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As an architect that evaluates architectural photographers (for our own work), I wouldn't think much of a photog that uses a so-so print company (bc of price) to showcase their work. It defeats the purpose, no?
For Mac users, the Mac iPhoto print service is a good value. They make these mini flip book sized product (2.5 x 3.6 in) that are very nice. $4 ea, min 3 book order. I've used these and they are great to hand out for portfolio purposes or as giveaways & keepsakes.
The print quality at Photoworks.com is better than Apple prints, but more $. They don't have the flip size, but do offer some mini books sizes.
Also consider Flickr.com Print partners:
http://www.TinyPrints.com - prints mostly custom cards w/ photo images, nice layouts and designs, but not really a portfolio format.
http://moo.com - put your photos in business card format. They also make mini photobooks, but are more $ than Apple
Moo.com - has a business card package that lets you put up to 50 different color images on one side (1 image per card) plus your contact info on the other side for $22. It's not a book, but it is an instant way to put your work in someone's hands.
http://www.moo.com/products/business_cards.php
VistaPrint.com - does a great, affordable job of printing full color postcards. If you can settle on 3-5 images, maybe you can get the post cards from VistaPrint and bind the cards yourself in a mini book w/ rivets or Chicago Screws. (Use a crafter's pop rivet binding kit.)
Chicago Screws - http://www.screwpost.com The fasteners just screw a male and female part together. You don't need any other tools, than the hole punch.
VistaPrint often has 30-50% off coupons online, so printing 250 color postcards could be as little as $25-30/per image. I really like VistaPrint's paper and print quality the best. And very, very affordable. This is the company I use to print most of our collateral goods (brochures, business cards, postcards, etc) for my company.
You can buy hole punches and pop rivets or grommet setting tools from craft places like MakingMemories.com.
Using a flip book might be easiest (because you do less work), but a custom bound book makes more of an impact, in my opinion. So, you have to be willing to put in some work (or pay someone to do it for you.)
Source(s):
Apple iPhoto Prints - http://www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto/print-products.html
They also make nice calendar products, which allow you to have your prints displayed larger
PhotWorks.com - http://www.photoworks.com/shop/gallery.jsp;jsessionid=178951DBE392EE47D4DF0...
TinyPrints - http://www.tinyprints.com/flickr.htm?refid=flickr01
Moo.com - Color Business Cards
http://www.moo.com/products/business_cards.php
ScrewPost.com - cool industrial post fasteners. Use a hole punch.
http://www.screwpost.com/index.php?cPath=38&osCsid=cba8e64ff3b3cfe4e6c9...
MakingMemories.com - hobby, craft store. Source for grommets and pop rivet Binding supplies. Don't let the crafty stuff fool ya. This can look very industrial, polished, very modern and contemporary if you know what products to use.
Cool, Industrial screwpost aluminum fasteners.
http://www.screwpost.com
Grommets, Rivets & Fasteners from
http://makingmemories.com
You can just buy a package of screw posts, and use a regular hole punch to make the holes in the cards or prints.
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2) I received a photo book for Christmas that was made using Snapfish. The book I received probably contained 50+ photos and a variety of backgrounds, text, etc. to accompany it. It was extremely high quality and well-done, and I plan to create my own as gifts in the future because I was so pleased with it. While I don't know the exact pricing, the person who gave it to me said it was very reasonable. If you visit the following link you can get a little more information, and probably sign up to find out specific pricing.
http://www.snapfish.com/tourphotobooks
Here is a link to a DVD printer:
http://www.discmakers.com/
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http://www.blurb.com
You can make a great photo book at Blurb. Or Shutterfly makes them as well, and I believe they are having a sale now:
http://www.shutterfly.com/shop/Photo_Books/product_c18000
Source(s):
My Thoughts.
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I'm running a digital author service called Karina Library and have had some experience with Blurb.com, Lulu.com and CreateSpace.com as print-on-demand providers.
First, your idea is a good one and it is similar to what I tell authors I work with: Getting a book in print and sending that to potential physical distribution publishers is going to be more effective than sending an unsolicited manuscript or CD. Your situation is a little different, but I think the idea applies.
