RobMcClain
Member
p.s: My silly eyes emoji was supposed to go next to my coffee comment...
C-BRAT Calendar 2021 Submission Request
- Thread starter hardee
- Start date
Well, today was not very productive. Due to Covid, I did not get to go over to NMI and work on the calendar with Julie. In fact, I didn't even get to get on the computer all day due to a part time, essential service job I get roped into on occasion. That happend today, and it is not something I have a scehdule control over.
Hopefully we can get it put together on the internet soon. Thanks to those who sent in submissions. Anxious to see what we have.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Hopefully we can get it put together on the internet soon. Thanks to those who sent in submissions. Anxious to see what we have.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
All Right, We are making progress. We have submission photos from 13 entrants. Yes, and some great photos, so thank you.
Some only sent in one or two photos. Some sent in several. Some of them were not sufficient size as we needed a minimum of 1 mb and I will take the hit for that as I used the 1650x1275 that had been used before so the 1 mb was ne to me and I didn't catch that prior to the posting. There were a few that were not within the correct date range, (2019 and 2020 seasons), since we did not do one for last year, 2019 was included in the date range. More often that not, the boat appeared to be smaller than optimal. Yes I know, that C-Dory profile is easy to recognize for us, but we want this to be pretty obvious. As usual, we had a proliferation of 22 Cruisers. There were some other models for sure, but they will be hard to recognize.
We will have a calendar for 2021. That is important, and I am going to offer that we start collecting in a file, the photo of the year for the 2022 calendar, just in case. Get out on the water, and take pictures.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Some only sent in one or two photos. Some sent in several. Some of them were not sufficient size as we needed a minimum of 1 mb and I will take the hit for that as I used the 1650x1275 that had been used before so the 1 mb was ne to me and I didn't catch that prior to the posting. There were a few that were not within the correct date range, (2019 and 2020 seasons), since we did not do one for last year, 2019 was included in the date range. More often that not, the boat appeared to be smaller than optimal. Yes I know, that C-Dory profile is easy to recognize for us, but we want this to be pretty obvious. As usual, we had a proliferation of 22 Cruisers. There were some other models for sure, but they will be hard to recognize.
We will have a calendar for 2021. That is important, and I am going to offer that we start collecting in a file, the photo of the year for the 2022 calendar, just in case. Get out on the water, and take pictures.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Yes, we are still working on the 2021 C-BRAT Calendar, (I think), -- Part of this process is beyond my basic copputer skill so NMI is sharing Julie, (Marketing) to help with the process. (I have been somewhat distracted for a while, I have a family member who is in ICU with Covid, left over from contact with some other family who work with his family, going to a Halloween party -- if that makes any sense in any way.) I am working to get us back on track and get the calendar production in time for Christmas.,
Harvey
SleepyC:moon
Harvey
SleepyC:moon
We had submissions only from 13 folks, and wanting to stay with one photo per photographer we set out to do that. But, as happens in life, some technical difficulties pooped up along the way and so, the cover photo we picked fro several reasons, would not allow us to upload to LuLu. We tried to work around that but to a no joy solution so somebody is going to get the cover and a an inside page too. Congrats. You will find out who soon.
Frankly, I am surprised about the participation and response. And I am curious. We have a fairly active group here, with many highly skilled in both the art of photography, and the technical skills on the computer to submit their photos for consideration. I am also betting that there isn't a person on this forum that does not take pictures of their boat, and most here, have a photo album. Some are more active and current that others, so there is some variability to be sure, but I am curious what is the hinderance to the calendar and photo participation.
I see some things; lack of technical skills in photo or computer as a pair of possibilities. Could be no current (last season or this year) photos -- I highly doubt that. Maybe you don't think you boat in a interesting part of the world, (but your common area may be unseen by some of us). Or, some hold back because of the concern for the use of the photo. Maybe the photo quality is not up to par, blurry, dark or light beyond printing range. Might be the timing comes in a busy time of the year and it doesn't make the priorty list. Or maybe it is a privacy thing. I can understand there can be reasons, and I can respect that. If there is no interest in continuing the Calendar project, or if we need to change something to make it work, then OK, but what needs to change?
The floor is open . . .
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Frankly, I am surprised about the participation and response. And I am curious. We have a fairly active group here, with many highly skilled in both the art of photography, and the technical skills on the computer to submit their photos for consideration. I am also betting that there isn't a person on this forum that does not take pictures of their boat, and most here, have a photo album. Some are more active and current that others, so there is some variability to be sure, but I am curious what is the hinderance to the calendar and photo participation.
I see some things; lack of technical skills in photo or computer as a pair of possibilities. Could be no current (last season or this year) photos -- I highly doubt that. Maybe you don't think you boat in a interesting part of the world, (but your common area may be unseen by some of us). Or, some hold back because of the concern for the use of the photo. Maybe the photo quality is not up to par, blurry, dark or light beyond printing range. Might be the timing comes in a busy time of the year and it doesn't make the priorty list. Or maybe it is a privacy thing. I can understand there can be reasons, and I can respect that. If there is no interest in continuing the Calendar project, or if we need to change something to make it work, then OK, but what needs to change?
