provides an opportunity to explore how best to engage and support readers.

Over the course of the day, professionals involved in the creation, production, distribution and preservation of photobooks come together to exchange ideas, present their work and share their approaches to this unique publishing medium.

This day is brought to you by France PhotoBook, in partnership with Agence régionale du Livre et de la Lecture des Hauts-de-France (Regional Agency for Books and Reading in Hauts-de-France) and the The Bibliothèques d’Amiens Métropole (Amiens Métropole Libraries). We are most gratefully hosted by the Musée de Picardie.

Program

Morning – Bibliothèque Louis Aragon

9:00AM Welcoming participants

9:30AM Introduction
Eric Cez, president of France PhotoBook, will present the oganisation, its remit and its objectives.

10:00AM Photography books
A lively, interactive presentation of recent books published by France PhotoBook members, combining projected images with books passed around the audience, with publishers on hand to introduce their titles.
With Editions Loco, Light Motiv et several publishing houses to be confirmed

11:00AM A remarkable collection, with the Institut pour la Photographie
Discover how a unique collection of more than 30,000 photography books has been built within an institution dedicated to the medium. Anne Lacoste discusses the day-to-day work involved in developing the collection, outlining its main areas of focus, with particular attention to photobooks for children and young people. She will also highlight some of the library’s key projects.
With Anne Lacoste, director of the Institut pour la Photographie

12:00AM The book as an object
A graphic designer specialising in photobook publishing and a publisher will discuss a specific example, joined by a photographer, to explore the origins and collaborative development of several books they have produced together. They will examine the relationship between form and content, as well as how photobook publishing provides a space for material experimentation, drawing on technical developments in paper, printing and binding.
With the team of Light Motiv : Corentin Fohlen (photograph), Lucie Baratte (artistic director), Éric Le Brun (publisher)
Moderator : Emmanuelle Hascoët

1:00PM Lunch

Afternoon – Musée de Picardie

2:15PM Welcoming participants

2:30PM The contemporary take on the photography book
What does the photobook represent today? What creative concerns in contemporary photography does it embody? And how does it offer new ways of exploring social issues? Héloïse Conésa and François Annycke will discuss the significance of photobooks today, drawing on a selection of contemporary publications from the prestigious collection of the Prints and Photography Department at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF).
With : Héloïse Conésa, head of the photography department, heritage curator responsible of contemporary photography of the BnF.
In conversation with François Annycke, AR2L’s director

3:30PM Publication of testimonials from publishers

4:00PM The distribution of photobooks
Booksellers, media library staff and librarians play a vital role in bringing photobooks to wider audiences and raising the profile of this distinctive publishing form. Three professionals will share their approaches to photobooks and discuss how they introduce these publications to different audiences. The discussion will then be opened up to all participants.
With : Marion Alonsa (Media library L’Odyssée, Lomme), Benoît Trachman (Librairie Sensations, Douai) Laëtitia Bontan (director of The Bibliothèques d’Amiens Métropole, Amiens Métropole Libraries)
Moderator : Éric Le Brun

5:00PM Conclusion
A look back at the day, discussions with the audience, and future prospects.

5:30PM Pot de l’amitié at Musée de Picardie

Video recording of the day

France PhotoBook

The association brings together 31 of France’s leading independent photobook publishers from across the country. Supported by the French Ministry of Culture, it seeks to establish the photobook as a distinct and recognised field of publishing, while promoting creative photographic publishing in France and abroad.

Photobook publishing is vital to the creation and dissemination of photography, offering photographers an enduring means of giving form to their work. France PhotoBook champions the breadth, originality and diversity of this vibrant publishing landscape.

The association showcases the expertise of its members to professionals across the sector, as well as to photobook enthusiasts and collectors, booksellers, distributors and librarians.

AR2L – Agence régionale du Livre et de la Lecture des Hauts-de-France

The Agence régionale du Livre et de la Lecture des Hauts-de-France (Regional Agency for Books and Reading in Hauts-de-France) is an interprofessional organisation and a resource centre for books and reading. It also supports professionals working in the book and reading sectors across the region.

Pôle des bibliothèques d’Amiens Métropole

The Bibliothèques d’Amiens Métropole (Amiens Métropole Libraries) are a public service dedicated to leisure, access to information, research, lifelong learning and cultural activities for the local population. They aim to foster a love of reading, encourage engagement with the wider world and provide a place of learning and discovery. Through their activities centred on books, the libraries promote learning and broaden access to knowledge for all.

Musée de Picardie

Modelled on the Louvre as it appeared under Napoleon III, the Musée de Picardie is a fine arts museum with rich collections of archaeology, sculpture, decorative arts and painting. Its collections invite visitors on a journey from the Palaeolithic era to the present day.