Sunday, June 27, 2010

Guerrilla Glamour Update

A bunch of people have asked, "Hey Jimmy! When's the ebook done?" Thought I might give and update.

Basically, "Guerrilla Glamour" is complete although I have some work yet to do on it. I still need to make the cover, an index or list of contents, and go through it a few more times proofing for typos, doing a few minor rewrites, and fixing other things. (Editing: The least fun part of this project.) I also need to put up a small site to pimp it and put together whatever marketing graphics and text will be on that site. This has been more work than I imagined!

The PDF ebook will come in at about 100 pages contained in 9 chapters plus a Forward, an Introduction, and a Conclusion. There's lots of pictures to go along with the text, many of them behind-the-scenes pics showing the lighting setups. (I knew there was a reason I've been shooting those images, although I didn't know what that reason was at the time.)

I've taken a different approach with this project than many others like it. Most ebooks on the subject are very "How To." Guerrilla Glamour is more "Way To" if that makes sense. I know that sounds like semantics but, at least in my mind, there's a difference between "how" to do something and a "way" to do something. Whether that was a smart thing to do or not only time (and sales) will tell. Here, let me post a very short excerpt from the book's "Forward" that might explain it a bit better... or not:

"The concept of simplicity, or not multiplying difficulty beyond necessity, is the underlying theme of this Guerrilla Glamour ebook. By the way, when you resist multiplying difficulty beyond necessity, you give Murphy's Law fewer opportunities to assert itself.

Here's what Guerrilla Glamour is not: It's not about learning to shoot photos that look like mine. While I believe there's a worthwhile place for photography "How To" books that take that approach, i.e., books that teach its readers to mimic the work of their authors, this isn't one of them. Many books take that approach: Some good, some not-so.

Also, Guerrilla Glamour is less a "How To" book and more a "Way To" book. In writing it, I've tried to provide information, suggesting tools, methods, and techniques, that will yield great results while still allowing you, make that encouraging you, to develop your own style, stay true to your personal vision, spend less time dickering with your equipment and more time focusing on your model while imagining creative ways to capture her.

In a nutshell, Guerrilla Glamour is about helping glam shooters, at varying points along the learning curve, simplify their production and post-production processes: Be it with their tools and gear, how they use them, as well as their overall approach to the work.

The hopeful goal and end results are glamour photographers focused more on their models, more on the creative stuff, and less on the processes and technical concerns and, in so doing, capturing better photos of gorgeous women.

In simpler words: Keep it simple stupid."

While you're waiting for my ebook to be released and if you have an appetite for learning, why don't you give Ashley Karyl's, "How to Photograph Nudes Like a Professional," or Ed Veroskey's "100% Reliable Flash Photography" or his "10 Ways to Improve Your Boudoir Photography Now" a shot? They're great ebooks jam-packed with plenty of useful info for improving your nude, boudoir, or flash photography!

The pretty girl at the top, perched on the table, is Brea from a few years ago snapped on a Playboy/Club Jenna shoot. She's my idea of "fine dining."

11 comments:

Allen said...

I'm excited bout this. I've been following your blog for quite a while and I will be buying a copy of this when it comes out. :)

jimmyd said...

Thanks Allen!

Anonymous said...

Hurry up, I have already bought all three of Ed's books.

Carroll

Anonymous said...

me too give us a date

John Kleb said...

If you need a proofreader or beta reader I humbly offer my services.

Ed Verosky said...

To Anonymous-es, I say, Thanks! To Jimmy, I say, I can't wait. I know that even if you had only put half the time into this book it would still be great. So, I'm ready to see the final product.

Hey, is this just a way for you to keep us chomping at the bit? You know, drive up that anticipation? If so, it's working, man.

jimmyd said...

@Ed, Hehehe... Well, building anticipation isn't what I'm purposefully doing. But if that's what's happening, I suppose it's a good thing. Course, along with anticipation comes expectation and I hope, if that is what's happening, I end up fulfilling some of it.

Unknown said...

Jimmy,
I've been reading your blog for quite a while and will be happy to buy a copy of the book. My finger is already on my PayPal trigger.

Oh, not to be pedantic, but the section at the front that introduces the book is "Foreword," not "Forward." I'm a writer and editor, and get way too anal about this stuff.

Anonymous said...

Great site, on your recommendation have bought 2 of Ed Verosky's books(both excellent), and can't wait to get yours. Thanks for sharing.

Ed Araquel said...

Hey Jimmy, don't forget to test it on the iPad. ;)

jimmyd said...

@Ed-

If I'm not mistaken, the iPad requires an app to read PDF docs.

The newest Kindle will read native PDF docs but the earlier versions require converting the PDF. There is software, some of it free I believe, that will convert PDFs for use on the earlier Kindles. Also, I think Amazon offers a conversion service. It's not free but I hear it's only ten cents per conversion.