Take Out Photo

I've been busy with graffiti in the metro...

2009-11-30T16:31:00.000-08:00

No, I didn't do it. I couldn't draw to save my life, let alone spray paint. I'm working on a metro project that will probably take another 10 years to finish. It's not about graffiti, but I just discovered that line 3 has more graffiti on the cars than all of the other lines (as far as I know) combined. This is my last week in Paris, and I'm running all over the place trying to finish up projects before heading back to the U.S.

As I write this, it's 1:42 a.m. in Paris, so technically, I should have a new monthly special ready to go. But given how tomorrow (or rather, today) looks (last day teaching, special photo lecture to a local women's group), I may be a day late. There are still things I wanted to cover in November, but I'll have to get to those later.

For those who have been missing the tutorials, once I'm back in the States, the slower pace of things will definitely be more conducive to tutorials. But for now, it's madness.

When plain old photos just aren't good enough...

2009-11-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

I saved the strangest ideas from Paris Photo for last.

If you want a creepy portrait of a friend or family member, why not just have them sit still for a video and then dedicate a framed monitor to your masterpiece? Because we're not at Hogwarts, that's why.

Don't know what to do with that old photo of your great great uncle Tobias? I hear embroidery floss adds zing when your Bedazzler has run out of rhinestones.

Covering a photo in semi-opaque cloth can serve as a socio-political commentary on the veil in contemporary Iran or it can just be a good way to use up that extra bolt of fabric in your sewing room.

Who says the glass over your framed photo needs to remain clear? Tell Windex and their neatnik cronies where to go. Fight the power in the comfort of your living room with some acrylic craft pens and some free association graffiti.

One example of the altered glass approach that I actually loved (but no pic, sorry) was a photo of a plain wall with graffiti tags sprayed all over the inside of the glass.

In spite of my mocking commentary, I do like how the examples above make me consider alternatives to the traditional framed photo.

What do you think? Ever done anything unconventional with photo presentation?

Ideas for displaying your photos (part 2)

2009-11-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

In the last post, I looked at examples of lines and grids of framed photos at Paris Photo. This post will give examples that break with those basic layouts.

This combination of portrait and landscape frames is made more interesting by staggering the portrait frames rather than keeping them symmetrical.

Here, the arrow-like triangular positioning leads your eye from left to right.

This is an attempt to break up the traditional gallery-style line of photos. I'm not sure how I feel about the near-checkerboard look, but I guess it depends on the context.

One central photo (hidden by the man's head) seems to sprout wings from either side. Note how the ample matting helps contain what would otherwise be too many competing images. To me, this looks very Martha Stewart. And speaking of Martha, one of her tips that I have used is to cut out paper versions of all your frames and arrange them on the wall before you commit. I use paper grocery bags and painter's tape.

If there is any philosphy behind this arrangement, it is to avoid lining up any two frames. In my opinion, the quare white space on the left side draws too much attention to itself.

I love how the one landscape-oriented frame pops out of the grid in this set of Lartigue photos (which can be yours for a mere 120,000 euros. Yikes!) Once again we see the small photo / large matte look.

I also love how a couple of huge photos can fill a room.

Two groups of three. Good? Not so much? What do you think?

Symmetrical, but different. Makes me think of an owl.

And finally, a reminder that you don't have to let the shape of your photo determine the shape of your frame. Experimenting with mattes can make your display look more high end.

How to display your photos: Ideas from Paris Photo (part 1)

2009-11-20T04:18:00.000-08:00

Paris Photo is a massive 4-day event happening right now through Sunday in the Carrousel du Louvre. The show features 89 galleries and 13 editors from all over the world. I went last night and found it to be at once heavenly and torturous. Heavenly, because the scale of the show and the variety of major photographers on display outshone any photography museum I have ever seen. Torturous, because I couldn't take it all in (much less take any of it home). Want to buy a Klein? A bargain at 9,000 euros. A signed Cartier-Bresson will run you about 25,000 euros. A passport-sized Lartigue (and I mention the size because I overheard some Americans talking about prices in the cliché "size matters" way) costs 30,000. Although most of the prices were on display, I think it's safe to say that the "Well, if you have to ask, you can't afford it" rule applied to everything.

If you budget is like mine, the only things you can take away from the show are the memories, maybe a catalog, and some inspiration. Since I can't give you the first two, let me help out with the third, specifically, some inspiration for photo displays.

How do the galleries display their photos? In the next couple of posts, I'll give a few examples (also, let me give a disclaimer that my photos of the displays are quick snapshots). In this post, we'll look at the most common methods of display: the grid and the classic line.

