Make a photo book about your favorite person, share it with us, and you might win up to $2,500!
(This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.)
Blurb wants to meet your favorite person and in turn you could win $2,500! All you have to do is make a book about a loved one filled with all sorts of kind words, creativity and insight, and if selected, you could win $2,500! For every book you make (there are seven different categories, so seven different chances to win) you will receive a 30% discount on the printed product. With so many special people in your life (Hint: Mother's Day is coming!), why not make a book for a few of them! With that much love to share, everyone is a winner!
Blurb is a cool company that lets you make books about anything that interests you. (View a sample of my Blurb-made book â Picturesque Olmsted Falls – http://bit.ly/olmsted-book) And if youâre interested in fashion and styleâand love to show it offâmaking a book of your personal fashion is a fantastic way to capture your sartorial genius for all time. Whether you want it just for yourself, so you can look through your greatest hits, or youâre a bit of an Internet fashionista who wants to make a book to sell, youâll find these tips pretty helpful:
1. Itâs all about lighting. To make your fashion really pop, choose natural light or studio light with a soft box (you can even make one from a lamp and last seasonâs white t-shirt). If youâre using a flash, youâll probably want to bounce it or stick a diffusion filter on it.
2. Make a shot list. This is a critical step, and even more important if you are photographing models. Even if your model is just your best friend who owes you a favor, theyâll appreciate it if you know exactly what you want to shoot. Think about the poses you want to capture, the outfits you want them to wear, and the details that you want to highlight in every shot.Â
3. White balance (WB). Accurate color and skin tones come from making sure the WB function on your camera is set to your lighting situation. (You can check the color looks right on the camera's screen to see if it looks right.) Not sure hoe to adjust the white balance? It will be covered in your camera's manual. You do still have it, don't you? đ
Be sure the camera's white balance is set to the correct lighting you're shooting under to ensure the models's skin color looks natural.
4. Choose the right lens/zoom setting. If youâre using a wide angle, youâre going to distort your models face and body (and your model may never forgive you). If you have a camera with a zoom lens, zoom out to minimize distortion. You will then have to move farther away from the model to get their whole body in for those full length shots.
5. Keep it stylish. Itâs a fashion shoot, after all. Play music, keep things moving, try new angles. Attitude, attitude, attitude.Â
6. Dress it up. Make your book as fashionable as the clothing featured in it. Choose a simple design that doesn't upstage the clothing, but still looks chic. Pick a size and paper type that showcases the work brilliantly.
If you've ever paid attention to whatâs on the “catwalk,” you know that fashion means different things to different people. Follow your own fashion obsessions and document them in a fashionable book. If you look good today in person, imagine looking great forever on the printed page with Blurb! Start your Blurb book now and Save 25% on print book orders of $75+ at Blurb.
It can be really hard buying books for people as gifts. After all, you never know just which books they already have. And then when you do find the right book and give it to them, how do you make it really personal? Put in a book plate? Write an inscription? How do you make the whole thing totally them?
These personalized âChicken Soup for the Soulâ books are one really great way to do it. Not only do you get to choose from five different story themes (from âChristmas Storiesâ to âGiving thanksâ), you can personalize it in ways you just canât with a conventional book. As the title suggests, these are stories meant to comfort and heal.Â
Your custom âChicken Soup for the Soulâ book will truly be a book for them because the book is printed with their name on the cover, as the recipient. And itâs truly from you because your name is printed on the cover as the giver. You can even include an inscription inside the book and on the back cover. Even add a photo to the back.Â
There are other nice options to choose from, like the type of cover youâd like and the type of paper. It takes just about five minutes to make it a truly custom book. And chances are, itâs something theyâll love forever. And a 60-page book starts at just $24.95.
