Hobbit's 2006 photo calendar

“Since there isn't a "Shameless self promotion" category for threads, I put this in the "chatter" category. I have had a riot putting together my 2006 photo calendar on LuLu. I've bought a dozen or so for Christmas presents for friends and family that I know will appreciate it. I just love LuLu

Hobbit's 2006 Photo Calendar
last edited: 12/02/05 3:22:53 PM”

“Oh, I forgot to mention that I'd love to see Wind Walker do this same thing with some of his best images. I for one would buy one in a heartbeat.”

“Very Nice shots Hobbit, I had suggested to Matt a while back, that he hold a photo contest with all TT'ers to make a calendar of the best shots on TT. He didn't go for it though. Anyway, Great Job, good luck with it.”

“Who says Matt has to do it? Why don't we do it ourselves. We can hold the contest, select the images, and publish it on LuLu with a Trail Talk theme, all for nothing. We can price it at cost so nobody makes a profit on it, and anyone who wants one can purchase it directly from LuLu. Any thoughts? I'll offer my services for layout and upload if y'all are interested.”

“Sounds like fun. My photos are no ways as good as yours or Windwalker's but it still sounds like a good idea. Count me in!”

“Thanks for the link. I think this goes on my Christmas list.”

“Hob, I really like you calender!”

“I think that's a great Idea!”

“Nice shots Hobbit! I may have to make one of my own.”

“Hobbit, Windwalker and Buck. I'd love to see a compilation of all your work. But a calendar just wouldn't be big enough. Could you do a book? I'd buy one for sure.


So if I buy one of your calendars, Hobbit, do you get some money from the purchase?”

“Cool. Totally awesome calendar.

It makes me want to publish something too! (not photos)”

“There's a small profit in it for me Ruby. And of course a commission for the web site.”

“Great pictures, Hob. I've been working on one of my own from my thruhike. My pictures don't come close to yours, but family and friends probably won't give a damn (they love me anyway).”

“Some very nice pictures, hobbit. I expected to see some of the TT Hotties. Guess I'll have to send for a Playboy Calender. LOL. My normal source for a calender is Ace Hardware.
last edited: 12/02/05 6:40:57 PM”

“Those pictures are FABULOUS!!”

“I guess it's time to audition the TT Hotties for my next calendar, a TT version of the Playboy Calendar. Send me your portfolios now to get on the list.”

“Nice calendar Hobbit! Cool Idea I will probably do a book and a calendar at some point?

Was it hard to make the calendar? Do you have to size the images, etc. ?

P.S. I ordered one yours for myself :)”

“Wind Walker, there is a very comprehensive FAQ section that explains the whole process, what size to make your images etc. It was really quite a breeze to do. I believe the 11x8.5 version requires an image of 11.25 X 8.75 to allow for trimming. Please let me know when your calendar is ready for press, as I will be first in line to purchase one. (Or book for that matter)
last edited: 12/04/05 7:13:51 PM”

“Seriously WW, this only took me a short afternoon to do. I really think you should get one done so I can hang it on my wall before the new year.”

“Hobbit, that's a beautiful compilation of photographs. It's a lot better than the stuff I see in stores.

Good luck with sales!”

“Here's an update on the photo calendar. I've sold one, bought a few, and actually got my hands on one the first part of this week. Don't waste your money on LuLu.com in general, or my calendar inparticular. Their print quality is very poor, and their customer service is even worse. If you are someone who actually bought a calendar, let me offer my sincere apologies. I know Wind Walker is one kind soul who purchased one. Mr. Hansen, if you'll email me your postal address, along with the total you paid, I'll stick a personal check in the mail to reimburse you. In the meantime, I've removed it from public view to avoid further embarassment.
last edited: 12/17/05 10:09:35 AM”

“Gosh, so sorry to hear that hobbit. And very gentlemanly to offer your refund. Let us know when you find a new publisher, I'm interested in one. Good luck.”

“Wow. Sarbar's Freezer Bag Cooking looks pretty good. Then again, it's a printed book. It's not full of photos that need to be printed good to retain their excellent, original quality.”

“It's late enough in the year that I will probably forget it for 2006. AND, I will probably go with a local litho printer when I do it. As for marketing it, I'm still at a loss there. But I've got a few months to figure it out. Lizs, go look at my comparison image if you want to see what my complaint consists of. In fact, I'd be interested to know if that's something you would accept if you were the customer. The left half is a small portion of one of the digital images I uploaded. The right half is a 300 dpi scan of the printed output of the same portion. Make sure you view the image at actual pixel size.”

