Glamour Photographers in Michigan
Sounds sexy doesn’t it!?
Well Aurora V and I talked and screen shared for 3 hours today… photographers can yak. The tangents we got on were all over the place. We could see each other screens so it was fun. She helped me set up Photoshop Configurator, it looks uber cool and I plan on spending some quality time on it soon. We looked at her work flow a bit and the girl is workin hard.
The time just flew by and it was free!
If you haven’t used Skype you really should check it out. As photographers we are chained to our desks, it’s fun to check in and chat with like minded individuals. I’ve been helped so much in the past few months with my blog and website that’s it’s been invaluable. I had 2,000 minutes on my phone a few months ago and I don’t want to repeat it.
I “tried” working on two sites today to lay out books. I have to say I reached dead ends on both. A reader referred me to MPIX and said it was so easy even a caveman could use it… hummm. I’m obviously not evolved enough. Another site was called 300DPI that I happened to stumble on. I could upload them but that was it… dead end. So far the only site I’m able to navigate is Costo… design for the masses. I’m close to ordering one just for the hell of it.
I’m showing a few more collage layouts I’ve been working on. Each page has a full horizontal layout that matches. I guess I don’t need to worry about bleeds or templates. The square format just doesn’t give me the great horizontal bed shots I love. At first I didn’t like the horizontal format, now that’s all I want to do!
I haven’t checked out anyone Else’s books so I don’t know how others are doing them (if anyone is doing it this way I would love to see them). Is this normal?
So I just have to find an book/album company whose website I can navigate!
I know it’s “user” error but what’s a girl to do… I’m going to have to have someone Skype me!
grrrrr
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I’ve had really great success with the folks at AdoramaPix and their online book creation tool – upload the pix, then do the layout – works quickly and simply.
*Whew!* You went easy on me, Mary! 😉 (HA! Just read your tags for this post–my favorite is “my butt hurts, so does my head”–what photographer can’t relate to THAT one?!)
I would certainly give Blurb a try, and possibly Shutterfly, too (although when I had prints done by them, years ago, they were a little too orange for my taste), but if you’re interested in giving MpixPro a try (they’re more likely to be what you want than Mpix, I think–and a little more user friendly than Millers’ more complex set up), try this today:
1) sign up as a client https://www.mpixpro.com/UserRegistration.aspx
2) watch their “how it works” video, to get an overview http://www.mpixpro.com/HowItWorks.aspx
3) when requested, send them your 5 test images (They’ll send you a package of samples of their work, when they return your prints…including a copy of their soft-cover book, all their papers and finishes–it’s a very pretty package of stuff, all in all. ;))
4) once you have your login information, you can login, and download their ROES software
http://www.mpixpro.com/MpixProROES.aspx (won’t work without a login)
5) at that point, we can do a quick evening Skype, and I can show you how to use the ROES software to load your book…if you haven’t already figured it out by that point. 😉 (Again–you have to have an account to see it, but here’s the link to how to order a book: http://www.mpixpro.com/MpixProROES.aspx?vid=20745a4f-18bb-4305-8c0a-3739ad593518/Books%20Final-Vimeo%20H.264.flv
6) go nuts with the book ordering. 😛
Knowing how to use the ROES software is nice, because most professional labs will use ROES or something like it…so it’s knowledge that will transfer from location to location. Also, if you wind up using some type of professional studio management software, lots of them are made to link up directly with various studio ROES programs–so you can place orders from within your studio/client management database. That might be more than you’re looking for right now…but it will give you more options, further down the road, if you start developing the consumer side of your business more. 🙂
(I should point out that we did a survey on Portranet at one point, about people’s labs, and what they thought about customer service, prices, quality of prints, turn around time, etc…and while Millers/MpixPro/Mpix; ACI and Pro Lab Express were the most used, everyone rated their labs highly on all of the above…so the conclusion we came to was that one professional lab is about equal to the others…it pretty much comes down to personal preference–and how well their printers match your color calibrated workflow. I just use the Millers/MpixPro/Mpix family, so that’s what I can show someone. :))
Hmm, trying again with those links:
http://www.blurb.com
http://www.shutterfly.com
Have you checked out Blurb (www.blurb.com) or Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com)? Both of those are super easy and will give you the landscape book but options to play with. 🙂