Simple, modern, and elegant. A line of photos gives a classic look similar to what you might see in a museum. However, many museums would put more space between the frames for the practical reason of filling the space and of allowing more room for visitors to look at the photos.

A variation on the straight line that I love is this symmetrical display with a round photo and frame in the middle.

Larger spacing in this six photo grid of Duane Michals photos (being photographed by a woman who looks exactly like the one in the photos), is a safe choice.

Large photos arranged in a triptych work especially well if the center photo draws the most attention.

A long two-line grid of photos with identical matting and with no spaces makes a bold statement.

A vertical version of the two-line grid takes a more innovative approach by playing with the colors of the frames (but keeping a sophisticated black, white, gray palette).

A dramatic three-line grid of large color unmatted photos and minimal spacing makes a strong, modern statement.

Closely spaced grids sometimes use large matting to let the photos breathe and give a more classic look.

In my opinion, the wide black frames and black matting in this grid borders on overpowering the photos themselves.

No spacing between frames, small mattes, and color photos on a unified theme (painted trucks).

Photos of different sizes are cropped here to fit in a grid of identical frames.

Getting inspired for displaying your own photos? I know I am.

Tomorrow, I'll go beyond the line and the grid for more inspiration.

Blurb books, an idea for using your photos

2009-11-18T11:07:00.000-08:00

A chocolate religieuse from Ladurée

Here's a simple idea for using your photos: make a book. Isn't that the same as making an album? you ask. Well, yes, but without having to first print your photos, then buy an album, then choose an adhesive, etc. etc.

With digital photos, it's so easy to take them and then never look at them again. They don't even fill up a shoebox, just a hard drive (which hopefully is organized and has backups lest disaster strikes). Wouldn't it be nicer if they sat on your coffee table or had a prized spot on your bookshelf? No disrespect to those bulky three-ring binders that are so popular for scrapbooking, but they are too deep to fit in my bookshelf. Imagine, instead, a collection of little 7 x 7 inch professionally printed books that feature your favorite things, people, places, or whatever else you choose.

My latest personal "book project" is a Blurb boo k of all my favorite foods in Paris. A square version of the photo above was for my religieuse "best of" category until I found an even better one at Carl Marletti (look at the amazing food photography on his site). People are always asking me what they should do when they visit Paris, and I always respond with food suggestions. I mean, they're going to visit the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Musée d'Orsay, Notre Dame, and other main attractions no matter I say, but they might not know about Hermé macarons or the amazing pâtes à choux at Marletti. So making a book is fun for me and a good gift idea for my friends.

But why Blurb? For me, it's about the best price/quality option. With unlimited resources, I would use Asukabook. Their printing is the best I have seen. I use them for wedding albums for most of my clients. But Asukabook is many times more expensive than blurb (and only for pros). I will use Asukabook for one-offs of special projects, but I can't afford to make a series a books for myself with them even at wholesale prices. Blurb books, on the other hand, are cheap enough to use as alternative to those plastic albums that hold 4x6 inch photos and they look a lot nicer.

I have only made two Blurb books so far, but here's what I can tell you based on my experience:

You download their software to create your book, which is convenient because you don't need much skill to get a good end result, but inconvenient because you can't get it printed anywhere but on blurb.
Keep it simple or you will be frustrated to no end. We did a 250 page book of poems (and drawings) that was a layout nightmare. The program was slow and buggy, and I swore I would never do another Blurb book after that. But I have learned my lesson. The end product looked better than expected, so rather than give up on Blurb, I will avoid text-heavy work and keep the layout simple.
The page limits are extremely flexible. You can do a short book (I did one as a Valentine a couple years ago) or a really long one (440 pages long!)
The site makes the books look higher quality than they are. Don't think this is going to compete with high-end coffee table books, but I do think they are nicer than what I have seen offered at comparable sites and stores.
When your book is done you can order a copy for yourself and/or others can order it from the site. This doesn't mean you can't protect your privacy (there are options for that). In my case it just means that the next time someone asks me what to do in Paris, I can tell them to get my book.
If you want to sell your book for profit you can do it, but I think Blurb is more of a convenient way to make a book than a good way to make money.
Finally, until Nov. 24, they have a -20% and free shipping offer that looks pretty tempting.

I'm having my kids do Blurb books about their time here in Paris. They can work on them here (which, to be honest, has been hard to get them to do) and have them sent right to our house in Utah. My 10-year old, Lucas, gave me the idea after he visited Les Invalides and came back with a series of photos he called "the last thing you'd see." They were photos of spears, horses in armor, and other museum displays seen from the perspective of someone about to be stabbed, crushed, etc. Morbid, but very funny. He did the same thing at the dinosaur museum. Now, if I can just get him to assemble them...