Chazhound Calendar

[Saje]

This project hasn't been forgotten there has just been a shift in roles. Julie, Nic and I are still organizing it but I'm hosting the photos so send your options to me! If pm doesn't work then please send them to sharajj@gmail.com

What we still need:

1. Thoughts on who will do the publishing. How much do we want to spend? I also thought if we got a good deal on the calendars maybe we would like to make extra copies for our favourite shelters to sell as fundraisers?

2. More pics. Keep in mind that these should be HIGH resolution pictures that are horizontal rather than vertical. They should be clear and stand out in some way.

3. Feedback. I've opened a flickr.com site to host all the images. Some people send a LOT of pics and didn't sort through them first. If yours isn't up there wait five minutes. I'm still loading. If it's still not there send it to me again :)

edit for link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7439743@N06/

more to come...

[Saje]

There are still a lot of people who haven't submitted photos. And I know they have good ones. RD! Doc! Renee get your camera out if you don't have one to submit!

Some of my thoughts for this project are that we need a variety of dogs. As in different breeds, different sizes. A member should have only one month no matter how many dogs they have. BUT having said that it might be neat if some members had a 'sequence' page. Like RD has those photos of Dakota shaking. That would be neat broken up into four photos on one page. Something like that.

Any other thoughts?

[ToscasMom]

Saje I apologize. I haven't submitted a photo, not because Tosca doesn't qualify, but because I just am not a very good photographer and could not do her or a calendar justice.

[stevinski]

i just sent you a email, hope it works :D

i chose my favourite pic of harley, which happens to b high resolution as well :D

[jess2416]

Are you going to do, one dog a month or are you going to do a few a month ??

[Lizmo]

Okay, so I sent a PM to Julie a while back, do I still need to send one to you?

[Saje]

Sure you could. Everyone has a little photographer in them :)

Do you have a camera? Take her out during the day when you've got a bit of sun but not too much. Keep in mind your setting and your background. If it's a point-n-shoot camera put it on the sports section. Turn off red eye. Red eye slows cameras down and that can be fixed in photoshop unless they have some funky eyes! :D Focus on her eyes and take a lot of pics!!! Something will turn out :D

[Saje]

Steve, I'm uploading your photo to the site.

Lizmo, let me double check if I have it or not.

Jess, I'm thinking we should just pay it by ear. Some photos might look really good laid out next to each other but for the most part one per month is probably best. Just my opinion.

[Saje]

Lizmo, yours was already uploaded to flickr. Does it not show for you?

[~Jessie~]

I still have to submit my pics.

I agree with Jess- I think there should be a few photos a month so that no one is left out.

[suzanne118]

the flixter thing would load for me! did u get my pics?

[Saje]

With hundreds of active members people are going to be left out. I'm always a believer in quality over quantity but this isn't just my calendar. :) What does everyone else think?

[Saje]

Yes Suzanne but you sent too many I only posted one or two. If you don't see your fave let me know.

[jess2416]

well we all know who has the best quality photos...so it doesnt really matter...Im just saying....some people dont have the best pics in the world..is it fair to leave them out because their pics arent as good quality as someone else's

[Saje]

I don't. Who has the best quality photos?

[stevinski]

well i think we should have a vote for each month, like post a selection of pics for each month and then everyone votes on their favourite

like one month you could choose out of the agility pics, then puppy pics, etc

[jess2416]

I don't. Who has the best quality photos?

People that have good camera's have good quality pics...<-- thats all I was saying...

[Saje]

I don't know about that Jess. It's all in the eye. All my dog photos were taken with a little pns kodak easyshare. They aren't the best but it's all in the eye and taking LOTS of photos :)

[~Jessie~]

I just think that it will be nice to look at multiple dogs every month- even if the photos aren't great quality. I just thought it would be fun to have most members included, rather than only 12 pictures. There are many calendars in stores with professional quality pictures of dogs that we can buy if we only want quality pictures.

Just my two cents.

[Saje]

Duly noted :)

Renee suggested a foldout centre that is a collage of chaz dogs and I personally think it's a great idea.

Also, I was thinking it might be neat for the pics to either have a quote that goes with it or possible a sort of educational note to make people more aware of responsible ownership?