“Yo Hobbit!

No worries...I haven't even got it yet.
I chose the slow boat cheap method of shipping :) But I am really curious to see it now.

I did recieve the proof copy of my calender today...and after reading your post I was a bit nervous about how it was going to look.

Actually I'm happy with the way it turned out...I knew print form wouldn't compare to real photo processing. (That's exactly why I don't use an ink jet to print my pix.)
And a scan of an ink jet print is hideous(sp?)at best.

The photos in the calender are obviously ink jet...but I must say they are sharp and clear also the colors in the calender prints are spot on.

I showed the proof to my mom and sister...they both want a copy and started listing family and friends who might also want one....but that's family :)

So I will print a few for family and friends that want one. If you find an even better publisher...please let me know.”

“Wind Walker,

I'm glad to hear you were pleased with your proof copy. I have to say though, I've conducted a bit of a survey by sending emails to about 15 people who have created calendars similar to the type of work you and I do, and I have only gotten back one positive response. With that one exception, every individual who has replied to my inquiries has said that they were unhappy with the results and didn't intend to use Lulu again.

Now for the bad news.... they so far have refused to do anything to rectify the situation. The last correspondence I recieved from them said they would not accomodate my request for a refund. Soooo..... it looks like I'm going to have to dispute the charges with my credit card company and file a compaint with the North Carolina BBB.

I am anxious to see how your copy of my calendar looks to you. Some of the images are digital 6 megapixel files, and some are scanned slides, yet they all look like crap regardless of the source.

I have negotiated a price of $12.00 each with a local printer for a quantity of 20 calendars. They will be done on Thursday for pickup. Next year I'm going to get a jump on the game and have them done in bulk. I can have them done for under $5.00 each in the right quantities, and their samples look beautiful. PS Print, not the local one I used this year.”

“I'm still waiting for that mailing address WW. (No, I'm not a stalker, and besides, you're not my type).”

“It came today! It looks pretty good to me Hobbit...no need for a refund.”

“Geez.... that makes me wonder what in the devil happened to the ones they sent to me. I've harrassed them to the point that they finally agreed to refund my money. I mean, they honestly look like lousy copies from a color laser printer with a 10 year old image drum. I hope you're not just being kind. I get the 20 I ordered from Square One Printing tomorrow. It'll be interesting to compare.”

“I picked up 20 calendars today from the local print shop. They charged me 12 dollars each, and used the exact same process that Lulu claims to use. They turned them around in less than a week, no shipping charges, and they look beautiful compared to the garbage that Lulu sent me. Next year though, I'm having them done on a press rather than a digital printer. More consistent color reproduction, and cheaper prices in quantity.”

“Wish I could compare the two...would love to see the difference.

I e-mailed a couple of local places last night...going to get some price quotes, etc.”

“So...what's this year look like Hobbit???”

“ahh, so that's what happened to all the pix from the "pass around camera" project...it really was just a ploy to get us to do his dirty work
last edited: 10/11/06 12:04:30 PM”

“I never received a camera.”

“I was thinkin that I might make a calendar this year.... sounds fun.”

“i'd make one too but i'm such a procrastinator it'd be next year before it was done”

“I haven't even done anything with it this year, and I probably won't. What about you WW?”

“Mpix is offering calendars now...a little pricey though.

http://www.mpix.com/productsinfo.aspx?prod=15

But the turn around time is great! I ordered
11 calendars on Monday and they arrived today :)

”

“Are you selling those WW?”

“How's the quality WW?
If I remember correctly, you purchased one of mine from the LuLu site didn't you? Also I think I may have sent you one that I got printed later on. How does the print quality compare to either of them?”

“Treebeast..yes, you can email me if you're interested.

Hobbit...I have both versions of your 2006 calendar. The Mpix calendar has those nice thick pages like your second calendar... cover stock and pages are the same.
The Lulu one has a thick cover but all of the pages are thin and flimsy.

The Mpix pages are more of a matte finish ...not as glossy as your second calendar. The photos printed nicely though.

They botched the cover on my first order...the cover shot came out pixelated...I mean visible squares! Not sure how you accomplish that with a 24MB .tif file printed at 8.5 x 11???
But they reprinted at no charge.
The curious thing was all the other photos came out perfect...go figure.
last edited: 10/13/06 8:30:59 PM”