 Sherri L. Regalbuto |
Photo book question I am working on a book that I hope to get published by Christmas. The subject is local scenery with local subjects. How can I best get subjects to shoot for this endeavor? Thank you
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Off the top of my head, explain and ask.
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W. |
Go to your local Tourist Information agency and ask for a list and/or map of local scenery locations. Then go out there and shoot 'm. Tada!
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Sherri L. Regalbuto |
Okay, the scenery part is not the issue. I have emailed local groups of the subject I am looking for but wondered about a Press release? If say you were shooting a book on carpenters building stuff. How would you go about finding all the carpenters without actually walking around sites and finding them?
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W. |
Yellow Pages! No, seriously! What subjects are you looking for if not scenery?
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
That's different. You ask, then explain. I don't know how you expect to do anything like that without contacting people. Ask about clubs, ask about who has done work for people, look in the phone book, check out annual crafts shows. People tend to know like people. People with blacksmithing as a hobby can tell you about other blacksmithers, who does good stuff, who does it just for fun, who sells pieces for homes.
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W. |
OK, I'm assuming you are looking for images of your subject to photograph. So let's assume the subject is carpenters. But you're not really looking for carpenters, you are looking for IMAGES of carpenters. You won't find those in telephone books, or membership listings. You WILL find where the carpenters work or live there. Next order of business is that you really need to go eye-ball them there, in their own environment, to find the IMAGES for your book. Looks like you've got a busy year ahead. Have fun!
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Sherri L. Regalbuto |
Okay thanks. Gregory, I've been doing all that I just wondered if someone wants to do a book on lets say nudes, is it all done by just talking to people or do any of you put out adds to find your subjects so that you might bring in a little more than just one at a time. Thanks, I'm doing all this so I'll just keep truck'n
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W. |
Ads to find nude models can be good. Provided the ad is good, the selection is good, and the shoot and after service are good.
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Sherri L. Regalbuto |
I'm not looking for nudes; well actually sort of dogs are nude right?
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W. |
So it's a specific type of dog that you're looking for! Phew. Anyway, that oughta be easy: I'd contact the breed's club(s) and ask their cooperation. Mention them in your credits!
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
If it's dogs, why didn't you just say dogs. Craig's list, boarding kennels, A.K.A., dog walkers, breeders, dog parks, regular parks. Ask for people, ask people to ask other people.
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Sherri L. Regalbuto |
already doing all that. Thanks
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John P. Sandstedt |
Sherri - You ARE kidding? Right?
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Sherri L. Regalbuto |
Kidding about what John?
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John P. Sandstedt |
You say you're hoping to publish a book on local scenery. Presumably, you mean to start in/near your home town; I mean what location would you know better? In my case, I've taken pictures in my home state for years. In fact, there are few places I've read about that I haven't visited and shot. I must assume that, if you feel your work is saleable in a book, you've taken pictures in several areas near your home. Now, without seeing any of your work, I'd advise you to look through these images very carefully. And, cull them ruthlessly. You have to be your harshest critic. This exercise should lead you to several things: You'll identify your best pictures and the locations at which they were taken. Then, ask yourself whether a return to a given location at a different time of day or during another season of the year might yield a better image or one taken from a different/better view point. If, in fact, you start in your home town, you'll have minimal travel costs and a great deal of time to return time and time again to worthwhile locations. Now, there's another thing. Any worthwhile book needs a theme. Even if you consider the diverse locations in Ansel Adams book 50 Greatest Pictures, the theme is the pictorial pictures of Ansel Adams long after he actually shot them and a discussion of how he made them. So, let's say your scenery book will focus on green areas [parks, nurseries, etc.] Or, how about churches in your home town and the way the are landscaped [if they are.] Or, perhaps, just "trees." In essence, you need to set a theme and then find and shoot the possible images. Sam Garcia, a Nikon photographer who taught at a session of the Nikon School I attended years ago, was asked how many pictures he takes. His answer, "If I stop my car to shoot a subject, I take no less than a 36 exposure roll of print film and I might switch off to slide film." Now, admittedly, this was BD [before digital.] But, the point is to exhaust a subject - varying camera elevation, position, looking at the subject from differing vantage points, use of filters [if appropriate, varying composition, using both landscape and portrait shooting positions, etc. My question, however, was very seriously asked. You asked, "How can I best get subjects for this endeavor?" If YOU can't see "subjects," you should get a book on "seeing photographically" and read it carefully. Or, join a Camera Club and "latch" onto someone whose work you like. The President of my Camera Club "sees pictures" where most of the members see nothing. Yet, we follow him, shoot what he suggests and, more often then not, are amazed at the images we get. A few field trips with someone like our President and you'll start to "see photographically." Not knowing your actual experience level, I'd also suggest you consider producing a slide show long before you try a book. In fact, I just made my first test slide show and viewed it on my HDTV. In the process I found my DVD player couldn't read DVDs I made on my computer, so I bought a new one. I also learned that a five minute slide show takes lots and lots of pictures. But, this is a great way to think about a theme for the book you want to create.
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Sherri L. Regalbuto |
John, I appreciate your reply. I have been shooting dogs for magazines for years. I am also a published writer. I have an article in Animal Wellness right now and a 3 page pictorial in Jan 08 Dog World. My theme is dogs in scenery. It is the dogs I'm looking for not the scenery and yes I can see the scenery.
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