Comments for Blurb Blog

Comment on How to format a novel: book formatting fundamentals by Sana' Watts

Sana' Watts — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 03:00:09 +0000

This was so helpful for me, thank you!

Comment on How to make a cookbook by BBQ my way

BBQ my way — Sat, 29 May 2021 03:05:12 +0000

Great inspiration for when you want to start with a book. Clear and useful tips. Many helpful tips in my exploratory phase.

Comment on Photo Books to Journals: Q&A with Dan Milnor by Margaret P Stocker

Margaret P Stocker — Sun, 23 May 2021 18:52:42 +0000

I have several comments. First of all, convince me about Bookwright. I’ve been using Booksmart since it first came out and have tried Bookwright several times. So far, I don’t see the advantage of BW. It’s not that I don’t want to learn something new, but it needs to show me some advantage over what I’ve been doing. Second, why wait for your “best” work? I have one book that chronicles my journey over 12 years and the best part of it is the progressive improvement that I made in my photo and story telling skills. Bottom line for me is there will always be paper, the written word and a printed image. There might not always be a platform that can read an image or connect the image to an event or story. If you want your work remembered, it has to be accessible. My next book is “What I did during the pandemic.” It will be a year-long essay on my monthly participation in a photo zoom group complete with projects and techniques. It will also tell a story of what I did for a year while I waited for it to be over. You might even like it.

Comment on Hit the Books with Dan Milnor and Andrew Kaufman: Pro Photography — Webinar Recap by Peter Oxley

Peter Oxley — Mon, 17 May 2021 04:21:15 +0000

Great advice from a couple of pros! Composition and curating are also important for telling a story. Just like a written book …

Comment on 10 types of photographs every photographer should take by Peter Oxley

Peter Oxley — Mon, 17 May 2021 04:05:29 +0000

Great advice for people starting out on photography. Too many of us just point and shoot, spray and pray, as they say. Besides, trying out these different shots will teach you how to get to know your camera better, and what you can do with it. Composition, night shooting, and controlling depth of field are other important aspects to practice with.

Comment on How to publish a poetry book on your own by Hanie Lagroma

Hanie Lagroma — Mon, 10 May 2021 15:08:27 +0000

Thank you for your encouragement

Comment on Daniel Milnor: Notes on Photography | Llamadas by Richard Spencer Field

Richard Spencer Field — Sat, 08 May 2021 19:41:46 +0000

So so nice to hear somebody say take one more step! When 50 ml lens we’re all you had that’s what we did
Nice street pic – there’s never a good time to change lens even if you have 3 bodies around your neck!
Keep taking that extra step and remember
That perfection is viewpoint!!!

Comment on Daniel Milnor: Notes on Photography | Llamadas by Richard Watts

Richard Watts — Sat, 08 May 2021 11:38:48 +0000

I think the scene works okay as shot, I would prefer the foreground subject to be a bit more out of focus so you are not so drawn to them. Moving the lens to the right slightly would eliminate the empty space but would the foreground then be even more dominant?

Comment on Daniel Milnor: Notes on Photography | Llamadas by Howard Pain

Howard Pain — Sat, 08 May 2021 10:44:23 +0000

I DO NOT THINK THE FOREGROUND IMAGE WORKS AT ALL
– ADDS NOTHING , I DID NOT EVEN SEE IT AT FIRST AND THINK IT WOULD BE AWKWARD IF CROPPED AS SUGGESTED ON LEFT

Comment on Daniel Milnor: Notes on Photography | Llamadas by Johannes Barthelmes

Johannes Barthelmes — Sat, 08 May 2021 10:03:10 +0000

I disagree with your criticisms. This photography isn’t that bad either. Sure, it won’t be a masterpiece even if you tweak it. Let the people on the left have the space, maybe a little less than in your picture.
What amazes me is that the tip of the nose of the person in the foreground does not shine through transparently over the woman’s sweater. But since the head is so out of focus, it can be close without being bothered. If you crop the picture as you want, you lose something that is good in this photograph, the diagonal from top right to bottom left. Leave the picture as it is, it is not bad and as I said, even through the criticisms that are largely false in my eyes, it does not get better, rather worse. Go closer with a 35 mm, then you will not have the unwanted people in the picture and you better pay attention to the overall composition, then this can be an interesting photograph.

