Here's the First Book from My Photo Collection

For some time, I have intended to gather a bunch of photos taken over the last 35 or so years and put them in a book. There are good ones in my collection that have sat in dark spaces for years and needed to see the light. Now, I've* done it.

I spent two full days recently digging up bones among old photos, negatives and digital files and came up with about 120 photos for a 42-page hardback book titled DSmith photo. The technology available today for publishing, printing and photography is simply beyond what was imagined even five years ago and certainly a parallel universe to the 1970s, '80s, '90s ... This books is possible now (for a total cost to me of about $35 a copy, great for Christmas gifts) because I know something about design, photo quality and publishing. Fact is, however, that you can do a perfectly presentable book with no knowledge of any of that--save for the fact that your pictures need to be 300dpi (high resolution).

This book was put together through Shutterfly, which I like, but there are other fine printers who will do a nice job, as well. My friends Paul and Bea Clements use a Mac program to do nice books and Leah uses something else that I'm not totally familiar with.

Now's your chance. Get to it.

(*Actually, I did everything but take the cover photo of me. Leah did that. Thanks, Leah.)

Here's what 'DSmith photos' looks like inside (above and below).