Since April 1, I have been doing most of my shooting in the yard here at the house and I’m having such a good time that I think, if need be, I could do the entire 35 images here. We have had mostly overcast skies with patchy and erratic sunshine parts of each day. Of course, as is usually the case with such exercises, I am seeing things I have previously only looked at. Moreover, some things I have long enjoyed, but never attempted to translate into a photograph are getting new attention.
My plan from the beginning of this project has been to shoot in three locations, and I think I am staying with that plan. However, only one day seemed promising for shooting in one of my favorite locations—along Little Tujunga Wash. From the beginning, I have had my heart set on at least one sunset shot taken along Haul Road. Sunsets there are one of the special things I will hold in my memory once I leave my home in the foothills. Unfortunately, the evening I was there ended with a slight mist and the setting sun completely obscured by a thick cloud cover. Still, I enjoyed the first part of that shoot immensely; and, at least for now, some of those shots are in the “temporary choices” folder. I will bide my time for an evening with a few nice clouds in the west providing one of those sunset extravaganzas.
In the meantime, the experimenting and exploring continue. A sort of rhythm has developed of more shooting and processing one day, then more writing the next. There has been no intention to switch back and forth—it has just worked out that way.
Yesterday, I did some experimenting with proofing a couple of files with the Blurb profile and correcting for out of gamut colors. Even though I plan to prepare a PDF version of my book to meet the requirements of SoFoBoMo, I want to get a feel for the preparation of files for the printer. (Even if I am not crazy about the final result of this exercise, I want to carry it through to print so I can see how effectively I handle preparing files for printing by Blurb.) For my second test run, I switched the files to CMYK mode to make the corrections—using mostly the selective color adjustment layer, and then switched back to RGB. I am discovering that some images bring up only a few problems and others are quite discouraging. I am hoping to get some advice from some folks who are a lot smarter than I am about this part of the workflow.
I can’t be certain I will have time for shooting tomorrow, since it’s another Open House Day. After all, I hope we will have prospects coming through. Still, I will feel a bit lost if I don’t find some time to get out the camera.
My plan from the beginning of this project has been to shoot in three locations, and I think I am staying with that plan. However, only one day seemed promising for shooting in one of my favorite locations—along Little Tujunga Wash. From the beginning, I have had my heart set on at least one sunset shot taken along Haul Road. Sunsets there are one of the special things I will hold in my memory once I leave my home in the foothills. Unfortunately, the evening I was there ended with a slight mist and the setting sun completely obscured by a thick cloud cover. Still, I enjoyed the first part of that shoot immensely; and, at least for now, some of those shots are in the “temporary choices” folder. I will bide my time for an evening with a few nice clouds in the west providing one of those sunset extravaganzas.
In the meantime, the experimenting and exploring continue. A sort of rhythm has developed of more shooting and processing one day, then more writing the next. There has been no intention to switch back and forth—it has just worked out that way.
Yesterday, I did some experimenting with proofing a couple of files with the Blurb profile and correcting for out of gamut colors. Even though I plan to prepare a PDF version of my book to meet the requirements of SoFoBoMo, I want to get a feel for the preparation of files for the printer. (Even if I am not crazy about the final result of this exercise, I want to carry it through to print so I can see how effectively I handle preparing files for printing by Blurb.) For my second test run, I switched the files to CMYK mode to make the corrections—using mostly the selective color adjustment layer, and then switched back to RGB. I am discovering that some images bring up only a few problems and others are quite discouraging. I am hoping to get some advice from some folks who are a lot smarter than I am about this part of the workflow.
I can’t be certain I will have time for shooting tomorrow, since it’s another Open House Day. After all, I hope we will have prospects coming through. Still, I will feel a bit lost if I don’t find some time to get out the camera.
Anita, it sounds like you are having a grand time. :-) I was just thinking about Blurb, myself. I've not gone and looked at the site, but as I plan to do a book, not only a PDF, I need to do the book considering what Blurb, or whomever I choose, offers as far as size.
ReplyDeleteI just looked at Blurb and see that they offer 7x7, 8x10, 10x8, and 13x11. I'm thinking 13x11, as 7x7 is a bit small, I think, and I don't like the other formats as they would require some cropping and I much prefer to get a print that represents the entire picture.
Regarding your sunset, I'm sure that you'll get it, probably multiple times. :-)
Enjoy the journey!
Paul, the 13x11 is also my first choice. However, I may go with a smaller format for my test run with Blurb—strictly in the interest of economy. Shutterfly offers a 12x12 and that is my what I really would like. I suppose I will try Shutterfly once more now that I got all those great tips from Gordon McGregor.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement.