Well, it seems I have well and truly stuck my foot in it! I've gotten a fair quote for what should be a good quality product (as far as the printing goes anyway). All the pieces are in place, so I can't come up with a good excuse to not launch this project.

So as of now, the Official Ovation Fan Club 2013 Calendar begins production! (Huzzahs all around!)

However, it goes without saying that production will die a swift and painful death without photgraphs with which to adorn said publication. So it is time to break out those cameras Ladies and Gentleman! I need high-resolution pictures of your favorite guitars. I would prefer more than one photo, from various angles, of each instrument. Also, feel free to send pictures of multiple instruments. And please bear in mind everyone that there are only twelve months, hence I probably won't be able to use every guitar sent in. I promise to do my best to spread the appeal.

Yes, yes, before someone brings it up, I will also accept photos of members playing their instruments. I am aware that not all of us perform, so it doesn't matter where they are being played; bars, country clubs, weddings, churches, the Grand Old Opry; it's all good. If you have a pic of yourself playing one in a canoe, GREAT! (Bous points awarded if your significant other is paddling the canoe with an Applause.) Just be playing them! (Though I have to admit, I haven't a clue how I'm going to utilize them yet. But it seems a popular idea based on my previous thread.)

Based on several conversations with people in the know, the calendars will not be jumbo-sized like last time. They will be 8.5 X 11 inches printed on 100 lb gloss coated cover (a high-quality, thick paper stock that is excellent for projects requiring high resolution and sharp imagery).------Yeah, yeah, I copy-pasted some marketing spiel from the web. Sue me.

Now for one minor detail that will go a long way to helping me keep everything straight: I have created a dedicated email account for all dealings pertaining to the calendar. All pictures and ,eventually, Paypal payments will go to the dedicated address, so please make a note of it.

ofc-calendar@patchworkmcg.com

(Don't forget the hyphen.)

If you have a question that cannot be asked on the open forum, fell free to email it to that address as well if you don't want to PM me.

I am sure by now that many of you are dying to ask two burning questions;

1) Is there a deadline for submitting photos?
YES! July 31st is the last day I will accept photos. (But the sooner the better.)

2) How much are the calendars?
I have not figured out a shipping amount yet, but I anticipate the cost to be $20/calendar shipped in the U.S. If I have to ship international, there may be an upcharge, but I will let you know based on where it has to go. AND I have not set a deadline for ordering a calendar, that will likely be sometime this fall.

SO......

You all have your homework assignment. I can't wait to see your pictures!

OK then, for once and for all, I am about to reveal my innermost secrets about photographing guitars.

First, buy a red blanket............

Sorry, scratch that.....

What I do is really very simple. I've always used standard digital cameras with decent resolution. Set the camera on its highest setting (because you are going to be zooming in on details later). Pick a nice day because guitars love natural light. Take at least two of each shot in case the auto focus subconciously locks in on the college coed jogging by behind the guitar. Then mix and match the following tips until you have at least 30 pictures or more. Yes most will be redundant, but you can delete ones you don't use without wasting paper right?

• Take pictures from various distances. I range from inches to dozens of feet depending on the setting.
• Take pictures from numerous angles; looking up, down, from side angles, straight on.
• If you take pictures from straight on, you will likely have to shift yourself so you are not reflected in the finish.
• Get at lest a couple of close ups for each section of the guitar (except maybe the lyrachord).
• Putting the guitar in the path of direct sunlight is going to result in LOTS of flares. These can be used very effectively or completely bleach out your shot. In my experience, the LCDs on modern cameras give a pretty good indication of any flaring that will occur.
• Cloudy days make for some pretty cool moods in photos. Just don't get caught in the rain.
• When framing your photo, center the guitar about 20% of the time. Off-set pictures make it look like you are actually composing a shot.
• The guitar does not always have to fill the shot. Sometimes it can actually be a relatively small part of the photo.
• Regarding the use of a flash, in direct light, it is usually unnecessary. But if the light source is behind the guitar, turn your flash on. Likewise, depending on the lighting, you may need a flash if you want a clear pic of what your label says.
• It's never a bad idea to take pictures of your label and serial number. They may come in handy some day for insurance purposes.

Once you have a card full of photos, it's time to open your photo editor. Then learn how to use the "Crop" feature. Crop your photos into unusual dimensions. Fiddle around with ideas until you get something that appeals to you. Get VERY used to using "SAVE AS" so that you keep the original photo for other uses if necessary. And I always save in two separate resolutions: High Res in case I ever wind up printing in some way (like this calendar). And low res for wasting bandwidth on forums whether people like it or not.

FWIW, it takes a lot longer to type a post like this than it does to actually take the pictures. It sounds like a lot, but once you've done it a couple times, you start to figure out what works for you and it starts moving pretty quickly.

And just like playing guitar, it can be loads more fun if you just go out and do it instead of reading about it here.

Send more photos everyone!