PROTOCOL

FLUX is an open photographic protocol for publishing life in chronological sequence.

The goal is not perfection.
The goal is continuous seeing.

PRINCIPLE

YOU CANNOT MAKE THE SAME PHOTOGRAPH TWICE.

The light changes.
The body changes.
The street changes.
The photographer changes.

Each photograph is a fragment of time.
Each issue is a record of becoming.

METHOD

Walk.
Photograph what is in front of you.
Use a simple camera.
Work quickly.
Do not overthink.
Keep the photographs in chronological order.
Publish the sequence.
Move on.

STEP_01 — CAPTURE

CAMERA:     any camera
FILE TYPE:  small JPEG recommended
COLOR MODE: high-contrast monochrome
PURPOSE:    preserve immediacy

Move quickly.
Do not hesitate.
Photograph what is in front of you.

STEP_02 — SELECT

Select quickly.

Do not:

overedit
oversequence
overanalyze
search for perfect frames

Work from small thumbnails and contact sheets.
The goal is not perfection. The goal is continuous seeing.

STEP_03 — SEQUENCE

Preserve chronological order.
No manual rearranging.

The sequence is built from real movement through time.
The order of capture is the structure.

STEP_04 — GENERATE

The system automatically:

generates the publication
generates the contact sheet
generates the metadata manifest
creates the printable issue

No manual layout required.

STEP_05 — PRINT

Print double sided.
Stack pages.
Align edges.
Staple left side using cover marks.

Cheap reproduction is encouraged.
The issue is not precious.
The issue is evidence.

STEP_06 — ARCHIVE

Store issues chronologically.
Preserve issue numbers.
Make publicly accessible.

Print.
Distribute.
Download.
Reproduce.

WHAT THE PROTOCOL ENFORCES

The protocol is not optional in the following:

Issue length. A canonical FLUX issue contains 36 photographs.
Chronological order. Photographs are always presented in the order they were made.
Issue numbers. Once assigned, permanent. Never reused. Never reassigned.
Frame numbers. Sequential within the issue. Gaps are acceptable. Renumbering is not.
Metadata. Timestamps, GPS coordinates, camera settings are surfaced, not hidden.
Blank back cover. Always blank. Not a place for colophons or credits.
Protocol page. Appears in every issue. Never omitted.
Protocol QR code. Points to the public generator. Required. Never omitted.

THE 36-FRAME CONSTRAINT

36 photographs = 1 FLUX issue.
1 FLUX issue = 1 roll of film.

The 36-frame constraint comes from the standard 35mm film roll.
FLUX uses digital tools, but preserves a physical photographic limit.
The constraint creates rhythm, cohesion, printability, and completion.

A roll of film ends. A FLUX issue ends.
The limit is the structure. The structure is the work.

Historical note: The FLUX system previously operated at 50 photographs per issue (Dante Sisofo's personal archive, 2024–2025) and an early public generator prototype specified 15 photographs. Neither count is part of the canonical protocol. 36 is the locked standard for all current and future FLUX issues — personal and public.

CANONICAL VISUAL LANGUAGE

The canonical FLUX protocol prioritizes high-contrast monochrome output.

This is a structural decision, not an aesthetic preference:

Strengthens archive cohesion across issues and years
Optimizes for laser-print reproduction on standard office hardware
Eliminates post-processing friction
Emphasizes light, form, and time over color information
Creates a unified visual language across all issues and contributors
Supports rapid publishing without additional workflow steps

The canonical FLUX archive is monochrome.

Alternative workflows may exist outside the canonical protocol. The protocol does not prohibit color. It does not prioritize it.

WHAT THE PROTOCOL DOES NOT ENFORCE

Camera model (any camera is acceptable)
Subject matter (the photographer decides)
Title (optional and subordinate to the issue number)
Frequency (daily is ideal, but FLUX does not enforce a shooting schedule)

END_OF_PROTOCOL

Create your own FLUX issue:
https://flux.dantesisofo.com/generator/

FLUX_PROTOCOL_v1.0 — flux.dantesisofo.com/wiki/protocol/