Andrew Fedynak: The Last Snows of a Warming World

The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak, Zatara Press © 2025

I’ve been pals with Zatara Press founder Andrew Fedynak for variety of years. He has at all times been an exquisite assist to our Lenscratch Student Prize winners by offering books to assist construct their assortment, however he has additionally proven a number of grace in his function as curator, writer, and photographer. I used to be delighted to obtain an sudden present of his new ebook, that includes his personal work, titled  The Last Snows of a Warming World, revealed in fact, by Zatara Press.

Shot within the chilly over 6 years using expired 2018 Polaroid Originals Color 600 Film Tropics Edition, this challenge parallels the ever-increasing rareness of experiencing snow within the American South because of the ongoing results of Climate Change, by way of the intentional use of the movie’s tropical bordered frames.

This publication advantages from the 2024 SFABF Publication Grant supported by Edition One Books.

Andrew Fedynak (Hartford Art School MFA and ICP One-Year Certificate Program) is a photographer, photobook writer, and educator primarily based out of Richmond, Virginia. Formally of Asheville, North Carolina, his initiatives are sometimes centered on his private views relating to the apply of Zen. These Fine Art Documentary images are repeatedly discovered round his house within the American South, and in different places as moments happen. He prefers to see his completed initiatives in a ebook format, a lot of which have then been revealed, and exhibited globally. These books reside within the collections of many establishments comparable to Candela Gallery Collection, Museum of Modern Art Library, SCAD Atlanta – ACA Library Artists’ Book Collection, Virginia Museum of Fine Art Library, Yale University – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and Walker Art Center Library. As a writer, he created Zatara Press in 2014 to publish uniquely designed and collaboratively crafted “Artist’s Styled Photobooks”.

Instagram: @fedynak

Instagram @zatarapress

An interview with the artist follows.

The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak, Zatara Press © 2025

The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak, Zatara Press © 2025

The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak, Zatara Press © 2025

The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak, Zatara Press © 2025

The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak, Zatara Press © 2025

Epilogue

We are imperfect beings
Created by different imperfect beings

There was extra snow right here
Now it solely occurs a couple of times a season

Our hardiness zone has shifted
A brand new epoch is upon us

The images are imperfect too
Much the identical as I’m

From The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak © 2019-2025

Tell us about your rising up and what introduced you to pictures…

Family images had been at all times throughout us rising up.  On my mom’s aspect, we had members of our household taking novice snapshots, and/or having their portraits taken throughout many generations beginning within the mid-1800s.  I form of fell into pictures throughout my early 20s after I had studied History at college, whereas additionally experimenting with a number of different creative mediums first.  My earliest studying in pictures was primarily DIY and thus a lot of that info got here from books, for the place I lived on the time in Appalachia that was the very best useful resource.  I felt drawn to doc totally different sides of the human situation and my surrounding surroundings, which ultimately led to a guerrilla quick movie I shot in 2009.  To me documentary pictures is a calling.  It will also be a approach for me to precise myself artistically in an summary artistic method.  I believe my childhood love of pictures drew me to this medium, and the remainder simply form of occurred.  This was about 18+ years in the past from the start of all of it.  Our lives usually go down paths we didn’t count on.

Untitled Polaroid – From The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak © 2019-2025

Congratulations on 12 years of publishing picture books! How do you steadiness your apply because the writer of Zatara Press and being a photographic artist?

I battle day by day with the work-life steadiness of being a writer and a photographer.  I’ve but to search out an equilibrium with reference to that.  The line between Zatara Press and my very own creative pursuits has actually turn out to be blurred at occasions.  I used to be a photographer and artist earlier than I used to be ever publishing photobooks.  I try and put aside separate, particular days or occasions of the week/yr to do one or one other, however that form of scheduling usually falls aside fairly rapidly.  I miss the times of getting a separate studio and house (earlier than smartphones too) as that allowed for a neater separation within the thoughts.  Alas, having all the things underneath one roof can imply I find yourself working all the time.  I imagine most artists have comparable struggles balancing their instructing, household, creative apply, and different required obligations.  We might all be extra open about this battle in additional public discourse.

Untitled Polaroid – From The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak © 2019-2025

What have been your greatest challenges as a writer?  And Artist?

These days the largest problem with publishing a smaller version ebook is how you can make it reasonably priced given the rising prices of printing and binding.  One approach round this situation is to attempt to design a ebook with built-in limitations (smaller bodily dimension, cheaper supplies, DIY hand-assembled elements, leaping from one printing firm to a different).  All books on some stage are a compromise to publish one thing that may look/perform the best way we want it was indented to be, whereas not fully emptying the checking account.

