Underwater Coffee Table Books

Out of curiousity, for those of you out there that have read or thumbed through marine themed coffee table books, i have a question.

What do you prefer in a book?

Do you like to just look at the photos and have an identification of the species and location it was taken?

Do you like to read about the biology of the critters?

Do you like to read personal anecdotes from the photographer about interesting encounters with different sealife?

Do you like to see the f stops and shutter speed etc of how the photo was taken?

What interests different people in these sorts of books?

I am trying to put something together for publishing and would be interested in what people like to read about in a book on marine life.

Thanks for any input
MIke

Mike Veitch:

What do you prefer in a book?

Click to expand...

It has to be interesting enough that I want to pick it up and look at it often.

Do you like to just look at the photos and have an identification of the species and location it was taken?

Click to expand...

I definately want to know what I'm looking at. Please include common names wherever possible.

Do you like to read about the biology of the critters?

Click to expand...

Yes, especially if there is something particularly strange or unexpected about them. Mouthbreeders, for example. It also depends on the location. I'd like to learn a little about the things I'm not familiar with but don't need a biology lesson in a photo book.

Do you like to read personal anecdotes from the photographer about interesting encounters with different sealife?

Click to expand...

Yes if it doesn't turn into personal journal with a pictures.

Do you like to see the f stops and shutter speed etc of how the photo was taken?

Click to expand...

Most definately! Also any lighting particulars, one strobe or two, etc. Also which equipment was used. This could be stated at the first of the book and not necessarily repeated on every photo.

What interests different people in these sorts of books?

Click to expand...

Pretty photos are nice but can get boring after repeated viewing. I like to see other information as you've asked for above. I may remember a particular photo, ie. the composition or the lighting, that stuck in my mind and want to go back to see what the particualr were so I can try to duplicate the effects myself. I'd also like to see these books available in dive shops or book stores, not just available online, at specialty shows or through the author. I remember seeing a couple of books at Seaspace in recent years but could never find them outside the show. And it may be asking too much to have all that at an affordable price!

Just my 2¢

Very good Reply Dee

Mike, my Friend

sad fact, such " Photo" books which require very expensive full color varnished paper. which is very expensive to produce and therefore will command a very high price. Also consider the potential market which in reality is quite limited. this may even drive the price higher. If you do go for it. consider having them printed in Hong Kong or elsewhere in Asia.

bottom line - very risky!

My thoughts

Chris

Agree and agree mostly

I own preciselly two and they were gifts.

In a perfect world, I want photos that haven't been done before. I swear if I see one more pygmy seahorse that looks like it is out of UW Photo 101 published I'm going to ring the publisher and scream! I love pygmy seahorses, but I know there are better shots out there...

A portrait is going to have to be incredible to keep my interest very long. Action/behaviours & expressions etc are much more likley to put a set of images on my Christmas list.

Just thinking out loud...looking forward to hearing more about the project...good luck!!

Dee, thank you for your insightful answers, much appreciated.

Alcina, i understand about the Pygmys!! Its amazing how many people have added them to their portfolio isn't it? :11:

Chris, tis rather risky isn't it? Ethan and I are just throwing some ideas around.
I guess it is a fairly saturated and small market that we have in this business unfortunately.
Was thinking more of a soft cover, high quality magazine style as opposed to the big hard bound type. Cheaper to make and cheaper to purchase.

Will probably not end up doing it unless we can find a publisher and marketing agent that is interested in the project. Self publishing would be expensive and would take a lot more resources then we have.

We have a working copy of just photos that we are going to shop around at DEMA.
Never hurts to try although certainly not expecting a huge financial windfall from such a project.

Mike, I probably have a dozen hardback uw photo books that I look at all the time....none of them publish shutter speeds and f-stops....I would trade that information for all the written BS that usually accompanies the photos.....

FWIW, I've never read one of them from cover to cover....I just look at the pictures and descriptions of each shot....

Karl

kdietz:

Mike, I probably have a dozen hardback uw photo books that I look at all the time....none of them publish shutter speeds and f-stops....I would trade that information for all the written BS that usually accompanies the photos.....

FWIW, I've never read one of them from cover to cover....I just look at the pictures and descriptions of each shot....

Karl

Click to expand...

FWIW, being a new diver, I would love a less expensive version. I'm not into UW photography YET. I have lots of other things to work on first, like buying gear. But, I agree with Dee on her points but would like to add one thing. I would like a page that shows the equipment with a brief description of it's function. And perhaps a photo showing you snappin' a few. Nothing too technical, but this way you give the tech specs on each photo for the photo pros/hobbyists and a terrific frame of reference for the non-UW photographer.

Chris Newbert's Within a Raindbowed Sea was one the most successful books. It was eventually published in a soft cover version. About 10 years ago his other coffee table book, In a Sea of Dreams came out in hardcover. I consider that the finest book made. The quality of the photographs and printing is outstanding. Newbert does supply details like species, camera and film but may not list the settings used. I am not sure if In a Sea of Dreams was also published with a soft cover. FYI the hardcover version is about $85.

My other favorites are books by Valerie & Ron Taylor, Burt Jones & Maureen Shimlock and David Doubilet.

Hi there, Mike. Having just published a dive book, here are some things to think about:

1. It's never a "good time" to try to publish a book. If this is something you really want to do, damn the torpedos and go full steam ahead although you will be surrounded by naysayers. Not trying is worse than failure, and there's no telling where the process may lead. The book I ended up producing was very different from my original idea.

2. The competition is fierce. Even the dive mags are putting out annual "photo issues" with amazing images from well-known photogs. Color photos are expensive to publish. In fact, my publisher decided to produce my book in black and white, which was a personal disappointment but made good business sense.

3. The first thing a publisher will ask is how your book will be different from others and why people will buy it in lieu of others. You'll need to do exhaustive reseach on the competition in order to have a good answer to this question.

4. Finding a publisher is a long, tedious process that requires very thick skin. It's somewhat of a numbers game. Get a Writer's Market or similar reference and work hard on your query letter and proposal. After much hard work, you'll recieve a mailbox full of cards addressed, "Dear Author" with a rubber-stamped signature. But you never know when someone will take your proposal seriously and get excited about it.

5. It might be a good idea to think local instead of worldwide. While Doubilet, Perrine, Aw, Wu, Nachoum, Wiseman, et al have opportunities to spend lots of time in the world-renowned locations, most of the rest of us dive closer to home. So instead of competing with the big boys, it might be easier to find a niche that they aren't covering. My first successes in publishing involved oil rig diving in my home state of Louisiana--partly because that's what I do most and mostly because the famous shooters are busy elsewhere in more exotic locales. University publishers will often consider work done in their states.

Best of luck to you, Mike. Try to produce the book that most appeals to you personally. -Clay

louisianadiver:

5. It might be a good idea to think local instead of worldwide. While Doubilet, Perrine, Aw, Wu, Nachoum, Wiseman, et al have opportunities to spend lots of time in the world-renowned locations, most of the rest of us dive closer to home.

Click to expand...

I agree. I enjoy seeing photos from the Pacific and Micronesia locations but that's all they are to me...photos. Your BC location is one I seldom see photos from and a place I actually may visit one day. That makes it real to me, a source of research and something that would hold my interest beyond a fist look through.

alcina...I totally agree about the Pygmy seahorses! I'd also add soft corals to the list.