This assignment requires assessing and presenting finished versions of images from each of my themes undertaken in Assignment 208; namely "Reportage" and "Aircraft". The two tasks are:
- Task 1a: Use a presentation method to present 10 thematic images.
- Task 1b: Explain my reasons for choosing my presentation method, the methods used to present the final images and to contrast the chosen presentation method with an alternative method using different materials.
Presentation Options:
By way of identifying options to present my final images I firstly wanted to review the benefits and downsides of alternative methods. By doing this it will enable me to decide on the best way of presenting my images for both themes. I have divided these options into two categories; namely
- Hard Print
- Digital
Hard Print Option:
This option involves printing the image onto either paper, canvas or a range of "novelty" materials including clothing, mugs and coasters. The traditional option for photographs is to print them on paper of differing surfaces and finishes. This would lend itself for the images to be framed as a picture in which case the surface of the paper would be important for the finished item. Standard framed images, the traditional picture, can use a range of paper finishes but this decision would need to account for the positioning of the picture. Using high gloss paper, especially behind glass, can produce a dramatic image but can also create a great deal of reflection. The reflection would be especially noticeable when the image is either dark or includes large areas of block colour.
My "Aircraft" theme would lend itself to this option ("Hard Print") especially when looking at the commercial options such as RAF Cosford where the images were taken. A range of printed versions of the aircraft could be made available, including:
- Framed or unframed prints of specific images - These could be any of the images and would not be restricted by the size or shape (landscape or portrait) as they would be individual prints. The paper finish could also be varied but for commercial reasons I would tend to look at a flat satin finish as this would prevent many of the potential issues identified above such as reflection. Many of my final images could be used for this purpose including the Red Arrows Gnat, Spitfire and the Catalina.
- Calenders, cards or notelets - Again the size and shape of the images could vary dependent upon the layout especially in the case of the calender. The only restriction would be that it would be difficult to mix portrait and landscape within the same package. In the case of cards and notelets, both portrait and landscape options could be incorporated ie. equal numbers of either layout. For a calender you would have to look at a single shape to allow for the overall layout; a mixture of landscape and portrait would be extremely difficult to combine. This would therefore limit the options of the images available. In my case looking at the final chosen images from RAF Cosford there would not be the number of photographs of the same shape to look at developing a calender.
- Book, portfolio or magazine - Many of the books on sale in the shop at RAF Cosford are specific themes; either specific to an aircraft type, WW1 or 2 or the Cold War for example. An option may be to develop a book that provides images of aircraft along with specific details, such as those featured on the notice boards located by the planes. In this case, many of my images could be used either as single images or as collages of overlayed images based on a specific subject eg. Catalina.
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| PBY-6A Catalina Flying Boat Insert showing close-up of landing gear |
- "Novelty" materials - Any of the images could be used on mugs, coasters or T shirts. For T shirts those images with a big impact would be the primary focus, such as the close up of the Red Arrows nose cone and the Spitfire. For mugs, landscape images would be better suited to provide the wrap-around on the mug. In the case of coasters, the criteria as described in the case of the calenders, cards and notelets would apply.
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| Red Arrows Gnat Nose Cone T Shirt image providing impact No PhotoShop editing required |
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| Spitfire Fuselage Edited in PhotoShop; Final T Shirt Image |
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| Spitfire Fuselage Original image |
My original photograph of the Spitfire fuselage from the tail could be used for a T shirt image. My image has had the background removed using the magnetic lasso tool. This was used as there are distinct hard lines for the tool to follow. Minor errors were corrected using the ordinary lasso tool. The original background was replaced using the Shift F5 keys to open the "Fill" option. This was set to "White" to produce the final image above.
- Leaflet - This final option would allow for many of my images to be used in a variety of sizes and shapes dependent upon the final layout of the leaflet. RAF Cosford does have a number of leaflets based on the RAF Cosford itself or advertising future events. Images of the the RAF Cosford leaflet can be seen on my Blog.
Digital Option:
This option includes all aspects of the "electronic" era. Images are stored, transferred and presented electronically either on a blog or website but also using portable means such as IPod or new styles of mobile phones. In all cases the images can be of any shape but the size is dependent upon the screen size of the device. Some of these options also use software programmes that can enhance the quality of the image so that subtle imperfection in focus can be altered on the screen.
There are a couple of potential issues with this format; namely:
A major benefit of this method is the ability to transfer images. Images can be supplied and sold for use in books or magazines. The size, shape and quality of image would be dependent on the requirements of the publisher but all can easily be transferred electronically within seconds to anywhere in the world.
The final images for my Reportage theme have been modified where necessary using various methods in PhotoShop and presented for electronic display. These images could easily be used in books or magazines and as such cropped or adjusted in line with the publishers requirements; but displayed and transferred electronically.
Pricing of Options:
Hard Print:
Using Google search I have looked at several possibilities of Companies who can produce the final prints looking at the variations eg. plain prints, portfolio books, calender, notelets, etc..Screen shots of these are listed below to provide the range of options and associated costs.