The floor is open . . .
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
hardee":1dv89ayp said:
There needs to be more reminders during the year so people will keep it in mind. After last year there was sort of the implication that it was over because the person organizing it dropped out. Then sort of at the last minute this year, it was suddenly back on again. FWIW, this year C-Dory corporate is participating much more in the whole C-Brats/C-Dory thing and with Facebook and Instagram than they have for quite awhile. I think they are the reason the calendar was resurrected.
IMO, you need to plan your calendar shot. So there is some intentional effort involved, not a lot, but some (picking a location, picking an interesting time of day, making sure the boat is clean and tidy, etc.). Maybe some people aren't up for doing that or perhaps I over thinking it. The snapshots you get while messing around with your boat or during your travels shot on your phone may be good enough for the web or email, but may not hold up when printed for a calendar (although cell phone cameras are getting better every day).
Exceptional photos that give good representation of the boat & include a great background are hard to come by. I didn’t feel any I had in the last 2 years worth sending in. I have many from the past years that I think would be, that haven’t been previously used in calendars or in the Factor Brochure. Possibly the same with others. It’s also hard to chose a photo that would appeal universally. I see that from the photos that others & I have posted in the albums here. Many times the photos that I particularly like are not viewed as many times as some who are to me just so so.
I have taken well over 500 photos of or from the C Dory, and about C Dory activities during the last 2 years. I submitted a couple--but didn't go thru all of them. Sometimes you don't know the boat name or owner name. Also as Jay says, you don't think that they are of general interest.
I agree if there were regular reminders--it would help. Not going to be as many boating gatherings this year--We scrubbed out Erie Canal trip.
Thanks
I agree if there were regular reminders--it would help. Not going to be as many boating gatherings this year--We scrubbed out Erie Canal trip.
Thanks
Previously, the calendar was a C-Brats member thing organized internally by one of the the frequent users of this website. (While there are many owners of C-Dorys, only a fraction are active members of this forum.) The calendar was mostly bought by the most active members and people who submitted images for inclusion (even if their image was not selected). I believe that the annual sales of the calendar was in the dozens.
Since the manufacturer has become more active in the forum, perhaps there is a sponsorship opportunity here. The impression I get is that NMI is encouraging the whole calendar thing. Submissions to the calendar could be encouraged by the awarding of C-Dory swag to submissions that get selected for inclusion in the calendar. At the very least, if the manufacturer is encouraging submissions, they could send each submitter who ended up with an image in the calendar a free copy of the finished calendar.
There seems to be a big promotional opportunity here. The company (if they are sponsoring the calendar) get a bunch of images of their product that they can use for promotion (with the appropriate legalese around the submissions) in exchange for the cost of 13 calendars (plus postage) if the "prize" for getting an image in the calendar is a free copy. It is not uncommon in photo contests that submissions to the contest can become marketing material for the sponsor of the contest. Even if the company only gets one image that is of sufficient quality and content from all the images submitted for the annual calendar, getting that one image for about $150 (the cost of 12-13 "prize" calendars) is an unbelievable deal. (Try setting up a marketing photo shoot with a budget of $150 for a product that costs ~$100K new, you'll get laughed out of the room.)
There may be some people who won't submit anything because of perceived privacy issues if a submission becomes corporate property used for promotion of the product. But I'm guessing that there are also plenty of people who won't have a problem with that ("Hey look, the picture of my boat is so great, it's in the company calendar!"). They are proud of their boats and will be pleased with getting the word out about them to others.
It would be sort of like Pirelli having owners of cars that run on their tires submitting photos for the annual Pirelli calendar rather than spending millions on some arty photographer you never heard of (e.g. Paolo Roversi) to come up with a series of photos representing some obscure idea (the subject of the 2020 Pirelli calendar is "Looking for Juliette") that has little or nothing to do with the manufacturers product. Ok, the C-Dory calendar is not in the same league as the Pirelli calendar (not by a long shot). The product of the Pirelli calendar effort is the "Pirelli Calendar", but maybe you get my point.
Since the manufacturer has become more active in the forum, perhaps there is a sponsorship opportunity here. The impression I get is that NMI is encouraging the whole calendar thing. Submissions to the calendar could be encouraged by the awarding of C-Dory swag to submissions that get selected for inclusion in the calendar. At the very least, if the manufacturer is encouraging submissions, they could send each submitter who ended up with an image in the calendar a free copy of the finished calendar.
