From: Graf, John Adams (grafj@krause.com)
Date: Fri Apr 26 2002 - 07:45:46 PDT
Boy, when the magazine in arrives in the mailboxes, things start to get busy! that is a good thing! I am replying to Jeff's question about the cover shot to him personally and to the list, as I thought it might be of interest to others.
There is no definite set of parameters for cover shots. National Convention winners are good contenders because then I know the vehicle has been inspected with more scrutiny and expertise than I could muster on my own. I shoot most of them myself but here is what will make the best pictures for submissions:
Use a 35mm camera with a SLOW color slide film. (Fuji's Provia or Velvia seem to work really well for color replication).
If shooting cover shots, shoot in "portrait mode" (that is, with your camera turned sideways so the frame is taller than it is wide). When you frame up the picture, leave some room at the top and bottom (area for the designer to drop in title and mailing info).
In addition to regular sprucing of the vehicle, brush grass off the tires! I forget to do this and it seems to be the first thing I see when I look at the photo. Might be just a compulsive obsession on my part, but if you remember, brush the grass off.
Pick your location carefully. No wires above, or telephone poles growing out of the back of your image. Just like my dad used to tell me when I was hunting with him..."Look BEYOND the target." My challenge this year is to find backgrounds that aren't all sky or trees. Standing joke in the art department is "John just turned in another blue and green cover." It is hard, I tell them, to find a variety of colors in the Mil-Veh world.
No people or animals in the picture. We want people to focus on the vehicles when they see the magazine.
Shoot with the sun BEHIND you. 7-8AM in the morning and 4-6PM provides the best light. Tends to have a "warmer" (in non-artist terms, that means "yellower") feel to it.
Shoot a roll of film (going against my Dad's instruction with both hunting and photography...he used to tell me, "If you need more than one shot (whether with a rifle or a camera), you aren't ready to pull the trigger). "Bracket" your pictures. That is artist-speak for overexposing one shot, shooting the next one dead on, and then underexposing the third shot. Vary the angle of your shot (publishers like vehicles pointing slightly to the left. They think it makes people want to open the magazine).
Develop them and send em to me. Shoot some pictures in "landscape" (horizontal; frame is wider than it is tall) too. I am always looking for images to include in the annual calendar. BTW, 2002 calendar is sold out. The 2003 calendar is at the printer and I am already gathering images for 2004.
At the risk of droning on, I am going to take the opportunity to say that nothing reproduces in magazine or books as well as slide film. Print film is a generation away and most digital is simply useless. Slides aren't fun to look at when you are sitting at home, but if you are shooting with the hopes or intent to publish, it will make you look like a pro.
Again, thanks for the bandwidth. I hope the long set of instructions helps some of you take some great pictures of your vehicles. Always feel free to send me stuff to include in the magazine (cover shots, Reader Photos, Before and Afters, or even Snafus!) Mailing address is:
John Adams-Graf
Military Vehicles Magazine
700 East State St.
Iola, Wisconsin 54945
USA
And again, thanks go to the moderator for keeping this list going!
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