Nobody has any thoughts on using the calendar as a fundraiser yet either... ?

[jess2416]

I think the quotes are a great idea....:)

Fundraiser Im not sure...because we all live in sooo many different areas...

[Saje]

poll added

[Renee750il]

Maybe some centralized organization that tackles issues that are pertinent to everyone? Like maybe something that fights BSL? That's an issue that crosses national and continental boundaries.

[stevinski]

theres loads of issues we could do for

like say/neutering
BSL
jst overall dog abuse

[Saje]

Yup. And we can pick one later. Could be anything. And it just all depends on how much we want to pay for the calendars and what kind of deals we can get.

One thing that would help is if people called their local printers and found out what they charged. I think it would be cheaper to go that way then to get one of the bigger online sites to do it. They charge quite a bit.

[Gustav]

I just think that people who don't have their dog pic in the calender, are not going to buy it.. Just a thought! ;)

[Renee750il]

We'll need an idea of the quantities involved. Nothing concrete, just a few figures - 500? 1000? 2500?

[Saje]

I buy calendars all the time that don't have my animals in it! Mine aren't going to be in it. I'm not entering but I'll still buy one of all my dog friends!


I think since this is the first year we should keep the numbers lower.

[Saje]

About cameras...

I'm not saying that a high quality SLR style camera doesn't help. Guaranteed it does. But don't let that stop you from taking as many pics as you can and learning the most about what your camera's abilities and limits are.

My photojournalism teacher is VERY skilled. When she was just starting out she had a little point and shoot and ended up on a football field with all the hot shot reporters. She got the shot of the night when she caught the action from between the legs of one of the refs. :eek:

Creativity more than anything makes a good photographer. That and acting quickly! You have to recognize the moment and that can be learned.

Here is one of my fave pics that have been submitted so far. It was taken by a HP Photosmart so it has limits. But it's a cute shot and it works. There's some shadow on the face but hopefully that can be lightened a bit in photoshop.
http://www.flickr.com/photo_exif.gne?id=428495017

So don't limit yourselves! If you don't know much about the camera you already have then go online and read reviews on it. Find out what it's good at and what it's not good at and then work with it ;)

[Saje]

If we wanted to save on costs we could also go black and white. Just throwing a random thought out there

[Buddy'sParents]

There are some quality pictures there already, that would be lovely by themselves.

For some months, we could have more than one dog, but with a forum with 13k+ members and a couple hundred ACTIVE members, there are going to be dogs that are going to be left out.

What everyone should do is pick their favorite photo of their dog(s) and submit that photo. Don't just pick any photos or a multitude of photos, just pick ONE and submit that one.

You need to pick your photo carefully and be sure that it is available in high resolution.

There can be a fold out, or the cover (?) can be a collage of all photos.

I do like the idea of a fundraiser, however, Jess, I think it was, brought up a good point in that we all live in separate areas.

Do some searching in your local area and see how much it is to print out a calendar, this may be the cheaper option compared to a printing company.

I agree with Saje, quality should be over quantity.

[zoe08]

Did I miss something before about making a calendar?

I like choosing the best quality photos, mainly because I am a photographer and intend to make a career out of it. I also think this is the best idea if you were intended to make a fundraiser out of it. It may mean a lot to the members of chaz to have all the dogs on it, but the people buying them from shelters wouldn't know the dogs, so they would want a calendar with good quality pictures.

I also like the idea of including everyone. Only I am afraid with soo many members it is going to be extremely difficult, some people are going to have to be left out unless you want the pictures of the dogs really small.

I like the idea of having good quality pictures on the calendar pages and having a fold out or some kind of collage including everyone else.

I also like having spay/neuter and rescue quotes and stuff on it. Do you also intend to put the name of the dog and photographer who took the picture on the calendar?

[jess2416]

Wait what ??? What do you mean check with our local printing shops ??

What for ?? and what do you mean people buying them from shelters ??

[Renee750il]

One of the local rescue organizations here does a calendar every year. I'll see if I can't find out where they get theirs printed. Also, a good friend of mine puts out a local magazine and she got a great deal on the printing. She's a big fan of rescue (has two herself) and I know she'd let me know.

