Wrap-Up Post

I told you I did a lot of printing…

I heard we needed to do a final wrap-up blog post, so, if we have to or not, here it is…

The presentation was awesome.  I hit all the points I needed to make and I think I only mispronounced one word.  Pretty good for someone who wants to be good at public speaking but isn’t necessarily.  I was really lucky that there was no one presenting immediately following me because it let people come up to see the two tables I had set up with my prints on them.

I did notice something.  I was totally right when I said “presentation is the key to presentation”: one table had 3 large prints but they were flat, laying down on the table.  Another table had much smaller prints, two of which were in a frame, all of which were supported by a stand.  The book was on the second table as well.  This second table with the smaller prints and book saw much more attention than the one with the larger prints.

After the presentation, my dad told me that he was impressed with the way I delivered the presentation.  He said it actually sounded a lot like how he talks, which is 1) not surprising since he is by far the person I listen and hear from the most and 2) a good thing since, being a trial lawyer, his job relies on being able to present facts clearly.

A few hours ago, I found out that I will be sharing my project with the entire school on Monday.  I am excited.  I feel really proud having been chosen and it feels good that all my work has paid off – not that it doesn’t have intrinsic value for me, a big point of my presentation.

This intrinsic value – I phrased it as the part of my project that has let me “learn” and will “last” – is important to me.  I am glad that I have learned new skills in an area that expands my intellect and artistic appreciation (and all that “stuff”).  I would definitely say this project has been a total success for me, and I can’t wait for my internship to start tomorrow.

And of course, I am glad I could “lend,” the third ‘L’ of my project.

Thanks to everyone who has helped (if you’re reading this) and thanks to our Senior Project teachers, as well.

May 22nd

So. Totally awesome. That’s how today went.

Basically, it was a truck load of printing.  I selected a few of my photos to print and printed them on glossy paper at 13X19 and on matte paper at 22X11.  Those are inches, in case someone wants units.

I actually had quite a process.  I started by printing all the glossy prints and then the matte prints because the printer has two different types of black ink, one for each type of paper.  To switch, the printer purges itself of the unwanted ink and puts that ink into a reservoir (literally, there’s a little drawer you can pull out and its a sponge full of ink) which costs something like $2.25 each time you switch.

So far, putting the images into the pre-cut matts I have, they look great.  The color looks awesome and I think I picked a good variety so the color is varied.  That way, we aren’t looking at 5 mostly green pictures.

I’m not quite done with printing tonight, but almost.  Then, the next step is to begin putting together my presentation.  I’m pretty good with that stuff.  One of my classes this year was basically a giant PowerPoint workshop.

So. Excited.  Meeting Father Martin tomorrow morning at 9.  Printing. Presenting. Etc. Should be fun.

May 21

The book came! It’s awesome. I found one and a half typos. Well two and a half.  I was editing last minute and didn’t re-read a section, I phrased a part of it that makes it sound like the author (I) died, and another is just weird, too hard to explain.

EITHER WAY, it looks AWESOME. I am so stoked.  It is nice and big, the cover is nice and shiny, and the paper inside is… eh, OK, but that’s only because I’ve been printing on and looking at some top quality paper.  Here are some pictures:

I also got some cool stuff from an awesome store that I had no idea existed.  I don’t even remember the name, University Art? It is an art supply store.  They got it all (except paper, I think).  I got two display easels that are as tall as me and a few that are for table tops.  Presentation is a major part of presentations.

For the rest of today, I am going to work out (right now, actually) then I am going to shower (of course) and then select 5 images that I think are the best to print.  I will then edit them all and possibly print one or two.

But I am really excited about the book – it looks awesome, its a great way to show off the photos, and it looks awesome.  Did I say that already?

May 20

I am going print crazy.

I started printing today.  It’s been a pretty deep experience already.  I started the day by organizing my master file with all the pictures included in the book.  I made three files for different sized prints and put photos in each, just based on which size I think might lend itself well to the subject and quality of the image I was looking at.  Maybe the images chose the size, not the other way around.

Then I  began looking at some prints I have and the cut matts I purchased.  I looked to see which size left a nice boarder to fit in the window.  Then I had to do some math to figure out how to replicate it back at the printer.  I figured it out and it looks pretty nice and its easy to reproduce that border in other prints.

Then, it was on to making prints – where I am now.  I began printing and got one off nicely – I was done with it.  Then I went to print a small test photo of another image and I noticed in this one that there were vertical lines throughout the paper but really only noticeable in the darker sections of the photo.  My print heads were misaligned.  If that’s a word… So currently I am re-aligning them.

