Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/07/23

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Subject: [Leica] "I'm an Endangered Species."
From: ruben at rhodos.dk (Ruben)
Date: Sun Jul 23 13:04:42 2006
References: <20060720171950.7364.qmail@web32602.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <000701c6ac22$2686c5b0$a302a8c0@ted> <2B636EFA-2144-44A7-BB61-90718372FADC@pandora.be> <003901c6acd0$46bc5300$a302a8c0@ted> <003301c6acd8$f2716930$0a01a8c0@MacPhisto> <009101c6acde$1f190b50$a302a8c0@ted> <a2f8f4470607231227y46b60ad6l86d3212bf8974073@mail.gmail.com> <a2f8f4470607231231n4f690ed7o1d840a533d76c55f@mail.gmail.com>

Thanks Daniel

Actually your advice to Ted about bypassing publishers is not bad at all 
- often publishers and the hole feeding chain of sale, marketing and 
distribution kills a projet before it ever gets published.

Last year I was speaking at a mini conference at center for photography 
together with a young guy who had financed and published a book all by 
himself (on petagonia) - and managed to sell 1500 copies within six 
month (that is a lot af photobooks in danish standards) - ofcoause he 
had made some mistakes and some things would have been better with the 
sharp eye of a editor at a publishinghouse but all in all the book was 
nice and a was happy to return from the conference with a signed copy :-)

I think Ted as you suggest will be able to "unload" a lot of books 
directly to the community - not only leica, but probably also some of 
the guys and gals on Rollei and Hasselblad forums - and the finacing of 
his project will be much more fun when all the $ goes directly back to Ted.

My offer to Ted with advice is independant of how he chooses to proceed 
with the project - I would just be happy to se Ted get his project realized

all the best
Ruben



Daniel Ridings skrev:
> Mind you, I am assuming you will be publishing a book of texts, like
> you have been honoring us with here.
>
> But any advice from Ruben, and guys, Ruben is a bit modest here ...
> his books surpass the best quality that Aperture can do ... any advice
> from him takes priority.
>
> Daniel
>
> On 7/23/06, Daniel Ridings <dlridings@gmail.com> wrote:
>> You keep going, Ted.
>>
>> I think this might be an idea:
>>
>> http://www.lulu.com
>>
>> You can publish through them, set your price and place your ad here on
>> a Friday. Believe me, you'd sell. We're a big enough group that it
>> would probably be worth your while. There would be a profit in it for
>> you from day one, from the first book.
>>
>> By-pass the publishers.
>>
>> Daniel
>>
>>
>> On 7/21/06, Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> wrote:
>> > OK Crew the posted efforts of the past few days have evoked many 
>> private and
>> > online "You've got to do a book responses!"
>> >
>> > A blog or other suggestions that have given me a great deal of 
>> confidence
>> > just maybe there's a book after all and the first publisher was 
>> wrong in
>> > turning it down.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I thought this might be a kind of opening piece.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Now it's my turn to ask.   Comments and critiques?
>> >
>> > ===========================================
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Real Photographers Shoot BW: some times colour.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Or   "I'm an Endangered Species."
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >         Why this book?  Well, I'm basically the sole survivor of 
>> Canadian
>> >
>> > photojournalists from the 50's and '60's who's still shooting in 2006.
>> >
>> > Many from that period have gone to the big dark room in the sky or 
>> just
>> >
>> > retired to easy living in the country -- So, at 77 years of age, 
>> that makes
>> >
>> > me an endangered species!
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Some photojournalists disgruntled that time passed them by, long 
>> for the
>> >
>> > good old days of photojournalistic rotogravure sections and picture
>> >
>> > magazines we  no longer see published.  Oh sure there are 
>> magazines, but
>> >
>> > they are the "one picture tell all" illustrations and rarely ever 
>> use more
>> >
>> > than two pictures to a story.  No longer do we see 6 - 8 or 10 page 
>> spreads
>> >
>> > of in-depth photography for a photo-essay on a single subject.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > When my first picture was published in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper on
>> >
>> > September 17, 1951, little did I know 56 years later I would still be
>> >
>> > taking pictures with the same passion that started my career. 
>> Probably with
>> >
>> > greater passion to-day realizing I'm quickly coming to the final 
>> frame on
>> >
>> > the roll.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Photography has taken me to many countries around the world and 
>> given me
>> >
>> > experiences that fall into "truth is stranger than fiction."  There 
>> have
>> >
>> > been good, bad and ugly assignments, some successful others just a 
>> tiring
>> >
>> > experience of frustration.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Would I change it?
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Not really!  A few things though, more rest between assignments for 
>> one, but
>> > when
>> >
>> > younger you are invincible and there are too many places to go and
>> >
>> > things to shoot.  The telephone rings and even though you are 
>> dragging it
>> >
>> > matters not when you hear, " Can you get a plane down to Bermuda in 
>> the
>> >
>> > morning and meet our writer there?".  The adrenalin is pumping in 
>> seconds
>> >
>> > and off you go like a filly in a race, "Tired? Not me I'm outta here!"
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Not to become angry when the weather or some other situation is 
>> completely
>> >
>> > beyond my control.  In reality I should have sat back, relaxed, had 
>> a drink
>> >
>> > and just rolled with it.  I used to lose a lot of sleep over totally
>> >
>> > uncontrollable things, but time tempers those feelings and to-day 
>> it's,
>> >
>> > "what you can't control, you don't sweat"
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > The stories and anecdotes of the "times of Ted" will leave you 
>> wondering,
>> >
>> > "is it possible for one photographer to have this many experiences?"
>> >
>> > Honestly, yes it is and then some!
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > For me, time has never stood still since the taking of my first 
>> photograph
>> >
>> > and hopefully it won't, until the last. And when asked, "When are you
>> >
>> > going to quit or retire?"  I jokingly respond, "My retirement date  is
>> >
>> > September 17, 2021."  That will be the 70th anniversary of my first
>> >
>> > published picture and I'll only be 92! So that seems a reasonable 
>> time to
>> >
>> > consider relaxing.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Now, if I can only get my body to agree to that date. . .
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > The book's open folks, come on in and start your odyssey through my 
>> world
>> >
>> > as a photojournalist.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Ted Grant Photography Limited
>> > 1817 Feltham Road
>> > Victoria BC  V8N 2A4
>> > 250-477-2156
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Leica Users Group.
>> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>> >
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
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In reply to: Message from iilbz at yahoo.com (DL) ([Leica] FS: Leica M & R 0721)
Message from tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant) ([Leica] Still Life! :-))
Message from philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent) ([Leica] Still Life! :-))
Message from tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant) ([Leica] Photog over board)
Message from leicachris at worldnet.att.net (Christopher Williams) ([Leica] Photog over board)
Message from tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant) ([Leica] "I'm an Endangered Species.")
Message from dlridings at gmail.com (Daniel Ridings) ([Leica] "I'm an Endangered Species.")
Message from dlridings at gmail.com (Daniel Ridings) ([Leica] "I'm an Endangered Species.")