[Kase]

So do I just send my pic to you Saje? I haven't picked it out yet because its hard to choose a fave.

[Buddy'sParents]

Wait what ??? What do you mean check with our local printing shops ??

What for ?? and what do you mean people buying them from shelters ??


One thing that would help is if people called their local printers and found out what they charged. I think it would be cheaper to go that way then to get one of the bigger online sites to do it. They charge quite a bit.

As for buying from shelters, I have no idea what you're talking about. :)

[Saje]

pm or email Kase :) sharajj@gmail.com

[jess2416]

that still didnt answer my question ??

What does local printers have to do with anything..

as for the other refer to Zoe's post

[Kase]

pm or email Kase :) sharajj@gmail.com

Ok thankyou :). I will do so as soon as I decide on one lol.

[stevinski]

I agree with limiting to 1 pic per person, as there is just way too many members for people to be entering loads

[Saje]

Wait what ??? What do you mean check with our local printing shops ??

What for ?? and what do you mean people buying them from shelters ??

Local print shops (often the local paper uses them) do other projects like calendars and brochures. It would be helpful if people made a call and found out how much it would cost. That way we could get a range of facts. I'd use ours but I don't like their work all the time. :rolleyes:

I think the buying from shelters was in reference to having shelters (or other orgs) sell calendars as a fundraiser. My idea on this so far would be to order extra calendars and sell them to shelters at cost and have them mark them up at will. Or we could sell them ourselves and donate the funds to whatever organization. Just thoughts so far!

[Buddy'sParents]

One thing that would help is if people called their local printers and found out what they charged. I think it would be cheaper to go that way then to get one of the bigger online sites to do it. They charge quite a bit.

that still didnt answer my question ??

What does local printers have to do with anything..


It would be cheaper for people to check with the pricing of printing out the calendar at local shops vs. online sites as they tend to charge more. So, if we find a really cheap one, by say, Renee, we can use that one.

[Saje]

One of the local rescue organizations here does a calendar every year. I'll see if I can't find out where they get theirs printed. Also, a good friend of mine puts out a local magazine and she got a great deal on the printing. She's a big fan of rescue (has two herself) and I know she'd let me know.

That would be very helpful thanks renee :)

[Saje]

OR if you have a calendar at your house just look at the back and see who the printer was. We can call from there and find out more.

[Gustav]

I have absolutely no idea where my local (or more than likely not so local) print shop is... Don't get much call for it up here on the mountain! ;)

[Saje]

I had a couple more thoughts. One was that if we do this each year we could make sure that no one got printed two years in a row. That would open it up for some more people.

I had another thought too but it's left me.

[Gustav]

I had another thought too but it's left me.

Was it pudding?

[Saje]

mmm pudding.

I talked to our sales rep and we do calendars every year for the school division. They actually look pretty nice but are only spot colour on the inside with the front as glossy. They order 7,000 and it cost them 6,000 :eek: BUT that's less than a $1 a calendar which would be a great profit at $20 a calendar. Obviously the more you order the cheaper it is and the less you order the more expensive but even with we paid $5 a calendar and sold them for $20 that would work.

[AndrewF]

The calender is an awesome idea. I'd be prone to saying that quality over quantity is preferred. However, there's nothing saying we can't do two dogs per month or do a large photo with a couple of smaller photos inset for each month. For instance a large horizontal photo with two or three small verticle/horizontal shots inset along one edge might be a solution.

By the way, the photos that have been posted so far are great! :)

[jess2416]

{link deleted by mod}



The calender is an awesome idea. I'd be prone to saying that quality over quantity is preferred. However, there's nothing saying we can't do two dogs per month or do a large photo with a couple of smaller photos inset for each month. For instance a large horizontal photo with two or three small verticle/horizontal shots inset along one edge might be a solution.

By the way, the photos that have been posted so far are great! :)

Thats what I was trying to say.....

.

[Julie]

Thanks Saje and BP.. The flickr account turned out great! I see we have some new entries. Sorry haven't been on since yesterday, as we went fishing with the boys yesterday evening. Much Fun! Got some good fishing pics Lol Now I need to find an "entry" for my dogs!

