You know when you see something for sale and you get that itch that has to be scratched, that box that needs to be ticked? Well I had one of those moments a week or so back. Told myself I didn't need it over and over.
I'll make a quick enquiry I thought, see if the price is negotiable........hey presto lol it's mine! What is it you ask? Well it's a Mamiya C3 of course! :) 6x6 film camera. Well it made me happy & for not much more than the cost of a night on the town! Happy Days..... I bought quite a few boxes of glass plate negatives last year. These are some of the scans I've done so far. Loads more to scan and much bigger negs too......these are not my work but images I'm cataloguing for my own enjoyment. I can honestly say that I've shed a tear over some of them. Faces & places locked in a box for decades now in print...who are they, what life did they lead and where were they taken? Through the post on my Facebook page some places have been recognised which is wonderful. The John o Groats Hotel & Welbeck Abbey but the others I have no idea. If you do please let me know by leaving a comment, any help much appreciated to track down people and places. I hope you enjoy taking a look at the past, I know I'm enjoying cataloguing them :) Review of Saal Photobook Backgound Info: A group of photography friends & myself set ourselves a challenge for the first half of 2016. From an array of subjects we were to pick 4 at random and work on these to produce a body of personal work. This work would be put together in an individual photo-book for portfolio purposes. Seeing your images in print is such a thrill so I set about looking for a company to produce mine. A few weeks into the challenge a couple of friends in the group saw an offer by Saal so I checked them out and signed up. The Process: After being accepted I downloaded their software onto my PC (there’s also a direct upload function) and had a nose about. There are lots of choices for layouts, borders, backgrounds, image sizing and even changing the look of your image via their filters. Having used similar software before with another online printer I had an idea of what I wanted, but I started out with a trial book just so that I could get the hang of moving images into the book and changing them etc. When I knew where I needed to go with the software, I set about my real book. What’s great is that you can start your book by choosing from their array of styles and options (some specifically tailored to holidays, weddings, baby etc), add some images, save it and pop back to it another time. Means you’re not sitting at the computer for hours slaving away, you can nibble at it as time allows. There is also an auto-fill option where you can click a button and the software will fill the pages with your images for you. Personally I like to be in control but it’s an option that some may love. I chose the A4 21x28 portrait hard backed book, 42 pages with a hard glossy unpadded cover and glossy pages. When building my book I used a combination of their many set page layouts and designed some of my own by drag and dropping my images onto a blank page and re-sizing, adding an image border and a page background to my taste. So many backgrounds to choose from and you can flick from one to another until you find one that suits your images. There is also a clip art section so you can choose to add little embellishments to your project too as well as text in various fonts and sizes. What I found really helpful was when adding images to my book they automatically get ticked in the left hand navigation pane (your PC’s filing system), so you don’t have to keep track of what you’ve used and not used, simple but invaluable. There is also an edge guide to each page and a marker for the centre of the page which is useful to make sure all of your pictures are within the print area, and none will be lost. I enjoyed using the software and designing my book, and am happy that I achieved the look I was after. I then uploaded it to Saal, took a while as there were 108 images altogether (I made use of their fab collage layouts J ). Paid for my book using Paypal and a confirmation was received almost immediately. Tracking is provided for the production and delivery of the book whilst in Europe, but once it got to the UK there was nothing. DHL delivered it to me within 6 days of ordering (ordered 31st May delivered 6th June) but I had no notification it was coming that day, just glad I was in. The Product: I chose to place some images as a double page spread, effectively in landscape format. I wasn’t too sure how these would look in the finished book in regards to lying flat, but they look great. The pages lie almost flat even though I hadn’t opted for a layflat book. I was super pleased with that. Also love the glossy pages, colours are punchy and sharp and the page thickness is superb. You know you’re turning a page rather than wondering whether you’ve missed one, if you know what I mean. Book’s cover is nice and substantial too, and the image I chose looks great on there, along with the text header I added. I’d be proud to put this on my coffee table & have people leaf through it. Feels and looks professional. Saal haven’t overloaded the product with advertising for their business either which adds to the professional look, there is just a small code stamped on the back cover at the bottom corner. Verdict: I would most definitely recommend Saal photo-books to anyone who is looking to produce one. I like to get value for money and certainly don’t spend frivolously, so although you will have to pay a little more for the privilege of seeing your work presented in one of their products, I for one am happy to stump up a little more. The substantial difference in quality from Saal to other products I’ve purchased is immediately evident in feel and look. As they say you get what you pay for, dig a little deeper and buy from Saal, you won’t regret it. Welcome to my new website. An ideal way to share my passion for photography with the world.
I will try to update my blog on a regular basis, but forgive me if I fail, sometimes life gets in the way of my best intentions. I hope you'll enoy browsing my portfolio & I will attempt to update as often as possible. Please get in touch if you have ideas for a shoot, or if you're a fellow photographer model or MUA just wanting to network. We creatives always come up with wonderful ideas when we brainstorm :) |
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AuthorEclectic fairytale & gothic photographer, I aim to create drama, something that tells a story, with a touch of weird & wonderful. Archives
August 2017
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