Picture Projects?

[Lowell]

I have had a project in mind for a long time to make life-size high quality posters, coffee table books and calendars of vintage saxes. With intricate engraving and superb workmanship, these instruments are visual works of art so why not treat them as such? This is a natural for you saxpics. All you need is a connection to a reproduction shop with a high end color laser printer and you are in the poster business.
In shopping malls I see small shops that sell nothing but calendars. Guitar calendars are quite common so I believe a publisher would be interested in saxes too. They always have 20 different calendars with kittens, horses, puppies and Harleys, so why not saxes.
Publishers are always on the lookout for glossy books on any kind of machinery, aircraft, weapons, cars, custom hunting knives etc so i f you can include a factory history and technology description to a pile of vintage photos, You have what they need.
I am unsure if there is any copyright concern involved in making money from pictures of machines but the publishers will know.

[Pete]

I've thought about either the coffee-book thing, screensavers, etc. I haven't invested the time because a very small percentage of my pictures I have taken myself. I've got permission to use a lot, but not for making gobs of cash for myself.

Another thing is that I haven't the time: my lifelong dream has been that someone will pay me $35,000 US/yr so I can sit at home and work on my website, this website and all things sax. To that end, I've investigated getting grants, becoming a non-profit, etc. I think I'm gonna need a lawyer to do all that: it's extremely in depth and I don't have the time and can't spend the effort.

[max]

I am an amateur photographer, and have had exactly that project in mind for a long time!

I'm working on building a good light tent to control reflection - when you see professional photos of reflective items, you don't see the camera, the photog, or the studio, because of a light tent (construction has been delayed, however - my photography hobby often takes a backseat to music).

I hope to start taking some good photos of my horns, and hopefully it will grab the interest of others too. (your post is a good sign that I'm not the only one that thinks it would be cool!)

I also like taking close-up shots of the mechanisms of saxophones (which I find fascinating), trying to make the photos both representitive and artful.

Hopefully I'll get a website going soon...

[Lowell]

We all seem to be plagued by the "working for a living" curse rather than for art. I am sure we are not the only ones who have this project in mind. If somebody does it before me, I will be one of their first customers.

As to the light tent, that is also what I had in mind but I am having difficulty finding a strong polarising filter to cut the glare. Weak filters are available but don't cut it on shiny curved brass.

[Media Lint]

Coffee table books are weird things. Usually not many are printed, and they sell for a modest price, and then you find 20 years later people paying over $100 or more for them! I'm guilty of this for certain vintage railroad books myself. (Still cheaper than a library bound edition of the J Schillinger system, not to mention prettier pictures).

I think there's a niche market for just about anything like this. And with eBay and Amazon you can now self publish and directly reach your audience with an informative website!

This summer I plan to do some field trips with my fancy new GPS watch to survey some historical rail sites with a particular subject in mind, I'm seriously thinking of doing this though not with saxophones. My thing is more historical, a lot of text and research and licensed historical photographs involved. I evaluated some resources and found the actual expense of obtaining the rights to much of what I want isn't terribly bank busting and you'd probably find the same. Like a mechanical license it usually ends up being a set fee schedule from what I found.

If you own all the photos all the better, but a few unique historicals is always nice. The actual expense is covering the printing, but in my observation the collector phenomenon has always been and always will be a viable niche.

[kcp]

Yes, me too I though about doing such a calendar, but haven't because I'm not much of a photographer. But I'm a graphic artist and I specialyze in promotional material for entertainment/corporate shows, bands, etc. Music instruments and espescially close-shots of saxophones are elements that I use often in my artworks.

[Gandalfe]

If anyone has a trial run at a vintage sax calendar, let me know. I'm in for four copies. /jim

[saxmanglen]

There's some good history in this thread.


Kim,

Can you believe it was buried 53 pages deep? :D



G'night from SMG. :)

[kcp]

There's some good history in this thread.

Yes there is.



Kim,

Can you believe it was buried 53 pages deep? :D



G'night from SMG. :)

Have a good sleep 8-)

[zxcvbnm]

What's up with the thread reviving tonight?

[themacintrasher]

What's up with the thread reviving tonight?

[bruce bailey]

Next up will be "Lincoln shot at Fords theater...film at 11".