Each and every photographer proceeds through the week guided by subject matter and imagination.  Some of the work is exciting, some mundane, there are experiments, failures, and successes, but all is part of the total package of being a photographer and writer.  My week involved a lot of online research, searching for a new editing and organizational software that did not require payment of a monthly fee.  I feel like Andy Rooney when it comes to that.  A curmudgeon griping about paying a fee every month.  Nonetheless, there you have it.  I am coming close to a possible answer on that one.  And in anticipation of weddings and a remainder of the year in which weddings might happen on a regular basis, and other projects present themselves, I began searching for companies that offer the capability of creating and printing my own book.  

Dithering through the ether and software, I published my first book using Blurb in 2012.  It was quite extravagant for a lark, because not only did I choose hardcover, 8.5" x 10", but it also had a dust jacket.  And it will come as a surprise to no one that the featured subject matter was flowers.  I called it Studies 1.  

I was encouraged enough by the finished product that when I was asked to shoot the wedding of one our friends' daughters in 2013, I produced another book through Blurb.  It measures 8" x 9.5".  Since my first foray into book self-design and publishing, sizes have become, for better or worse, more standardized, although templates and design capabilities have broadened considerably.    

Encouraged to participate in a group exhibit at La Tienda Exhibit Space in Eldorado by my friend, Victoria, I decided to create another book including the featured photographs.  It carried the exhibit name - Intersection: lens, light, life.  It was a soft cover book, measuring 6.75" x 6.75". The exhibit also occurred in 2013, and at that point, I was feeling quite comfortable using the software.  

the back cover

The next book I printed was done in October/November of 2016.  I switched to Shutterfly to create the wedding book, possibly due to the sizes the company offered, and the fact the Blurb had changed its production software. With our aging computer, downloading it was impossible.  I found the Shutterfly printing to be of similar quality to Blurb.  Both require a glossy cover, but you can choose from several different excellent papers for the interior.  Here are images of the front and back covers.  

The center spread

My wedding photographs were also featured in fellow photographer Steve Immel's edition of Kara and Eero's wedding book, but he did the grunt work and put together a beautiful memory book.  Here is a shot of the cover he produced.

After looking at different websites, and watching numerous YouTube videos from assorted vendors, I decided to download the new software from Blurb and give the enhanced options a spin.  To me, unless I envision selling multiple copies of a book, Blurb is a reasonably priced choice for a good look.

Thanks, Barbara, M. Fred, Wayne, Steve, Char, and Ingrid, for your comments this week.  And a special nod to Paule for sighting my Coyote Pup photograph in the most recent edition of New Mexico in Focus on PBS. 

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image@