Comment on Daniel Milnor: Notes on Photography | Llamadas by Jon Wyand

Jon Wyand — Sat, 08 May 2021 09:24:53 +0000

The first thing that strikes me is the composition with a strong diagonal going down top right to bottom left. For me it needs that space or the picture becomes claustrophobically crowded. Does that composition hangs on the happy arrival of the out of focus person appearing in the frame? Or was he/she already there ? I don’t think moving in would have helped without turning if that person was already there because moving in cuts into them. If that element walked in serendipitously space needed to exist for her to be included. My background for a long time was shooting 35 mm transparency for audio- visual and composition had to be very tight. When I started working with designers they all demanded more space. “Step back,” they said, “to give us design options.” That is when you work as part of a team, not as an “artist” defying /denying other people’s involvement. I think street photography is “in the moment”, instinctive. If things are too “perfect” they lose a sense of reality. I won an award once and heard one of the judges, someone full of himself but with little photographic background, declare he nearly did not vote for the picture because it was “too perfect”! All photographers see differently and we should keep our vision. I aim for simplicity and purity rather than complexity and orchestrating multiple elements. I am just not that clever.

Comment on Daniel Milnor: Notes on Photography | Llamadas by JOHN KELLEY

JOHN KELLEY — Sat, 08 May 2021 03:22:08 +0000

A good photo is subjective although some rules tend to make the photos more acceptable to the masses.
You lost me when you said you do not crop. Do you not photoshop your photos in any other way? I am sorry but this is old school. I wear glasses and often need to crop as I cannot see totally the viewfinder. I shoot full frame for this reason.
The art is in the crop. You cannot hope to get all your pictures perfectly cropped on the run nor with perfect exposure etc. The resultant photo should create, in the viewer, the mood and atmosphere you had in your mind not what some physical light falling on a sensor determined.
Good luck.

Comment on Dear Mom Love Johnny: A Family History in Letters by Linda Foster

Linda Foster — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 12:07:50 +0000

I am working on my third volume of family letters from WWII. It is a long process but the family is learning so much about these two young soldiers.

Comment on A Family Project: Cobbled Together by Maricarmen Nixon

Maricarmen Nixon — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 22:36:56 +0000

love your creativity and dedication in this special book, published in time for your mother’s 93th birthday. You’re a good son, husband, father and brother, congratulations Ashley.

Comment on How to publish a poetry book on your own by Julius

Julius — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 18:57:56 +0000

If I want to include copies of my handwritten poems in my book, how would you recommend going about that? Basic photocopies from a copy machine, DSLR camera…?

Comment on Bookmaking Tips & Ideas for Personal Projects by Kristen

Kristen — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 19:57:56 +0000

Decades ago, I was fretting – not able to sleep one night, trying to figure out how to make sure each of my kids could have a copy of the photo albums I had kept – starting before my marriage – and carrying on through our family history. I’m a genealogist, and one of my regrets is that – though I did inherit my folks’ family photos down through the history, there were few (formal portraits, mostly) clues as to what my ancestors thought or felt. What their every day lives looked like. How they voted. What they loved or feared. Those portraits gave very little away. I was trying to imagine how I was going to be able to build 4 whole sets of the stuff I’d gathered – one for each kids’ own family. Then I sat up in bed, realizing that I had PHoto shop and a great scanner – and I started to scan EVERYTHING. That’s when my youngest son turned me on to Blurb – and I realized that I could make books of it all – a book for each family group. And I could send one to my sister. Over the decades, I’ve built a really good visual record of all the things we shared in our lives – and the kids can look at their kids and see who reminds them of whom – and we can relive Paris and England and Disney. I’ve also done text only books – my parents’ personal histories – letters – the real history of our family – starting with letters written during the Civil War. I just did it a little at a time – but I am SO blessed to have found this service of yours. And if my house burns down – you guys have it all archived and I can replace every precious book for every precious member of the family. So thanks!

Comment on How to hire a book editor by An Lo

An Lo — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 03:38:58 +0000

What a great list. I will keep in mind for my next book.

Comment on How to make an interior design portfolio by Alessandra

Alessandra — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 10:47:24 +0000

You want to sell with your portfolio your creative services and your expertise. Remember that the best interior designer with the worst sales skills will never have as much business as the worst interior designer with the best sales skills. Think about what your client really wants and needs and how you are going to be able to deliver on those wants and needs. How will he benefit from you rather than the other interior designer? What value do you bring to the table?