Thereâs a quick video here: Chicken Soup for the Soul that shows you how to fill in all the info using a simple online tool. The books are all done by Blurb, so you know the quality is going to be great.Â
Yes, those could be the words that a few lucky Cleveland area photographers hear after judging is completed for three amateur photo contests – one local, one national and one international. …
Fathers Day gift idea – a hand made book from Blurb
So what do you give to the guy who has everything on Father's Day? Ahh, a dilemma for the ages. Most dads don't wait for a special occasion to get their âtoys.â If they want it now – they get it now.
Fortunately, a San Francisco based company has come to the rescue. Blurb.com provides the resources to create a personalized book with your own snapshots that look as good as one youâd get in a book store.
What dad with a heart wouldnât appreciate a hard cover book with photos of his children and stories of their experiences with dad? Dadâs the guy. The hero. The rock star. The guy who fixed it all. Photos from then. Photos from now. Make him a book that will make him proud.
Even though it may be too late to have the book delivered by Fatherâs Day â you can always tell him in a card that âa very special gift that youâll treasure for a lifetime is in the works and that youâll be getting it soon. I promise it will be worth the wait.â
Right now, Blurb is offering a special discount of 15% off ANY book until June 30, 2012(and it doesnât even have to be for Fatherâs Day). Why not check it out right now?
Have you ever wanted a high quality, hard cover book of your personal photos? Have you already created one? Did you give it as a gift? How did the recipient like it? Please comment.
A picture really is worth a thousand words. That's why I love the idea of gathering family photos and creating a Blurb photo book for Mother's Day this year. No more spending time trying to figure out what to write in that generic card you purchased from the drug store. The pictures will speak for themselves. A card is thoughtful but is easily thrown out or tucked away in a drawer. Creating a Blurb book will allow any mother to flip through and see memories she help create that you both share. I could almost guarantee it would be a gift that would be left out all year.
I created my first book with Blurb and was thrilled with the results. Although you can't actually see the quality of the cover and pages, you CAN see how nice the design looks using Blurb's free book design software. Check out my book – Picturesque Olmsted Falls.
Start creating your Blurb book today and save 15% with promo code 15OFFBOOK valid through 5/30/12.
The North Ridgeville Arts Council has asked me to present to the community my special, free presentation: âHow to create a professional looking book of your family snapshots, childâs wedding, vacation pictures and more.â
Discover how to create a beautiful, coffee table-style book of all your snapshots as a lasting keepsake for family and friends. You will also learn how to quickly and easily publish books of your travel, nature, and scenic photos and earn income from them with minimal effort, NO expense and NO inventory.
I have taken photos of area landmarks throughout my career with my largest collection of images of Olmsted Falls â where I lived and operated my studio for 19 years.
View a sample of my self-published book â Picturesque Olmsted Falls â Gazebos, a covered bridge, waterfalls and more â Oh My! http://bit.ly/olmsted-book
The meeting is on Monday, March 19th at 7 p.m. at North Ridgeville Library, 35700 Bainbridge Rd, North Ridgeville.
Have you ever wanted a high quality, hard cover book of your personal photos? Have you already created one? What company did you use and how did it turn out? Please comment.
Ever since I wrote about publishing my Picturesque Olmsted Falls coffee table book, I've been getting TONS of e-mails asking where I had it printed. Seems like every one wants to have a gorgeous keepsake of their vacations, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries – even the adventures of family pets – including a guinea pig!
After months of online research, checking forums and talking to other photographers; I found a company – blurb.com – that makes high quality books at a very reasonable price! You can download their FREE book design software from their web site right now and begin designing your masterpiece in minutes.
Prices start at just $4.95 for a 5×8 book. They have several intermediate sizes with the largest books at 12×12 and 13×11. These books are far superior in quality to other company's that are comparably priced.
So what are you waiting for? Download your free software and create your amazing book of memories today! BONUS:Â Save 20% with code BLURB20 through August 31, 2011.
What would your book be about? A family vacation? A special holiday? Your son or daughter's wedding? Please share your comments here.
