Critique Welcomed First PDF Book - not sure

[Rob MacKillop]

Thought I'd try a pdf of one theme:

Stilled Life 1 : Musselburgh to Portobello

Unfortunately, at 1.14 MB it is too large for upload to this Forum, so I've put it on my website HERE.

Now I'm wondering what the point is. Why make a pdf? On Flickr I could make a SET devoted to one theme. On a website I could devote a page to one theme. There would be no need to email a pdf when all that is need is a link to a website.

Quality-wise, there is a massive compression from 486 MB down to 1.14 MB. Flickr allows much greater quality per image.

On the other hand, it is more difficult (though not impossible) to steal images from a pdf than from a web image, should that be your concern.

Now to my pdf...clearly I have adopted a minimalist approach. Would you prefer more text? Maybe poetry? More technical information? Stories behind the images? Etc..

 

[Kev Pugh]

Nice Rob, I would probably limit any text to maybe a title or shot location to give the reader an idea of where the view is taken from. You could include in the back maybe some techo stuff but I wouldn't go OTT with that, byut really depends on who you are aiming at as an audience.

I've done a similar thing which is on my website a sort of Efolio

http://www.kevinpughphotography.co.uk/Images/Eportfolio.pdf

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Great to see all those images again, Kev. The faint name/copyright text is not too obtrusive, though it would be if it was a 'book' - as a commercial ad, it's not a problem.

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Rob The first image is superb and the eighth reminds me so much of Edvard Munch's work. As a whole it works very well. Yes text could add something.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Thanks, Julian. There is a Munch exhibition on just up the road from me. Wonderful stuff.

I'll give the text some thought.

 

[Paul Lange]

Wonderful Rob, just wonderful. You have also laid out almost all images so that they are registered in the same place on the page. Have you considered left aligning the square image? I am not too sure about having the frame edges different thicknesses. Do you think they could be thinner and all the same thickness? Just a suggestion.

 

[Brian Moore]

Lovely stuff, Rob. As to your question about text etc., I like the idea of a title for each image. I like titles because they can provide a glimpse into the photographer's intent or state of mind at the time he or she snapped the fotie. I also like the notion of a wee line of poetry if its not forced. (And since its Musselburgh tae Portobello, nae Sassenach poetry!)

Kev: Love the foties in yer E-book! I'd never seen the "Ekington Bridge" shot before. The way you've captured it with the sunlight streaming under the four arches is magnificent!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Paul - I'll think about what you are saying. Thanks for the considered thoughts!

Brian - Ditto

 

[Pete Askew]

I like it Rob. However, I too think a small amount of text would help. I think the title page is too much like the rest of the book and would try to differentiate it in some ways. Maybe the inside cover can then have a few lines about the project, camera details etc. I then really like the consistency of the framing and tones etc. The ones that jar for me are the toned ones and personally I'd leave them out. The single square one I like though although I would probably justify to the edge and maybe this would be a good place for some prose / poetry etc.

I can also see your dilemma about why pdf as some of the crispness has been lost in the images. Maybe taking them through Nik Output Sharpener would help or maybe you could refine the book and make it just that, and pop it onto Blurb!

Beautiful photo books and book printing. Make your own book | Blurb UK

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Good comments, Pete. I'm looking for text just now. I agree about the toned couple, but people keep telling me how much they like them. I'll save them for another time.