The different main situation is how you can attain an viewers by way of the web echo chamber managed by know-how firms’ algorithms, and other people’s shortened consideration spans.  Some concepts by others to attempt to overcome this drawback have been a return to e-mail newsletters, conventional mail/guerilla mail artwork campaigns, and bodily flyers/posters.  All of those have had various levels of success.

The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak, Zatara Press © 2025

Tell us how The Last Snows of a Warming World happened?

Since I started pictures, I had usually labored within the Instant Film format.  I like the thought of the one-of-a-kind nature of every Polaroid.  On a whim in January of 2019, I purchased a pack of not too long ago expired 2018 Polaroid Originals Color 600 Film Tropics Edition.  I believed the Tropic Frame border was humorous, and I already had the thought to pair it towards the snow.  After capturing the pack virtually instantly, I wished to shoot extra to proceed to determine what this new thought meant, however I discovered myself in a bind.  The movie was a sold-out restricted version, and it didn’t snow once more the place I lived till 2020.  So, every year I hung out looking out the world by way of the web and paying extremely inflated costs to purchase no matter was left of this movie.  Then, I waited every winter for it to snow once more, which hardly ever occurred on account of our shifting local weather.  That turned the crux of the challenge, ready for this now-rare likelihood of snow, after which documenting these surrounding neighborhoods with their empty traces of humanity inside them.

Untitled Polaroid – From The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak © 2019-2025

Can you share concerning the visible occasion that surrounds the polaroids? The juxtaposition of the brightly coloured surrounds and the final days of winter are so fascinating.

It felt absurd utilizing this movie because it was by no means supposed, with their colourful Tropic Frames paired towards these snowy pictures stuffed with distinctive imperfections.  Those mentioned imperfections introduced themselves by way of gentle streaks and coloration shifts on account of how the bought movie was saved earlier than it reached me, how properly I caught the movie with the cardboard gentle protect earlier than placing it into the chilly clip, and simply the random chaos of regardless of the Polaroid movie’s chemistry introduced that day.  The picture high quality appeared to enrich the poor quantity of snow we obtained every year.  The colours created a form of dreamlike surreal world.  All of this solely strengthened the Wabi-Sabi nature already present in my creative workflow.  Since this EP of a ebook was launched, our present 2025-2026 winter has been one of many worst right here in Virginia because of an unexpecte

Untitled Polaroid – From The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak © 2019-2025

Any ideas on publishing you personal work?

I battle to finish my very own initiatives on any agency timeline on account of my workload and different well being points.  I’m enjoying the lengthy recreation in a way.  Deadlines are a man-made assemble anyhow.  About each 5 or 6 of ZP’s books, I really feel I can quietly publish one in all my very own initiatives.  From day one ZP was by no means supposed to be a platform to concentrate on myself, and it was at all times meant to advertise different artists first.

Untitled Polaroid – From The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak © 2019-2025

What is arising for Zatara Press?

Oh, wherever the wind takes us I assume.  Given the state of the world each economically and politically, who is aware of what shall be subsequent.  It isn’t 2012 anymore.  I nonetheless want to work within the photobook as a format, however different mediums I dabble in like sculpture and quick movie proceed to curiosity me as properly.  ZP might turn out to be extra sporadic in its releases, however I believe it should at all times be part of my very own creative workflow.  Every time we present a photobook to the world, we hope that its story and message reaches even only one new particular person.  For that cause I’m nonetheless pushed to create photobooks.

Untitled Polaroid – From The Last Snows of a Warming World, Andrew Fedynak © 2019-2025

About the ebook:

All of the pictures on this ebook had been made between
2019-2025 on expired Polaroid Originals Color 600 Film
Tropics Edition.

6 x 8 Inches
66 Color Photographs
144 Pages + Cover
PUR Bound
Zatara Press
ISBN: 978-1-7338406-6-8
Trade Edition: 200 Copies

About Zatara Press:

A Press For Uniquely Designed and Collaboratively Crafted “Artist’s Styled Photobooks

Zatara Press is an impartial, small press, pictures ebook publishing firm created in 2014 by Andrew Fedynak, to present a voice to quite a lot of initiatives by way of the medium of distinctive “Artist’s Styled Photobooks.”

All of our books are produced in Richmond, Virginia.