Hi all,
Okay, I'll bite. I've done a calendar before, just a couple of years ago. (See forum post
Coming Out To Colleagues Nice And Slow) It was quite an experience and it took me a while to work on some of my colleagues' photos (some of them needed a bit of, uh, "touching up"
). Much more difficult than the calendar, though, was the creation of 2'x3' poster using the same images. That poster took me close to three days to finish (and cost almost $50 CN to print!). Both the calendar and the poster were smash hits with the gang at work. Of course, both items remained private and are now part of our workplace mythology.
Now, if you're serious about this, Jess, and if any member wishes to contribute to such a work of art (
), there are certain things to consider.
1. Any contributing member must be assured that the work will remain
private, i.e., that it will "belong" to this forum only and that the photos won't be splashed all over the internet. I've earned enough people's trust here that I can safely vouch for the privacy of such images if I'm to be the one working on them. Of course, any forum member can copy images from the photo gallery, so it may be that privacy is a moot point for those who've already put up images there. But many of the photo gallery images are unsuitable, I think, for a calendar (or for some other sort of anthology or slideshow) because they're not taken in a high enough resolution.
2. Pursuant to the above, any image submitted ought to have the following characteristics:
- That it be taken in a
very high quality resolution. This will, of course, increase the size of the file but both Hotmail and Yahoo e-mail services allow for attachments of up to 10Mb so this shouldn't be a problem
- That it be in a
.jpeg format.
- That it be
unretouched. If, say, I'm to be the one to work on the images, I'll retouch them myself.
- That it be as
well lit and as
clearly focused as possible. Now, I realize that this will prove difficult for those who have nothing more to work with than a tiny webcam. See if you can borrow a friend's or family member's digital camera (preferably a 4.0 megapixel one, minimum).
- That a
copy of the original shot be retained by the contributor. Screwups do happen.
3.
Creative or artistic control ought to be left to the person chosen to work on the calendar. Selection, modification, and placement of images ought to be in the hands of the person creating the work.
4.
More than one photo can be submitted by the same member but, if for a calendar, only one will likely be chosen; if for a collage or anthology or slideshow, possibly more than one shot could be used, I imagine.
5. If such a work were to head to a print shop,
formal assent to publication will have to be given by each member whose photo makes the cut. I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know how this would work.
6. Some sort of "mechanism" would have to be put in place whereby the calendar (or print anthology, as the case may be) could be
mailed to each contributing member. I don't know how this would work either.
7. Last, but certainly not least, any given contributing forum member would be sent a copy of his or her image to be used, prior to the final editing process, so as to give that member a
power of veto over the image. This is you, after all. It's your likeness; you ought to have control over its dissemination.
Now, if any of you out there are serious about this, let's talk. Let's see where this goes. I, for one, think it's a fun idea.
Love,
CJ
Proud Military Family - Navy, Army, Coast Guard, National Guard 