There seems to be a big promotional opportunity here. The company (if they are sponsoring the calendar) get a bunch of images of their product that they can use for promotion (with the appropriate legalese around the submissions) in exchange for the cost of 13 calendars (plus postage) if the "prize" for getting an image in the calendar is a free copy. It is not uncommon in photo contests that submissions to the contest can become marketing material for the sponsor of the contest. Even if the company only gets one image that is of sufficient quality and content from all the images submitted for the annual calendar, getting that one image for about $150 (the cost of 12-13 "prize" calendars) is an unbelievable deal. (Try setting up a marketing photo shoot with a budget of $150 for a product that costs ~$100K new, you'll get laughed out of the room.)
There may be some people who won't submit anything because of perceived privacy issues if a submission becomes corporate property used for promotion of the product. But I'm guessing that there are also plenty of people who won't have a problem with that ("Hey look, the picture of my boat is so great, it's in the company calendar!"). They are proud of their boats and will be pleased with getting the word out about them to others.
It would be sort of like Pirelli having owners of cars that run on their tires submitting photos for the annual Pirelli calendar rather than spending millions on some arty photographer you never heard of (e.g. Paolo Roversi) to come up with a series of photos representing some obscure idea (the subject of the 2020 Pirelli calendar is "Looking for Juliette") that has little or nothing to do with the manufacturers product. Ok, the C-Dory calendar is not in the same league as the Pirelli calendar (not by a long shot). The product of the Pirelli calendar effort is the "Pirelli Calendar", but maybe you get my point.
P.S. I enjoy my boat and I enjoy photography. I like making the effort to get an interesting and unique image of my boat. Personally, if the boat manufacturer wants to use my image for promotion, I have no problem with that (with appropriate credit). It is better for a nice image to be seen than just having it collecting dust on my computer hard drive.
Occasionally, I do get them printed and put them on the wall.
Occasionally, I do get them printed and put them on the wall.
One of the problems if used for commercial purpose you will have to have model release with other details. Check w with the professionals, like James Wild Blue fame, or Bill with Falcon.
One of the images I submitted was of a couple of C Brats on their boat. I was a bit concerned about that. I believe that they would give model releases, but don't know all of the legalities. Of an Internet forum vs the manufacturers usages of images.
One of the images I submitted was of a couple of C Brats on their boat. I was a bit concerned about that. I believe that they would give model releases, but don't know all of the legalities. Of an Internet forum vs the manufacturers usages of images.
For a bit of clarification. Yes, NMI is involved with the calendar. I asked Julie, (the Marketing person) if she would be willing to help with the calendar. In exchange for her help, NMI gets a look at the submission photos to see if there is something they could use and C-BRATS gets the help with the technical submission part of getting the calendar into Lulu, as that part was beyond my technical capability. I seriously thought that there would be plenty of participation, actually considerably more that we had. WE (Julie and I) sorted out the photos, and aligned them for the calendar, then she was going to get them loaded up at Lulu. WE ran into a hitch in that the cover photo would not load at Lulu, and so we made a substitution and somebody got both a cover, and an month page. Then there was a snag with getting the text info onto the photo pages, (photo and boat info). I think that is where we are now.
I appreciate the comments and if we have interest in continuing with a calendar, then there are some changes that we need to do. Maybe first off, see if there is any interest in that.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
I appreciate the comments and if we have interest in continuing with a calendar, then there are some changes that we need to do. Maybe first off, see if there is any interest in that.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
OK, folks, Maybe I lied. It seems we have had a snag or three in out calendar production. Maybe this is something I should just let die a natural death. I Actually thought that NMI would be interested in this enough to do the technical part with Lulu. I know this is a busy time for all of us in some way or another. I am including a copy of (mostly) what I got from Julie. If there is anyone who wants to look into doing the LuLu part, the rest is done. Thanks to those who submitted photos, and to Greg for the C-BRAT logos. Take a read, and let me know where to go with this.
email from Julie, NMI Marketing
Harvey
SleepyC:moon
email from Julie, NMI Marketing
Harvey
SleepyC:moon
colbysmith
Active member
Walgreens, mixbook, shutterfly. Many places will allow the making of calendars. Not sure why lulu has to be used. I've never made a calendar, so maybe there is more to it. But somewhere I just read Mixbook does the best job. I just logged on there, and it looks like it wouldn't be that hard for somebody to do it there. Just make one for show, then take orders and place them. I haven't tried it, just looking at the website. I have done photo books there, and they've come out pretty nice. Colby
colbysmith":11hyw3z9 said:
Colby, Thanks for that.
Does Mixbooks let you make the calendar on their site and then other folks can order directly from their site? That is how Lulu does. Makes it so nobody has to handle ordering and money transfering. That was the advantage there when Sam started it.
We have had a C-BRATS calendar for almost 10 years. I missed the one for last year :roll: and it would have been the 9th anniversary one. (2011 was the first issue so this would have been the actual 10 anniversary.)
I just got a text about how 2020 was a rough year, and it was depicted by a childrens slide, with several humps in it, and it was made out of a cheese grater. YUP, been that kind of a year alright, but we will get through it. Ony 5 more days until Winter and the days start to get longer. Yeaaa :!:
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
