Production documentation - Website

As part of finalising and producing the physical book, I have researched a few websites to use for printing and production, exploring advantages and disadvantages of both the website and my intail views on this, to the book options and and overall which options would be most suitable for my work. Some of these websites having their own software's to produce the book, others asking for a provided PDF, and some considering layout first and emailing / contacting customers about the pricing of the asked layout.

Blurb is a book printing website who have their own creation tools to create books, such a
software titled 'Book wright,' an online tool titled 'Bookify' along with options to upload PDF documentations with a selection from photo books, trade books, magazines and eBooks. The company also work with Adobe when creating the book, using Adobe indesign or lightroom as a 'pro tool'

Advantages -

• Immediately, the website strikes the audience with a bright yellow colour. This striked me as an audience member, the idea of creating a book being creative, and this initially being the case and view. 

• Inspiration provided for audiences who haven't printed before with creative sub topics

• High quality GSM paper printing options 
• Layflat book option - a books pages completely flat without affecting the binding. (middle section)
• Clear indication of prices using a 'pricing calculator' 

Disadvantages -

• Website wise in comparison to Lulu, when looking for ways to sell and distribute the book I found Lulu's website more clearly signposted.
• Not many photo book sizes available - landscape and portrait wise - biggest size available being 33cm by 28cm.

Another website I had researched being Book Printing UK, with various printing options onto different mediums, examples include paper/hardback books, flyers, posters, bookmarks, etc. The process of choosing and being able to start the book follows an organised procedure, giving an end result of a quote of the price of the book, depending on the desired layout.

Advantages -

• Organised and clear layout when choosing options
• Price given before any actual printing starts
• Quick and straightforward process for those waiting with documentation, e.g in PDF form
• Less chance of returning product and refund, due to the specific options

Disadvantages -

• I found that the GSM paper quality was lower than other websites such as Blurb, Blurbs highest being 140 on Proline pearl, compared to 80-135.

• Lowest amount of pages physically allowed being a high amount, again in comparison to Blurb where the least amount to begin printing is 20 pages.

A further self publishing page I had researched into being Lulu - with options to publish a book as print or e-book, along with ways to distribute and sell to the wider world.

Advantages -

• Creative logo web page with clear signposting 

• More book size options in comparison to Blurb

• Cheaper pricing 

Disadvantages -

• When searching through categories, I found myself unintrugied due to the lack of creative colour and design in comparison to Blurb and Digital Printing UK.

Though not for printing books, one website I found interesting in terms of the layout composition and feel was the most advantaged website wise was digitailprinting.co.uk.

Advantages -

• The website is immediately informative by indicating the prices of the type of booklets, with evident categories at the top of the page without fancy or confusing texts and layouts 
• The title of the company is catchy and professional, quite rememberable 
• Top reviews and feedback of the service provided with information about the site itself being one of the second things the audience can see.
  
  

Reflection - week 5

Voice recording of reflection -

Production documentation - Free verse writing

Further developing my production documentation, below are word phrases picked out from the sun and her flowers, r.h's whiskey, words and a shovel, further music inspirations, films and heard sayings, along with individual production following word phrases and mind-maps of similar wording and actual ideas - that I have written - and that will inspire the language I will continue to use for the book -

Book title list of ideas - A fiction book with non fiction symbolisation.

 "exploration of society"
"dream"
"the art of dreaming"

           - Inspired word phrases by said, researched books and further notable quotations from films and music.

Start - 
"Sometimes I am the desert

Other times I am a rainforest" the sun and her flowers, Rupi Kaur

Nature - 
"Nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spots" Call me by your name, directed by Luca Guadagnino 

Culture -
"you split the world 
into pieces and 
called them countries 
declared ownership on 
what never belonged to you" the sun and her flowers, Rupi Kaur



Fellowship -
"I'm pulling down stars just to make you glow" Music artist - Oh wonder, overgrown
"stars in my soul"


Art- 


Start and end -
(START - SUNSET
END - SUNRISE
improvement)