An alternative option for producing calenders could be to use a site such as "Bobbooks" where the calender format is available for you to drop your own images in place. This allows your calender to be tailor-made. An example is shown below:
A third site reviewed is Kodak Gallery. This provides the standard options for prints, calenders, etc but also offers the printing of T shirt, mugs, mouse mats and "fun" commodities. Some of these options are provided below. All of these options could be used for the "Aircraft" themed images and produced for sale at RAF Cosford. Some graphic designing may be required to provide the name "RAF Cosford" or captions specific to the image.
Digital Images:
For the Reportage Theme, there is a need for a higher quality of final photograph as this would enhance the image. The final image needs to be of the highest quality presented well as many of the decisions as to whether images are used depend upon perception.
"One Vision" is a website offering a range of high quality photographs in a range of formats: some are shown below.
As an example I progressed through the One Vision catalogue to review the options within Wedding Albums. This focuses on high quality magazine style albums.
Clicking on the Wedding Albums icon, you are greeted with four options:
he icon is used to market the album range focusing on the use of acrylic and soft touch leatherette materials. This offers the additional sense of touch to enhance the quality of the pages housing your photographs.
Further clicking on the Acrylic Ice Panoramic Albums icon provides further details of the make-up of the album. Your photographs would be reverse mounted onto acrylic and then mounted within the leatherette material and bound into a book. This would not only maintain the sharpness of the image, make it appear that it is behind glass and in doing so protect the photograph.
Unfortunately, individuals needed to sign up to the website in order to get a price list download.
Within the Parisian Albums icon the site offered examples of colours of the leather material used. It is always difficult comparing colours against specific tones within your photograph but this option does go part way to achieving this.
My attention was pulled towards the Finished Products range as I was looking for an option that would enhance those photographs of mine that were aiming at matching Danny Santos's theme of "The Street is a Catwalk". From the marketing images used in this website there was the option to produce a series of images presented in high quality; this presentation would enhance my photographs which had been modified in Danny Santos's style using PhotoShop. Details of my prints that would be presented using this type of finished product are shown below.
Conclusion:
My final images for the "Aircraft" and "Reportage" Themes are held in the next Post. This contains both the original photograph along with the final images of these.
This post summarises "Task 1b: Produce a written account" describing methods used to present my final images. The chosen methods for my two themes are:
One final option worth discussing with RAF Cosford, would be themed books. Many of the books currently in the shop focus on either a type of aircraft, WW1, WW2, Cold War. etc. There does not appear to be a book that captures details of some of the key planes of the exhibition. The details provided for viewers alongside the aircraft could easily be modified to fit within a book; this is where my photographs would be used.
Many of my "Reportage" Theme images are of individuals. I have in many cases used similar techniques to deliver images in the style portrayed by Danny Santos. To enhance the quality of these images I would either print specific photographs using acrylic or canvas techniques. When producing hard print copies I would tend to use silk/satin finish paper; high gloss may prevent the final image from being seen without dodging the reflection.
Producing a themed book would also be the way to present my images. This would use high quality prints (again either silk or satin finish paper) and bound in a high quality cover such as the options researched from One Vision. For display purposes this book could also use the acrylic printing option discussed earlier.
This option includes all aspects of the "electronic" era. Images are stored, transferred and presented electronically either on a blog or website but also using portable means such as IPod or new styles of mobile phones. In all cases the images can be of any shape but the size is dependent upon the screen size of the device. Some of these options also use software programmes that can enhance the quality of the image so that subtle imperfection in focus can be altered on the screen.
There are a couple of potential issues with this format; namely:
- Time to load - The time taken to load the image is dependent upon the size of the digital image and the capacity of the electronic device on which the image is presented. If the capacity of the electronic device is limited, digital images will either be presented in a pixillated form, take considerable time to load or completely crash the device.
- Security of images - Images are freely available for all to copy. Control of electronic images is difficult to secure although there are means to restrict the size of image available to prevent high quality images to be copied.
A major benefit of this method is the ability to transfer images. Images can be supplied and sold for use in books or magazines. The size, shape and quality of image would be dependent on the requirements of the publisher but all can easily be transferred electronically within seconds to anywhere in the world.
The final images for my Reportage theme have been modified where necessary using various methods in PhotoShop and presented for electronic display. These images could easily be used in books or magazines and as such cropped or adjusted in line with the publishers requirements; but displayed and transferred electronically.
Pricing of Options:
Hard Print:
Using Google search I have looked at several possibilities of Companies who can produce the final prints looking at the variations eg. plain prints, portfolio books, calender, notelets, etc..Screen shots of these are listed below to provide the range of options and associated costs.