Thanks everyone for sending in the pictures.. and if anyone is wondering why Saje is taking over accepting them... is we need high resolution photos in order for the calendars to come out crisp and clear. I have dialup and I have found it nearly impossible to accept them and upload them etc. So THANKS AGAIN SAJE!

Also if you have already sent in a lower quality (smaller) pic... Look for the original. :D Hope that's okay with you Saje?

I think alot of great ideas have been brought up. I also tend to think quality vs quantity.... But I also don't want to see anyone left out...

Saje,
Another thing... Since it is almost the middle of the year, Will a regular printer start the calendar at a mid month and end say 12 months later? Or are we going to start it at Jan 2008? That actually would give us alot more time to get the pictures together and have it printed and shipped... and we could probably have them a few months early.. ?

Sounds like everything else is going great! And Saje... You also need to enter a picture!!!! I thought I read that you weren't and there is no reason not to! If anything else needs done yet, let me know!!!!!

Thanks,
Julie.

[Saje]

lol I'm not going to enter. There are already too many good ones. I'll get one next round. :)

Honestly, I think it's better if we do it for Jan. 2008. If we have it ready by next fall we can print early and start giving them out as gifts or whatever. It may seem early but ... it's a big project and I don't think it really is.

[Julie]

Jan 2008 for the calendar sounds great to me!

You are doing all this work for the calendar.... You should at least enter your own photos!!

This is going to be so much fun :D

[Saje]

I think so too. And once we iron out the kinks we should do it year after year. I personally like the idea of using them to fundraise. Lots of options!

[Buddy'sParents]

Jan 2008 for the calendar sounds great to me!

You are doing all this work for the calendar.... You should at least enter your own photos!!

This is going to be so much fun :D

Ditto that. ^


I like Andrew's idea of one larger picture and then two or three pictures inset, but we still should focus on quality vs. quantity. Even if we did do do this, however, there will still be people that are left out. There is no way we can get everyone, which is why a collage is a wonderful idea.

[AndrewF]

Why not run the calender from December 2007 to December 2008 (or January 2009)? It'll give an extra month or two to work with and it's pretty standard (if the office calenders here are any indication).

Edit: and after reading BP's post, a collage for December 2007 would be a pretty good way to start things off (or January 2009 to wrap things up).

[Buddy'sParents]

Why not run the calender from December 2007 to December 2008 (or January 2009)? It'll give an extra month or two to work with and it's pretty standard (if the office calenders here are any indication).

Edit: and after reading BP's post, a collage for December 2007 would be a pretty good way to start things off (or January 2009 to wrap things up).

Great idea! ^

[Saje]

Yeah I think that's a great idea. Especially, if we do the centrefold too. Then we'll be able to get tons of photos.

I know you're busy andrew but I'm going to make you an honourary committee member.

[jess2416]

Saje sent you a PM :)

[Saje]

Got it and thanks. We could use more help :)

I think if we are going to do this for Jan. 2008 why don't we set the deadline for photos for say, late july? That way people have time to take lots of pics and get out in the warm weather.

What about a 24-month calendar? Unheard of? :D

[Buddy'sParents]

24 month calendar would allow for more photos and not jeopardize the quality. :)

[Julie]

I thought about a 24 month calendar after I read Andrews post. :D

Good and bad points.... It would fit more dogs, but then we wouldn't give a chance to do a 2nd calendar the year after... for current members then?

I do really like the idea of the 13 month calendar and a collage on front and/or in the middle... I think the beginning of July for photo deadline would give plenty of time to get photos in.... then we would have to do voting done by August.... Depending on how many photos we get, they might all fit on collages for Dec 2007... and a middle pull out poster? Then the winners could each get a month? Maybe a couple winners per month like already talked about.... Hmmmmm:)

[Saje]

Yeah. 24-month would cost more too and since we don't know how it's going to go maybe we can think about that for the next year... ?

Now I know this isn't going to be popular but what about doing the pages (except cover and insert) in black and white? This will save a LOT of money but we will definitely have to go with quality images as weaker ones won't hold their own on black and white.

[Julie]

I personally love black and white photos.... would it still be glossy? Like they would use on color pages? I understand the whole calendar would be B&W not just the photos...well except for the cover and insert....

Doesn't matter to me.... Opinions?