CreateSpace.com is out for you if you want hard cover. Also, they really don't specialize in the quality photobook segment and you would need to have the book composited before submitting (layed out in InDesign, for example.) They do have an online book creation tool, but it is pretty inadequate.
I like Lulu.com; they have also a very interesting internal marketplace, so if eventually you wanted to re-purpose your book for retail sale, that would be something to consider.
However, I think for a high-end photobook, Blurb.com is probably your answer. They also have a free program you download (Mac and PC) that makes it easy to setup a photobook in case getting the book composited is an extra expense you want to avoid. If you go to Blurb.com. you'll see several many of photobooks, including ones in the Architecture category:
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/category/Architecture
For your purposes, you would not need to list the book for sale; you can keep it a private project.
One suggestion I would make for the book, is to make sure to include a profile of yourself and contact information so that everything they need is in one place. You might also consider a map at the beginning that shows where your photos were taken to give a sense of your scope.
Source(s):
blurb.com
lulu.com
createspace.com
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A friend who is a more avid photographer than I am likes www.blurb.com - I have not tried that, but she is quite picky.
Hope that helps!
Source(s):
www.mypublisher.com
www.blurb.com
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Answered Question
M$5
January 15, 2009 03:06 PM
Creative Marketing 101 + Where is the cheapest and best place to create a photo book?
I regularly take professional architectural photos for Real Estate.
I would like to send my work to a few large and busy Real Estate agents with the hope of garnering some more business in the New Year.
My work differentiates itself based on quality. As a result, I don't want to send this hand selected group of people a few sheets of paper or a brochure. I was thinking that a small, professionally bound photo book would be a good way to grab the attention of marketed-to-death Real Estate Agents.
My initial thought is something like this:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/PhotoBookOverview.jsp
The small 5x7 ones are within my budget for this, but I'm not sure that this is the best way to go.
1)
Do you think that this is a good idea?
What other creative ways can I get the attention of busy Real Estate Agents?
(offline only, I have the web covered)
2)
What site has the nicest, cheapest, most professional photo books? I have about 40 photos that I'd like to show and a couple of pages of text / graphics that I'd like to toss in to complete the package as well.
I'm in Canada, so shipping is a little bit of an issue. However, I'm comfortable shipping cross boarder so it's not a huge deal.
3)
Ideally, the best answer will be from someone who has personal experience with the photo books they recommend. Please be sure to let me know if you've used the service and if they output good quality.
If any creative ideas are above-and-beyond, I'll tip well. I'll try to give everyone who replies with a solid, well researched and composed answer at least M$1.
I would like to send my work to a few large and busy Real Estate agents with the hope of garnering some more business in the New Year.
My work differentiates itself based on quality. As a result, I don't want to send this hand selected group of people a few sheets of paper or a brochure. I was thinking that a small, professionally bound photo book would be a good way to grab the attention of marketed-to-death Real Estate Agents.
My initial thought is something like this:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/PhotoBookOverview.jsp
The small 5x7 ones are within my budget for this, but I'm not sure that this is the best way to go.
1)
Do you think that this is a good idea?
What other creative ways can I get the attention of busy Real Estate Agents?
(offline only, I have the web covered)
2)
What site has the nicest, cheapest, most professional photo books? I have about 40 photos that I'd like to show and a couple of pages of text / graphics that I'd like to toss in to complete the package as well.
I'm in Canada, so shipping is a little bit of an issue. However, I'm comfortable shipping cross boarder so it's not a huge deal.
3)
Ideally, the best answer will be from someone who has personal experience with the photo books they recommend. Please be sure to let me know if you've used the service and if they output good quality.
If any creative ideas are above-and-beyond, I'll tip well. I'll try to give everyone who replies with a solid, well researched and composed answer at least M$1.
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Best Answer Chosen by Asker
| January 15, 2009 05:58 PM |
For Mac users, the Mac iPhoto print service is a good value. They make these mini flip book sized product (2.5 x 3.6 in) that are very nice. $4 ea, min 3 book order. I've used these and they are great to hand out for portfolio purposes or as giveaways & keepsakes.
The print quality at Photoworks.com is better than Apple prints, but more $. They don't have the flip size, but do offer some mini books sizes.
