Photo ABCs

B is for Book

Just about all photographers would like to see their images in a book. If getting a traditional publisher is not possible, there are now many self-publishing options available. Among these are mypublisher, Blurb, the iPhoto book service, and lulu. Some of these self-publishers will even help sell and market your book over the internet.

I recently tried my hand at using Blurb, and learned a lesson!

Blurb, like the others, offers numerous templates for designing your book. They also let you design your own templates, in Photoshop or other programs. I chose this option, since there was a specific look I had in mind. My design involved photographs and some text, saved as a high quality jpeg.

I uploaded my files and eagerly awaited my book.

A week later my book arrived. The overall look and feel of the book were good (I ordered a soft-cover version).

The quality of the photos was acceptable. Not great, but not bad. I'd say the average viewer would be pleased.

However. A big however. The text was nearly unreadable! It was completely ragged and pixelated, despite appearing perfectly sharp in my original high quality jpegs. Before submitting my files, I consulted the blurb advice forums, and the moderator stated not to worry, that if the text is sharp in your jpeg files, it will appear sharp in the book.

Wrong!

I spoke with friend and photographer Marianne Wallace, from Scottsdale, Arizona, who is active in the Scottsdale Digital Imaging Group. Their group has been quite active in self-publishing. She tells me that their group quickly found out that text within a jpeg will not reproduce well in these books, but text in the provided templates reproduces just fine. Also, text in a program using vector format, like Adobe Illustrator, will work fine.

(cover of my book)

So, I will soon make my second attempt at a Blurb book, this time using one of their templates!

The Scottsdale Digital Imaging Group recently had a meeting discussing self-publishing and their findings are summarized here. It makes excellent reading for anyone interested in self-publishing.

J is for Jay Maisel

I was fortunate to attend a slide show and lecture recently by photographer Jay Maisel.

Jay is the consumate street photographer, following in the footsteps of Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, and Garry Winogrand. His use of color, gesture, light, shadow, negative space, and the ability to capture life in a way you haven't seen before is nearly unparalleled, and his photographs are frequently breathtaking.

Jay's home is in New York, and he shared many slides from his book Jay Maisel's New York. What was more memorable, though, was his steady stream of photographic knowledge, inspiration and wit, and, of course, his incredible photographs!

I can't begin to list all of the tips and advice he gave, but I'll list a few of my favorites:

Look for Gesture, that which makes a person unique or a photo come alive.

Go enjoy yourself! Photography should be enjoyable!

Always check your background.

Move around, don't be satisfied with an ordinary shot.

A pattern is interesting, an interrupted pattern is much more interesting.

At sunset, turn away from the sunset and you may see something incredible.

"If it doesn't excite you, why should it excite me?"

Go to art museums.

Always carry your camera.

And my favorite: "I don't even believe in inspiration."

An audience member asked Jay if there were any exercises that could train the eye to see the way Jay sees: "You don't really believe that s... do you?" He replied.

If Jay Maisel is ever in your neighborhood, go see him! If he's not, well, buy one of his books!

An excellent interview with Jay with some of his more famous photos is available here.

H is for Holidays!

I would like to wish all of my readers, family, and friends a wonderful holiday season!

A is for Alphabet!

I've made it once through the alphabet and I'm back to A! (I couldn't think of an X word, maybe next time).

I've decided to change the emphasis of this blog. I'd like to share more of my photos, and share the work of other great photographers whom I admire.

There is an abundance of photographers exhibiting their work in galleries and on the internet, many of whom do not get the recognition they deserve. I truly believe that many people spend far too much time obsessing about cameras and equipment (sure, I'm guilty too!) and far too little time looking at good photography. It's sad when I read that photography instruction books outsell fine-art photography books by an astronomical number.

So I'll continue to share my favorite images, and how I made them, but also try to comment on gallery shows that I've visited (mostly in San Diego) and other topics that come to mind... and work on my links to other photographers, as well!

Any suggestions are welcome.

The Scarlet Letter, Maclean Texas, along Route 66.
©blakeshaw 2007