[Saje]

From what I know about printing it wouldn't be glossy. The cover would be. And the insert. But the months would probably just be a high quality paper.

[Buddy'sParents]

Black and white would be great.

What about a 16 month calendar?

[Buddy'sParents]

Just a thought...

We could do one picture as the whole background and then do other pics inset, as Andrew suggested.

Looking at the photos now (I know we'll get more in, but go with it) there are a few water photos. Chose one as the background and then all of the other water photos could be inset.

There are some action/agility shots, take one as the background and do others of the same inset.

We can do one of smiles.. one of goofy faces.. one of sleepy pics/faces.. the options are nearly endless. :)

[Saje]

That would be cool. We can even have them done kind of as a photo reel. Keyodie does that I think.

[AndrewF]

Thanks, Saje. I'm honored. :)

Just a couple of thoughts:

-I'd suggest sticking with a 13 or 14 month calender to keep cost down and to allow for new photography for the following year.

-As for colour vs. b&w, it might be better to see what you have to work with closer to printing time and make a final decision then. B&W may be good with a full page shot, but smaller insets/collages might get lost if there's no colour to help them stand out.

[Renee750il]

Let me check with Leslie about how she does her magazine. The glossy texture is from printing on a hard-coated stock, so the price may not be all that prohibitive according to what kind of printing house is employed. The method for using the coated stock just requires a press with a specific type of heat lamp as the printed pages come off the line. A printer who does a lot of calendars and photography heavy printing jobs will be using that sort of set-up anyway.

[Saje]

Kinkos makes calendars
http://www.fedexkinkos.ca/servicecenter/personal_solutions.html?personal_solutions_item=47 356&db_item=listitem

I bet it's expensive but might be worth a call if someone has one near them

[M&M's Mommy]

I must have missed the thread about the calendar thingy. Can anyone pleaseeee tell me what is it? and how (to whom) do I send picture or purchase the calendar from?

[Momof2Pups]

I'll PM you Saje.
Great pictures entered so far!

[~Jessie~]

When do photos need to be in by? I want to take some good pictures this weekend :D

[Julie]

I must have missed the thread about the calendar thingy. Can anyone pleaseeee tell me what is it? and how (to whom) do I send picture or purchase the calendar from?
We have not decided on where the calendars will be printed so we are not sure of purchase yet. We have decided for the calendars to start in the month of Dec 2007 or Jan 2008. We want this to turn out really well, so we are not rushing anything. You can send your high resolution photo to Saje (she listed her email on post One of this thread, I believe) and she will include them in the chaz calendar flickr site for all to view. Later we will probably have voting etc....

When do photos need to be in by? I want to take some good pictures this weekend :D
You have plenty of time! I don't think we have picked a specific date yet...but probably July. So everyone has plenty of time to take some really great pictures!

:)

[TopShelfPets]

i think the winners of the monthly photo contests could be that month's dog.

[AndrewF]

i think the winners of the monthly photo contests could be that month's dog.

They could be considered, so long as the winners want to put their photos in, but that depends soley on whether the contest winners do that (ie, show their consent to possibly use that photo).

I, for one, would love to see some of Smkie's photos included!

[smkie]

i think the rose one of Vic is peeps favorite of Victor so i will send you that one

[Saje]

that's a good one smkie :)

[Melissa_W]

Oooo, I'm glad we have more time... once everything is in full bloom here, I want to have my boyfriend take some pictures of Kai at the Duke Gardens...

[Babyblue5290]

I, for one, would love to see some of Smkie's photos included!

That makes two of us!

[Dreeza]

not really sure if its been decided on...just wanted to input my 'vote':

While i think that one pic per page is most likely the best, I also dont think any High quality photos should be left out.

Maybe a month or two could be a collage of a few photos? That will require a good eye though...some photos look really bad next to one another...for instance...if you put one of RD's or Andrew's photos next to a photo taken that looks good on its own (like one of mine, lol)...it would prob make mine look like crap, hahaha.

[mrose_s]

i actually havn't heard about this calendar. may i be informed?

[Buddy'sParents]

i actually havn't heard about this calendar. may i be informed?

read the thread!

[mrose_s]

lol, i missread it and completley missed the fact that it actually explained. nevermind me. its aftre midnight