Contextual photographic research

The story line begins with the character disliking her society as a representative of actual society and Waltham forest before London's borough of culture (in relation to our theme.) Through research and development of ideas, I have related the idea of a  'disruptive' society to wider world issues, adding further depth and relevant meaning behind my work. These wider world topics including many economic and environmental issues, such as water pollution and rising sea levels causing land loss, climatic change, wildlife issues such as a decrease in bee populations, vanishing glaciers, etc. Identifying these problems and representing them through the art form of photographing could introduce awareness towards my proposed audience, along with expanding secondary audiences to those looking to raise awareness about such issues. Overall contrasting worldly issues between her society and dream keeps the story relevant, and could further challenge themes for mature areas of my audience.

Independent research I have conducted under climatic issues are as followed, with information about how I may photographically represent them at the start and end of the book, possibly within the 4 themes -

Water and plastic contamination - 
One of the most modern, concerning issues environmentally is plastic contamination and the increase of sea turtle and further sea-life deaths due to plastic consumption. Thousands of materials including plastic bottles and bags are being dumped into the ocean and seas of the world, with further companies trying to help this issue, such as Adidas & Parley and The Ocean Cleanup. Low lying Pacific islands such as Tuvalu and Maldives are at risk of due to rising sea levels, by 2030, the Maldive population are predicted to be moved to India and Sri Lanka.
Further developing and supporting my idea from this research, I aim to include photographs of plastic bottles and bags in water, phrasing accompanying about marine life. As I aim to use a pond, there may be issues when photographing near water and gathering bottles to fully demonstrate the mass amounts of real plastic wasted. To overcome this, I may have to use photographic techniques such as framing and shallow depth of field on one bottle or plastic bag, not making the rest as evident but producing the same visual impact. Precautions of using the camera shoulder strap to avoid droppings will also be taken.

Glaciers and ice -
Glaciers are a type of land form, formed over a period of time where snow remains in the same place and turns into layers of ice. As a result of climate change, including rising sea level, the worlds glaciers and ice caps are shrinking and retreating affecting wildlife such as polar bears. Some glaciers may disappear by 2035,  with thinning of the Arctic Sea by 65% since 1975.
To show this within my project, I will insert a photograph taken in the snow, and possible pictures of icicles and amounts of snow / ice in a landscaped area. Researching the impact of climate change onto further issues about melting ice and glaciers has provided me with insight and a meaning of portraying different weathering at the beginning of my book, and further making the audience think deeper about issues around them, rather than just an aesthetic photograph.
My example photographs:




Emission pollution, buildings and smoke -

An increase in population has caused an increase in transportation methods and an increase of buildings/building infrastructure rather than landscaped greenery, emitting harmful pollutants into the atmosphere, such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. High amounts of these emissions and carbon dioxide, according to research, suggest that certain important clouds such as Stratocumulus clouds, also known as one of the world most important type of cloud, will become extinct. The lack of clouds further causes an increase in the globes temperature, increasing global warming with the knock on effects glaciers, desserts, sea's and wildlife face.
To represent this issue in my book, I will include a photograph of buildings with word phrasing linking to the suffocation industrialisation causes for the wider world, and the neglect humans have towards it.


Endangered bees - 
A lack of vegetation and destruction of habitats, along with land use changes and disease is causing endangerment for certain bee types. Without bee's and pollination, other species who are dependant on them will not survive, along with humans crop production and plant communities decreasing massively. To reduce the extinction, research suggests helping communities clean up and become green, along with having a green garden.
Within my book, the representation of bee's will be present in the 'nature' theme, with a final close up photograph using shallow depth of field of a bee next to a flower in a vibrant, green environment. With further thoughts required, the word phrasing will follow a wildlife / insect extinction theme, though positive - describing a way in which these insects and bee's can flourish. Other insects I have photographed may also be included, these photos taken in the landscaped location I have previously used, being Hainault country park.

Reflection - week 4

Voice recording reflection -

Production documentation - Photographic

Beginning the production documentation and embarking on initial feedback I was given about location, I have taken photographs in the desired areas I will be using, whilst clarifying purposes of this. The photos are separated under the four themes with the location details. 

