Personalize Your Zine to Give It More Personality

(I had to skip last week’s newsletter because I wasn’t feeling well.)

Are you working on any zines lately?
My friend A.J Oxley just created a zine called Outerference Vol. 1: Tokyo, featuring photos he shot around Tokyo.
For this edition, I interviewed him and asked him to share some of the stories behind the making of his zine.

The struggles he faced, the decisions he made, and the creative process behind his work will definitely give you some ideas for your own zine-making.

🚨 POP-UP MEETUP — Nov 29

We’re teaming up with the Australian apparel brand SUPER NICE to host a meet-up on Saturday, Nov 29, 2–10 PM. The event will take place right under the Tokyo Skytree, in a gallery space with rooftop access.

Alongside my work, we’ll also be showcasing photos from several other photographers. Starting at 6 PM, we’ll be serving free drinks (limited supply), so feel free to swing by like it’s an early end-of-year party.

Event Details:

📅 Date: Saturday, 29 November 2025
🕑 Time: 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM
🎶 Live music and alcohol service from 6:00 PM
📍 Location: N4 Studio — 4 Chome-18-16 Narihira, Sumida City, Tokyo 130-0002, Japan (Google map)

📝 Behind the Stories of Zine-Making with A.J Oxley

Please introduce yourself.

Hello! My name is A.J Oxley (@_ajox_). I have been photographing daily life, street and football for 10+ years. I live in Perth, Australia but seem to find myself taking my favourite photos abroad, travelling as often as I can.

I started taking photos on my iPhone 5 during my commutes and naturally became drawn to street photography. I then went on to study photography formally, learning and practicing with different mediums and buying my first camera. I have always been a black and white photographer, inspired by classic cinema and then photographers such as Weegee, Moriyama, Koudelka, and Friedlander.

Can you tell us about your zine? / What inspired you to create it?

I have always been drawn to creating physical media, experimenting with cyanotypes and collages. Creating a zine has been a goal of mine for some time but I wanted it to have an idea behind it, not just be another collection of photos. 

For the idea I created a theme with the title “Outerference”.
Taking a photograph doesn’t just record a moment; it also shapes it. A subject may become more aware of the camera. A scene can shift as it’s framed, composed, or staged. Even in street photography, where the aim is often spontaneity, the presence of the photographer inevitably affects what unfolds and what gets captured.

Photography is never entirely neutral, it involves choosing one version of reality to hold onto. Outerference will explore these realities in various releases.

What challenges did you face while making your zine? / How did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge for me was knowing what is realistic to produce and compromising.

Originally, I wanted to create them myself, accordion-fold from a single roll through my printer. However, after chewing through expensive ink and materials I looked to outsource the production. So then, I wanted to create my zine locally with an independent printer/production house… unfortunately, where I live there really aren’t any that aren’t commercially focused.

Next option? Online! I did a little research into different companies and found Mixam to be the best for my needs and budget.

Based on your experience, what advice would you give to someone making their first zine?

Don’t overthink it, just start creating something. If you are outsourcing your production - get a tester! Yes, it will be more expensive to produce a single copy but you could make an even more expensive mistake otherwise.
For example, the images in my test copy were completely blown out beyond recognition to the digital proof they sent me.

Also, personalize your zine to give it more personality! I am including a sticker and a polaroid in each of my copies. This way, I am not completely losing the original identity I wanted it to convey.

Lastly, could you share your future plans for your photography and zine projects?

Since I have created the idea of Outerference as part of a greater theme, I plan to release various editions featuring different subject matter.
This first release is Tokyo, however I plan to feature events/protests closer to home for my second.

Creating a series gives me endless opportunities and ideas to work with. I believe this helps my photography overall and keeps me motivated to continue creating. This also doesn’t limit the idea to my own work, I would love to collaborate with other photographers in the future which could lead to exhibitions and community events which is lacking in Perth.

A huge thank you to A.J for sharing such valuable stories.
Make sure to check out his Instagram—and of course, his zine.

Instagram: @_ajox_

Zine: Outerference Vol. 1: Tokyo

Alright, see you next week! See you!

🦖 Come hang out with me on Instagram → @_nuts.tokyo_

🪐 New videos on zines & photography up on YouTube

🧃 Curious about Japanese and Asian zines? Visit FAR EAST DARKROOM.