Also consider Flickr.com Print partners:
http://www.TinyPrints.com - prints mostly custom cards w/ photo images, nice layouts and designs, but not really a portfolio format.
http://moo.com - put your photos in business card format. They also make mini photobooks, but are more $ than Apple
Moo.com - has a business card package that lets you put up to 50 different color images on one side (1 image per card) plus your contact info on the other side for $22. It's not a book, but it is an instant way to put your work in someone's hands.
http://www.moo.com/products/business_cards.php
VistaPrint.com - does a great, affordable job of printing full color postcards. If you can settle on 3-5 images, maybe you can get the post cards from VistaPrint and bind the cards yourself in a mini book w/ rivets or Chicago Screws. (Use a crafter's pop rivet binding kit.)
Chicago Screws - http://www.screwpost.com The fasteners just screw a male and female part together. You don't need any other tools, than the hole punch.
VistaPrint often has 30-50% off coupons online, so printing 250 color postcards could be as little as $25-30/per image. I really like VistaPrint's paper and print quality the best. And very, very affordable. This is the company I use to print most of our collateral goods (brochures, business cards, postcards, etc) for my company.
You can buy hole punches and pop rivets or grommet setting tools from craft places like MakingMemories.com.
Using a flip book might be easiest (because you do less work), but a custom bound book makes more of an impact, in my opinion. So, you have to be willing to put in some work (or pay someone to do it for you.)
Source(s):
Apple iPhoto Prints - http://www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto/print-products.html
They also make nice calendar products, which allow you to have your prints displayed larger
PhotWorks.com - http://www.photoworks.com/shop/gallery.jsp;jsessionid=178951DBE392EE47D4DF0...
TinyPrints - http://www.tinyprints.com/flickr.htm?refid=flickr01
Moo.com - Color Business Cards
http://www.moo.com/products/business_cards.php
ScrewPost.com - cool industrial post fasteners. Use a hole punch.
http://www.screwpost.com/index.php?cPath=38&osCsid=cba8e64ff3b3cfe4e6c9...
MakingMemories.com - hobby, craft store. Source for grommets and pop rivet Binding supplies. Don't let the crafty stuff fool ya. This can look very industrial, polished, very modern and contemporary if you know what products to use.
Cool, Industrial screwpost aluminum fasteners.
http://www.screwpost.com
Grommets, Rivets & Fasteners from
http://makingmemories.com
You can just buy a package of screw posts, and use a regular hole punch to make the holes in the cards or prints.
Permalink | Report
Reply
Other Answers (4)
January 15, 2009 03:19 PM
1) I think this is an excellent idea; not only will it set you apart from people who send their work digitally or in an inexpensive form, but it also shows that you take enough pride in your work that you are willing to spend a little to showcase your talent. Have you also thought about sending your work in the form of a DVD? You could even put this together yourself with a movie-making type of program, and then have the DVDs and slipcases professionally printed with images of some of your favorite pieces of work. 2) I received a photo book for Christmas that was made using Snapfish. The book I received probably contained 50+ photos and a variety of backgrounds, text, etc. to accompany it. It was extremely high quality and well-done, and I plan to create my own as gifts in the future because I was so pleased with it. While I don't know the exact pricing, the person who gave it to me said it was very reasonable. If you visit the following link you can get a little more information, and probably sign up to find out specific pricing.
http://www.snapfish.com/tourphotobooks
Here is a link to a DVD printer:
http://www.discmakers.com/
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Reply
January 15, 2009 03:30 PM
The DVD slipcase idea is a good one.
I don't think that (even a nicely printed) CD / DVD alone would result in many conversions, but if I could include the slipcase a disk bound right into the photo book, I could see that adding an interesting dimension.
While it's not high on my priority list, I'll keep my eye out for one of the photo book creators that has the option to bind in a slipcover. Although, my local business supply store sells adhesive clear plastic CD sleves that I could attach into the book before sending them out.
Good idea and thanks for the snapfish link.
Tip sent!
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I don't think that (even a nicely printed) CD / DVD alone would result in many conversions, but if I could include the slipcase a disk bound right into the photo book, I could see that adding an interesting dimension.