I will blog later, I think, but this is a perfect example of printing: a lot of fun with bumps along the way, and if you aren’t willing or able to get past them with little to no frustration, then this printing game isn’t really for you.

May 19

Well, things are coming up pretty quickly now.  Presentation is in 9 days.

Today, I went to get pre-cut matting board from Keeble & Schuchat, the local photography store.  The reason I got pre-cut matt was because I wanted to be able to matt my larger prints and if I were to buy un-cut matt, it would have cost me $216 dollars in the bundle they had available.  Not going to work.  So, I opted for the alternative: they had 5 pre-cut matts for 17X22 inch prints and same for 13X19.  I got some un-cut board though for 8.5X11 prints.  That way, I can still say I matted some of my photos.

My dad told me about an art supply store that he thinks also carries matt board (maybe I bought too early?) but more importantly, he thinks they probably carry display triangles, as I like to call them.  I think they have “easel” in their name.

I have put some of my prints so far into the matts and they look pretty good.  It will be impressive to set them up at my presentation.  I think I might buy some more matt incase I want to matt two pairs of photos together, as I have in the book.  And of course, I need to start working on my presentation.

All that and more on the next edition of Windy Hill Vista.

The Book is Available Online – Updated

The book is done.  It is on blurb.com. It is ready to be purchased.

Here is the link: BOOK!

Windy Hill: Hi…

By Nathan Feldman

Book Preview

Right now, the book is only in 11X13, which I think is a necessary size to show these pictures.  However, I’m not sure the pocket books in the world will agree as the 13X11 size is priced at about $56.  This makes my previous donation-price-stepping scheme a little harder to work, as $56 is a sizable donation on its own.

I am thinking that I might make the prints the source of the donations. As in, “Here’s the book for the regular (lowest possible) price.  Please look at the pictures and we can exchange a print for a donation if you see a picture you like or if you decide to give to this cause.”

I think this is simpler.  I will ask around to see what people think is the best approach that combines the book and what I’ve learned from printing.

But please, as my first official, published sales pitch… Check out the book, if you like it, remember what it supports and if you’re so inclined, either show the book to friends or get one for yourself.  Thanks!

THE BOOK IS HERE

http://www.blurb.com/books/686796

Clink the link for a preview.  If you want, purchase one!

I need to go to Prom now, so a more extensive post is coming later.

May 15

Today I finalized the book. Now I need to edit it to truly finalize it. I should order three copies on Saturday. I am already thinking of interesting ways to stack them on top of each other at the presentation.  I’ve always said ‘presentation is the key to any presentation.’ It sounds rock-brain dumb but try it once, it’ll work wonders for you.

I sent the text to my dad for him to edit.

I’ve had to cut out a few photos that would have pushed the book out of the 20-40 page price bracketing.  Its sad to see them go, but they live on inside my computer.

Once I finish the book and order it, it is on to making prints to get matted for display at the presentation.  I need to go by the Fr. Christopher room where I am presenting and check out the lighting.  You’d be surprised how much the lighting in an environment can make or totally break a print.  Stephen Johnson (I reference him a lot, I just realized) had a photo up in a gallery and it was totally pink because of some bad lighting.

I might even get those little book reader lights and clip it to the matt so my audience can see the prints even during my powerpoint when the lights are down.

On to the weekend.

May 14

So today was a good day.

Not much of a blog post because I didn’t really do anything different than the past few days.  I started by waking up, of course.  Then, I proceeded to edit images.  This took about an hour.  It was tedious but its fun and I’m somewhat good so it wasn’t busy work or anything.  Then I took these photos and put them in the book.  The book is coming along quite nicely.  I have one, nay two concern: First, I need to order it in time so it will arrive.  Second, I have a lot of pictures and the page count is getting close to breaking the 20-40 page pricing bracket.  After that, it might be hard to get people to buy the book, as if it wasn’t already.

So after putting the images in, I moved on to a guitar lesson with my guitar teacher.  Then, on the way home, I noticed a tsunami of fog coming over the hill. I knew that Windy Hill had to be covered. I was right: as I moved down the road the hill came into view and fog was all over it.  I raced home (under the speed limit) and told my dad.  We promptly gathered the gear and hiked up Priory’s back hill.  Mr. Parker and a few other Priory residents saw us as we embarked on our short adventure.

Though when we looked at the images back home, they didn’t quite turn out.  The color that was apparent to our eyes wasn’t present in the photographs.  Oh well.  Stuff happens.  Maybe I can salvage them.

On to tomorrow, which holds bigger and better things. Good night.

Hawk Sequence Composite

A hawk emerges from inside a eucalyptus tree as it takes flight.

Here it is. Zoom in to check it out.