Making a Reference Book and ?? re:Print Quality

06/13/2006 10:40:00 AM · #1

So here's the deal...

Sometime in the near future (with ANY luck!) I will be getting a new cam and some 'real' studio lights and will be able to ditch the halogen work lights.
My problem is that I'm a combination visual/kinetic learner - that is, I learn something better (and more thoroughly) if I can see it/read about it and do it at the same time and I find it very handy to have a reference of what exactly I've done,with notes, so that I can refresh my memory.

My solution to that is that I want to make a reference book for myself to help me figure out what I need to do to get the effects I want (I'll primarily be doing this for studio portraiture). The plan is to take simple and straightforward pics of a person/subject with different lighting setups, different camera settings, etc and to 'paste' these pics onto a page (with notes and diagrams) to put into a notebook so that if I want to duplicate a certain effect I don't have to fiddle with the lights (or whatever) for an hour, I can simply flip to a certain page and follow the directions. I know that there are books out there that deal with this sort of thing, but most of them do not include things like distance from the subject to the main light, actual height of the main/fill lights, etc. I figured it would help me a lot if I had "Sara-studio-specific" measurements and placements.

Seems like a decent solution (albeit a bit labor intensive, but I'll remember it better), but I do have a question (finally).

I know that mpix makes wonderful prints, but for a project like this (with lots and lots of pics) it would be nice if I could find a printer that is a bit cheaper. I looked at Winkflash and noticed thier 4x5 prints are $0.12/ea (as compared to mpix's $0.29/ea), but since I haven't used Winkflash, I'm not sure about the quality. I don't have a printer that I can use to print the pics, so...

Question:Has anyone used Winkflash and been pleased enough with the quality to recommend them? Does anyone have another online site to check out that they would recommend/use? (I don't have a costco near me, so that's not an option.)

Also, would anyone have any other ideas to add to my 'reference' book? Any help that I can get on this would be wonderful.

Sara

PS - everything is still in the pre-planning stage, as it were, so none of this is terribly urgent, but I am very much a planning person when it comes to stuff like this, so the more I can get figured out now, the easier it will be for me later. :)

Olympus 12-45mm f/4.0 Pro

06/13/2006 11:21:15 AM · #2

What - no opinions today?

OdysseyF22

Panasonic DC-G9

06/13/2006 11:46:49 AM · #3

I've looked at Winkflash, but haven't used them yet, so I'm afraid I'm no help there.

But your whole idea of a photog-specific book sounds like a really good idea! I'd love to see how it comes out. Sorry I wasn't more help, but best of luck!

06/13/2006 12:53:34 PM · #4

thank you, Brent. not much help, but at least I know somebody read it!:)

hyperfocal

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 105mm f/2.5 AIS

06/13/2006 12:57:16 PM · #5

have you though about a photobook from someone like my publisher.com? I've been using them for the grandparents Christmas books of the kids for the last couple of years without problems. Might be a bit more expensive than 4x6 prints, but think of the time saved.

06/13/2006 01:11:20 PM · #6

Originally posted by hyperfocal:

I looked at those, but unfortunately that's not quite what I want in this case. (Although when I get ready to put together a portfolio that may be the way to go!)

What I'm wanting to have (and probably could have explained better) is something along the lines of a three-ring binder where I can easily add or move pages. It's going to be solely for my use as a quick-reference for light setups, subject postioning, etc. Kind of a collection of test shots with notes.

I suppose what it really boils down to is are there any online printers out there that are as good as mpix (or better) but that possibly don't cost as much for the 4x5 print sizes? I've looked at mpix, winkflash, and snapfish, but the only one I've yet ordered from is mpix, and since I'm wanting good-quality prints (so comparisons can be made easier and more accurately) I'd wondered if anyone had ordered from other sites and been pleased with the print quality.

I should learn to talk less. :)

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

06/13/2006 08:56:10 PM · #7

bumpity

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

06/13/2006 09:03:41 PM · #8

What's more important, the quality of the individual photos, or the labeling and notes which accompany them?

For a "reference" notebook, I'd favor the latter, meaning I'd lay out the pages (photos, text, labels, arrows, etc.) using a true layout program (Quark, InDesign, even Publisher or Word will probably work for this) and just print the whole pages to a color laser or inkjet. I'd also save it in Acrobat (PDF) format for on-line reference.

In the (presumably) rare instances where you need a best-quality image for reference, get that from the same place you'd order the final prints -- kind of pointless to use one printer for "calibrating" your workflow, and then making your final prints on a different printer.

Message edited by author 2006-06-13 21:04:09.