As a few of you guys know, I am in the early planning stages of a book. It'll be white type on black pages, to match the theme of the site. Kidding! In fact, the site's pretty-locked-in color scheme is one of the reason I am doing this.
Reason I am bringing it up now is that I have gotten permission from my department head at The Sun to pursue the project, and the thinking is going from abstract to concrete.
I have decided that it will be done through Lulu.com, which will eliminate the risk of printing/storage costs. I think it can be reasonably be done through their price structure. I have seen a few examples of their work and it's pretty good.
So I am throwing this out as a brainstorm. I would have the luxury of space, which means that I have some real estate to play with.
Given that I am obviously going to be including much of the basic info on the site, what are some other areas you think would be of value?
I want to expand the area of coverage a little on the beginner side, allowing more people to get to the point where they are ready to tackle off-camera light. I'd think a chapter on basic flash would do the trick.
But I also want to play in the deep end, getting further into the thought processes that separate the really good shooters from the so-so ones. I would want to spotlight several other shooters to get some different perspectives on lighting and shooting.
There are also some mechanics to consider.
For instance, I am leaning toward a spiral binding for its lay-flat ability (when aping a technique on location) and the increased durability. I was a big fan of John Falk's "Adventures in Location Lighting" back in the day, and that is one of the things I liked about it.
You guys are familiar with this site, and how I write, and how I think. Given that the book is targeted at the "enthusiastic amateur to emerging pro" range, I would love for some group input while I am still at the outlining stage.
Don't get me wrong - this is my project. I am going to make the decisions and do it in a way that I think will produce the best product. But if I have learned anything from doing this website, it is to listen to and benefit from the brain trust that cruises through here.
This would not be my first book, so I know I am in for some work. But I think it is an attainable goal, and hopefully can be done in a form that will continue to fill the information void I try to fill on Strobist. Only in a more permanent way.
So I am starting a discussion thread here.
I hope you will stick your ideas in there whenever they pop into your head. No rush - I am not going to give myself an artificial deadline. I want to do a good job.
Your thoughts are much appreciated.
0 comments:
Post a Comment