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| DS Colour Labs Ltd Home Page listing options of printing undertaken |
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| DSCL Photo Book Option |
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| Examples of Photo Books produced by DSCL |
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| DSCL Price list for Photo Books 10 page single book: £10.99 Luxury Photo Book from £20.00 |
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| DSCL Price List for Large Photo Books Prices based on page size & number of pages |
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| DSCL Website - Calender options |
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| DSCL Calender Options showing size options |
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| DSCL Price List for calenders based on size of calender & number produced |
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| DSCL Price List for a Year Planner Option |
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| BobBooks: Calender Options. Choose the calender format and load your images producing a tailor-made calender. Pricing ranges from £7.99 to £17.99 each dependent on format. |
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| Bobbooks Calender showing one image loaded. Your image is loaded to your computer Desktop. Using the options to the left of the screenshot images are loaded and placed accordingly. |
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| Screenshot of loaded image. Lincoln Heavy Bomber with Open Bomb Bay. |
A third site reviewed is Kodak Gallery. This provides the standard options for prints, calenders, etc but also offers the printing of T shirt, mugs, mouse mats and "fun" commodities. Some of these options are provided below. All of these options could be used for the "Aircraft" themed images and produced for sale at RAF Cosford. Some graphic designing may be required to provide the name "RAF Cosford" or captions specific to the image.
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| Kodak Gallery: T Shirt Option. £10.99 each: Create your own. |
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| Kodak Gallery: Options for different mugs. |
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| Kodak Gallery: Details of Photo Mug. £8.49 each: Single image. |
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| Kodak Gallery: Magic Photo Mug Option. £12.99 each: Single image. "Mug looks black becoming visible when containing hot liquid. |
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| Kodak Gallery: Home Decor Options. Provision of novelty options specifically tailored to your requirements. |
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| Kodak Gallery: Mouse Mat Option. £7.99 each: Single Image. |
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| Kodak Gallery: Clothing & Accessories Options. |
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| Kodak Gallery: T-Shirt Option |
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| Kodak Gallery: Tote Bag Option. |
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| Kodak Gallery: Baseball Cap Option. |
Digital Images:
For the Reportage Theme, there is a need for a higher quality of final photograph as this would enhance the image. The final image needs to be of the highest quality presented well as many of the decisions as to whether images are used depend upon perception.
"One Vision" is a website offering a range of high quality photographs in a range of formats: some are shown below.
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| "One Vision" - Home Page |
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| "One Vision" - Option to Download Price List for prints & albums or Photobooks |
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| "One Vision" - Product Selection Web Page offering digital prints, fine art prints, finished products& wedding albums. Each entry provide initial marketing of the product option. |
As an example I progressed through the One Vision catalogue to review the options within Wedding Albums. This focuses on high quality magazine style albums.
Clicking on the Wedding Albums icon, you are greeted with four options:
- Acrylic Ice Albums
- Parisian Albums
- Photo Cover Books; and
- Acrylic Ice Panoramic Albums
he icon is used to market the album range focusing on the use of acrylic and soft touch leatherette materials. This offers the additional sense of touch to enhance the quality of the pages housing your photographs.
Further clicking on the Acrylic Ice Panoramic Albums icon provides further details of the make-up of the album. Your photographs would be reverse mounted onto acrylic and then mounted within the leatherette material and bound into a book. This would not only maintain the sharpness of the image, make it appear that it is behind glass and in doing so protect the photograph.
Unfortunately, individuals needed to sign up to the website in order to get a price list download.
Within the Parisian Albums icon the site offered examples of colours of the leather material used. It is always difficult comparing colours against specific tones within your photograph but this option does go part way to achieving this.
My attention was pulled towards the Finished Products range as I was looking for an option that would enhance those photographs of mine that were aiming at matching Danny Santos's theme of "The Street is a Catwalk". From the marketing images used in this website there was the option to produce a series of images presented in high quality; this presentation would enhance my photographs which had been modified in Danny Santos's style using PhotoShop. Details of my prints that would be presented using this type of finished product are shown below.
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| "Waiting for a Message" Photographed in Green Park, London. Option to be presented in One Vision's Canvas Product Range |
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| "Coffee on the Move" Photographed in Green Park, London. Option to be presented in One Vision's Acrylic Ice Range. |
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| One Vision's Finished Products icon. |
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| Icon offering One Vision's Finished Products Range. |
Conclusion:
My final images for the "Aircraft" and "Reportage" Themes are held in the next Post. This contains both the original photograph along with the final images of these.
This post summarises "Task 1b: Produce a written account" describing methods used to present my final images. The chosen methods for my two themes are:
- Aircraft Theme:
One final option worth discussing with RAF Cosford, would be themed books. Many of the books currently in the shop focus on either a type of aircraft, WW1, WW2, Cold War. etc. There does not appear to be a book that captures details of some of the key planes of the exhibition. The details provided for viewers alongside the aircraft could easily be modified to fit within a book; this is where my photographs would be used.
- Reportage Theme:
Many of my "Reportage" Theme images are of individuals. I have in many cases used similar techniques to deliver images in the style portrayed by Danny Santos. To enhance the quality of these images I would either print specific photographs using acrylic or canvas techniques. When producing hard print copies I would tend to use silk/satin finish paper; high gloss may prevent the final image from being seen without dodging the reflection.
Producing a themed book would also be the way to present my images. This would use high quality prints (again either silk or satin finish paper) and bound in a high quality cover such as the options researched from One Vision. For display purposes this book could also use the acrylic printing option discussed earlier.
Hi
ReplyDeleteIn order to make this blog a bit more visual can you add some screen grabs of everything you look at regarding this unit, ie frames, exh panels, lab options, and from a range of different suppliers, retail, or online labs, etc....
Steve