So - when does the "Travels with Hugo" book come out on Blurb? Great stuff my friend.
So - when does the "Travels with Hugo" book come out on Blurb? Great stuff my friend.
Great work, Hugo.
Dan and Sandra,
Thank you for your kind words! I have thought about Blurb, but I am not sure about its printing quality. I have bought a book before from a forum member published by Blurb and was very disappointed by the quality of the printing. And I admire him so much.
If I have to do a book, is it possible that all images (30-40?) in the book be 4x5 contact prints only? Anybody here have some experiences to come out with a book like this?
Hugo, not sure how long ago that book was done, but Blurb books can look quite decent! Just make sure you use proper colorspace profile. I and my friends have done Blurb books in colors and B&W and generally very happy with them.
The big problem is the cost. although if you do 4x5 contact print size, then it's a very small book and the cost can be very low indeed.
Hugo,
I once bought a blurb book from a member of this forum as well and was not convinced of the print quality either. I love this book nonetheless, because I love this photographer's work and prefer looking at photos on paper rather than on a computer screen, however, maybe there are other, better options than blurb...
Maybe you could open a new thread so that you hear about first-hand experiences from those who already published a book at blurb or elsewhere. Wherever you publish, I will happily buy your book. Good luck with everything!
Best regards,
Sandra
Blurb has quality control problems more frequently than a commercially printed art book but if you complain to them about your copy, they will fall all over themselves to correct it. However, especially for the B&W images, the author/designer/production person have to carefully follow their instructions regarding color profiles appropriate for the book creation method, they can't correct improper files.
In general they will produce B&W with muddier shadows and mid-tones and perhaps a slight green tint. You can cheat the files to be about 10-15% more open. Be sure to have a solid black in them.
There are custom on-demand printers that will do a higher level of quality control for more money but I do not yet know of any that are using the HP Indigo digital press that Blurb does. Instead these higher quality printers use Epsons and Roland ink jets, then handcut and traditionally bind artist's books.
The Blurb book may cost $50 and the artist's book $500. You get what you pay for.
Of course you could work with a traditional book binder and your own Epson prints, read up and test. It could be the ultimate way to do short run books that cost in the low hundreds (rather than thousands) of dollars.
I'm afraid there is no high quality yet inexpensive option, at least here on Earth ;-p
Another option that I think you could market is a limited edition set of portfolios, similar to what Ansel Adams did back in the day. Basically make 5-10 excellent contact prints with generous borders. Get some archival boxes with your name/logo silkscreened on them, assemble and sell.
But first I would try to find a good magazine photo editor to publish them in a better magazine along with a back story about you and your Graflex. Perhaps pitch it as a modern contrast to the Heinrich Harrier "7 Years in Tibet" Leica photographs since Brad Pitt made the story sexy. This would build your audience and help increase your photos' value. Aim for something like the Smithsonian magazine, not View Camera (no offense).
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