While it's not high on my priority list, I'll keep my eye out for one of the photo book creators that has the option to bind in a slipcover. Although, my local business supply store sells adhesive clear plastic CD sleves that I could attach into the book before sending them out.
Good idea and thanks for the snapfish link.
Tip sent!
January 15, 2009 04:16 PM
From my experience, Blurb makes a good quality book. You should check out Blurb: http://www.blurb.com
You can make a great photo book at Blurb. Or Shutterfly makes them as well, and I believe they are having a sale now:
http://www.shutterfly.com/shop/Photo_Books/product_c18000
Source(s):
My Thoughts.
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 15, 2009 05:21 PM
Hi Rob, I'm running a digital author service called Karina Library and have had some experience with Blurb.com, Lulu.com and CreateSpace.com as print-on-demand providers.
First, your idea is a good one and it is similar to what I tell authors I work with: Getting a book in print and sending that to potential physical distribution publishers is going to be more effective than sending an unsolicited manuscript or CD. Your situation is a little different, but I think the idea applies.
CreateSpace.com is out for you if you want hard cover. Also, they really don't specialize in the quality photobook segment and you would need to have the book composited before submitting (layed out in InDesign, for example.) They do have an online book creation tool, but it is pretty inadequate.
I like Lulu.com; they have also a very interesting internal marketplace, so if eventually you wanted to re-purpose your book for retail sale, that would be something to consider.
However, I think for a high-end photobook, Blurb.com is probably your answer. They also have a free program you download (Mac and PC) that makes it easy to setup a photobook in case getting the book composited is an extra expense you want to avoid. If you go to Blurb.com. you'll see several many of photobooks, including ones in the Architecture category:
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/category/Architecture
For your purposes, you would not need to list the book for sale; you can keep it a private project.
One suggestion I would make for the book, is to make sure to include a profile of yourself and contact information so that everything they need is in one place. You might also consider a map at the beginning that shows where your photos were taken to give a sense of your scope.
Source(s):
blurb.com
lulu.com
createspace.com
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 15, 2009 06:13 PM
Thanks for the thoughtful answer, Freewheel. I've shot you a tip for your answer.
What other ways do the authors you work with market their work?
I think that there may be a significant overlap in what I'm trying to accomplish with the methods that you touched on.
Report
What other ways do the authors you work with market their work?
I think that there may be a significant overlap in what I'm trying to accomplish with the methods that you touched on.
January 15, 2009 05:56 PM
I have used several photo book sites (for personal, not professional, books) and my favorite is www.mypublisher.com - you download the Bookmaker software, make the book on your own computer, then upload the finished product. The upload can take a while depending on your connection speed, the size of your photos and how many pages your book is, but the quality of the books has been great. A friend who is a more avid photographer than I am likes www.blurb.com - I have not tried that, but she is quite picky.
Hope that helps!
Source(s):
www.mypublisher.com
www.blurb.com
Permalink | Report
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How do you evaluate new architectual photographers?
Does an experienced person simply review a new photog's work and rates or is there some sort of selection process?
If there isn't a selection process, what do you think makes a good photographer?
Really, it's all about the composition (creative) and technical (execution & quality) of the image. I don't know if I have a process for selecting.. lol. I just know what I like. Basically, the image needs to paint the subject in an interesting and probably flattering manner. Period. If not, what's the point of a marketing photo/vehicle?
Several high quality architectural journals (e.g. Architect, Architectural Record, Global Architecture, Interior Design etc.) have wonderful architectural photography. Be sure to check out their web sites.
If one's work is on par with the work regularly featured in those journals, then you are probably a very good photographer (for architectural works.) Other genres and purposes have a different style, technique (than architectural photography, imo.)
I really like the old photography firm of Hedrich Blessing (Chicago). I think they have some of the best architecture photography ever. (I can't afford them, but aspire to have photos that look like theirs.) http://www.hedrichblessing.com
Odd, but I don't think their web site even showcases their best work. (In fact their web site bites.. and actually detracts from the photos, in my opinion.)
Are you familiar with their work? What do you think of it?
I haven't heard of Hedrich Blessing. However, the work of the photographers on their site is outstanding. I suspect that higher resolution & dpi photos would render the light and colours better. I certainly won't be one to judge :)