SELLING PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE WEB

There may be some useful information in here:

SELLING PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE WEB. I've tried to put down what I've learned so far.

Busy

I don't even remember if I wrote anything today. It's been very busy. I started this morning with something like 25 prints to do (mostly 5 x 7's but a few larger prints as well). Several e-mails asking where my Christmas cards were like I had last year. Nice experiment but way too much work. I might make a couple of holiday cards for family - but that's it.

A couple of things struck me as ironic today:

- I like and have always liked smaller prints. But it didn't dawn on me to sell them until I was 6 years into this. Well, okay - it dawned on me - but it was impractical in the darkroom. Way too labor intensive to sell prints in various sizes. I had enough trouble just getting them done in one size. So the smaller prints are the result of: experimentation, worry about finance, and having a printer that can reliably do the job.

- Also with all my research into Print on Demand (POD) through Lulu.com I realized that that was what I have been doing since chucking the chemical darkroom. The inks in the printer are even CMYK-ish.

Do you know that the lead weight for the column of the old enlarger is still sitting downstairs as a door stop? It's this big lead weight with a hook on it and I pass by it every day. Sometimes I might say something to it as I pass through the vestibule: How ya doin' down there big weight. Glad some part of you is still useful.

RNC Protest, Union Square

I'm beginning to make a gallery of protest coverage. This was at the RNC, entrance to Union Square. It really was getting a little scary at this point because the police were determined to clear this entrance to the park so that they could make arrests and the demonstrators were on the steps shouting back at them. As I remember it, the police backed off and came in through another entrance and made a few arrests.



Arrest #1

More Packaging Tedium

I know there are at least five photographers out there who might find this post interesting, so this is for you:

The one thing that impressed me about Lulu.com was what the calendars and books were shipped in. Sort of this flat, folding mailer where various corners folded in such a way that the thing was absolutely sturdy, and yet lightweight. Perfect for the 8 x 10 mats. And so, I recycled 'em for a couple of 8 x 10 sized orders.

And then I went hunting them down. What were these mysterious flat cartons? I think I found them (in white - even more classy) - at BrassPack.com under Variable Depth Mailers. I believe these are the same thing, but I'm not sure. The Lulu.com mailers seem to have two extra pieces of cardboard.

I ordered fifty of them. So there you go - I might have gotten something useful from Ms. Lulu.com.

Creating Galleries with iView Media Pro

I finished the last page of this technical article on how to create a Paypal Shopping Cart through iView Media Pro. I'm thinking that the last page is going to be confusing. I don't know. Maybe it is.

Here's the link if you're interested in this sort of thing:

iView Media Pro Web Galleries and Paypal

If you have any ideas about how it can be made clearer (esp. the last page) let me know.

Personal Surveillance

If you have nothing to hide, and would like to volunteer to help your country - this is the latest in advanced personal security. It should be noted that the current beta version is for outdoor use only.

Warning: Do not use this system during lightning storms.

The Making of One Inkjet Print

I don't know if this sort of thing is useful or not - whether I've left out some critical ingrediant - but for what it's worth, I put together a couple of pages about The Making of One Inkjet Print .

How Ansel did this for (how many did he do 25 - 40?) I don't know. It is time consuming to try and show.

I can tell you this - it took longer to write about than to actually do. If you have any suggestions, would be glad to hear 'em. (P.S. I didn't spell-check it because I think it's time for a nap now.)

Man And World

"Man And World"

What is it called when you say one thing equals another thing? There is a literary term for it but I can't remember what it is. Is is the strongest word in the English language?

"She walks in beauty like the night." No, she is the night.

"A rose called by any other name is still a rose."

And finally, the most powerful of all, the contracted equals:

"She's a real fox."

More Offset

Contacted offset printer last night and they are going to overnight me samples of their b&w (4-color offset) printing (cards, brochures, posters, calendars). I think that CMYK is calling me back. Oh God - CMYK. They told me what printer they use but I already forgot. Markus made a great point about getting a RIP / Profiles to emulate the end printer. All I know about CMYK is that to get good blacks you don't just set the K to 100% but need to mix other channels as well. Whatever - I'll figure it out. And what I liked about the site was that they gave good instructions about formatting files for CMYK with templates for photoshop.

iView Media Pro (chapter I)

After working with Mr. Fish on his website using what I thought was a pretty simple method with iView Media Pro - it became obvious that more help was needed.

So here's chapter one on how the web galleries on this site were created. Believe me - I'm not doing this for the sheer fun of it - but because the advertising associated with what may be useful information is the most targeted and because I figured out how to hit the "ALT" button and the "PRINTSCREEN" button at the same time.

What I've discovered is that there are four distinct groups of visitors to the site:

1) Just looking (maybe 70%)
2) Actually looking to buy a print (maybe 5%)
3) Photographers looking for technical information (10%).
4) Yikes - what did I click on to wind up here? Quick, click on anything to get me out of here (15%)

* * *
Added chapter TWO
to the iView Gallery Tutorial.
* * *

Lulu and Part Ways

Ciao Lulu.

I suppose we had our good times, Lulu and I - but I was looking for something more - something more beautiful. Lulu is just not good for fine-art books - or high-quality calendars - and so I guess we'll have to go our separate ways. I will think back fondly on all the time I wasted with her reading through forums for printing specs, and waiting eagerly for proofs. Good-bye Lulu - and I only wish you the best. I hope we can still be friends.

* * *

I am going to have to put the calendar thing on hold for now since there are orders to work on - and it's already getting late in the year and I would like to begin shooting again. I have sent out for samples from a few companies that do 4-color b&w printing - not on demand - but with digital printing presses (Indigo, Heidelberg DI) as suggested by M.

I also see that if I am going to do a high-quality calendar or book, I'm either going to have to get into CMYK in a more serious way, especially as it relates to good black and white printing. For example - one thing I read is that if you want rich black tones - you don't just set the K value to 100% but you also need to mix the ratio of other channels in certain percentages. And as M. mentioned - the best thing is if you can afford to get a proper RIP and profile that mimics the output a particular press / paper combination on your inkjet printer for proofing.

It was an adventure being with Lulu because honestly, I never knew what she'd do next. I have four or five proofs of various items she left behind and you know - they all look slightly different.

Ciao. Maybe we'll meet again someday.