Personal notations taken to complete, whilst in possession of a Nikon - 

'Start' of book. Black and white experimentation.
The book begins with black and white photography to symbolise the deserted vibe the town has from the characters point of view. This type of photography can be conducted from either -

Nikon monochrome - Menu - colour -     .These settings applied whilst photographing, advantages including the idea that the histogram is visible, being able to fully judge the photos exposure and ensuring its at the desired settings, avoiding challenges in post production from deceiving views on a smaller LCD screen.
Photoshop - Image - adjustments - black and white. These settings including the following -

Advantages of adjusting the photo in this manner including time - possibly more time to look at the photograph, especially when photographing on location or at fast movement and the space to visually experiment with various settings.

Landscape'Nature'
Landscape photography will be explored in the first section of the book, introducing the entire 'Welcome to the Forest' aspect. The location chosen consists of both areas around me on a daily, along with a country park used in unit 7 - Hainault Forest Country park closer to Essex and landscaped areas around London. These locations will be used as they are easily accessible with cinematic views and close up pictures available for the details of smaller plants and possible insects, bugs, etc. Examples of how close up photos and how the photos will look overall are shown as below.  The final photographs must explore more photographic techniques, this including rule of thirds and framing to add further depth and show my understanding of photography - how I have used the rules and when, in particular, the use of horizontal line as I am practising landscapes and overall informing my ideas.

Location and photography studio 'Culture'
The culture element will consist of  3-4  individuals from different ethnic backgrounds, photographed on location, further ending with a group photo expressing unity and silhouette photography symbolising the idea of identity - silhouette as you cannot see the colour of the individual. The photography studio is required for this technique, due to timing and booking of the studio, the sillohete photographs taken will be used for the final book and the outcomes / settings used are titled on blog post 'silhouette photography'

Abstract 'Fellowship'
The photographs taken under this category will consist of meaningful and subtle elements, an example being the photograph below where the hand breaks through the rainbow. Many abstract photography techniques will be included, representing LGBTQ+ themes. The photos further taken will include people holding hands, holding flowers, in particular roses as they can be most symbolic, representing themes of love with each other and within a society. This theme particularly relating to young teens, and reflecting the love and relationship theme of poetry books I have researched.




Street location 'Art'
The location in which I will take more art and street photography is in Shoreditch, London. This includes further notable streets such as Chance street, Sclater street and Old street. Shoreditch is home to all graffiti and art exploration streets and walls, and links to the artistic vibe I wish to show. The colour pigmentation of photos also works well when editing in Photoshop, and overall creates that uplifting vibe. Ethically, there are no issues photographing in these areas, though they are popular and used for portraiture photography. This being the case, I will consistently have to consider the time in which I photograph, making sure there is not too many interrupting subjects, this being people. 

End of book - 
The process of finishing the story-line requires further idea developing, I personally feel that more of this is to occur the further I produce for the themes before the ending, therefore no specific route as to what type of photography will be included, however, I have ideas of finalising with aesthetic and abstract photographs, including the 'bokeh' effect I have shown interest in within previous projects - a positive and artistic ending, some photos could contrast the start photographs - the same location but better contextual circumstances, or the same photos, but in colour.

Production documentation - Pre production

Beginning production documentation, I have separated the tasks I need to complete for each section of the book, contributing to the content inside and the aesthetical qualities outside. 

Production documentation - photographic 
- Photographic techniques, photographs using horizontal line, (especially in landscape,) rule of thirds.
- Practise photographs under each 4 themes
- Go to locations, take photographs of where they are, the angles you will use

Production documentation - free verse writing
- Example word phrases and poems, a few for each themed section


Production documentation - website research
- Research book websites - analyse differences in websites, advantages and disadvantages between them.
- Features some websites had - gave the option for hardback, covers being matte/glossy, end papers on the inside of the front and back of book, etc.

Production documentation - layout 
- Start work on Blurb website, print screen and analyse.
- Dusk cover, hardback or paperback
- Book size, font sizes, page count.