Tribute book - image size?

[bpm32]

Forgive my windiness...

The quality of discussions and work I see on these forums make this the obvious place to post my scenario. I greatly respect your opinions - should you have the time and desire to reply.

I've been working on a set of images as a tribute to my late Grandfather. I am drawing ever closer to completion (I think!) in selecting the 12 - 16 negs I plan to use. The end result I'm envisioning here will be a book (or portfolio box) with photographs of his farm, collections, wife, etc that will hold special meaning for our family, as well as tell a story for future generations. (This is probably a cliche project for the most part - although certainly not in our family.)

My question is as follows: for those of you who have experience in assembling a portfolio to be viewed in a non-business format, what size prints did you decide upon? I cannot decide between 5x7 or 8x10.

Have you printed one size or the other and regreted it? If so, why? If not, why?

If I could take just a little more of your time - what would you recommend for a presentation method? In a perfect world, I'd obviously like to have this be in a bound format. I just think the presentation would be better for everyone. I've looked into some companies that do this - and wow! are they expensive. I read a thread on here that suggested binding your own book. I'm going to pursue this further. In the meantime, do you all have any other suggestions? Those of you who have used portfolio boxes - are you happy with the overall presentation?

I thank you for your time and suggestions.

Brian

 

[jovo]

Sounds like a very nice thing you are doing. If it were me, I would make the largest prints I could. Bigger prints make family viewing much easier, especially for aging eyes.

As to how they might be bound, consider looking on line at the stuff Light Impressions has to offer. They're somewhat expensive (which really annoys me), but they have products specifically designed for your kind of project. Here's a link: www.lightimpressionsdirect.com Good luck. I'm sure your efforts will be much appreciated.

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

Good advice from John Voss!

A solution I have used with success is archivally sleeved prints in a Light Impressions hinged storage box. No binding required.

Search the Light Impressions website for storage boxes and storage sleeves.

Example: Clear TransView™ Sleeves 8 1/8 x 10 1/8 - 100/pkg Item#5315

"Protect your work in our archivally-safe polypropylene sleeves. Images slide in easily, fit securely. Clear front with clear back. 8 1/8" x 10 1/8".

100 sleeves per package"

 

[jjstafford]

My opinion: 5x7 size foated on 8x10 doubleweight paper and boxed. The size offers an intimate viewing distance.

 

[blansky]

Having put together a ton of wedding albums over the years I usually found that the albums looked a lot better usually when there were a variety of sizes used. A standard album houses roughly a 10x10 size. There were page inserts for 10x10, 8x10 and or 2 - 5x7s or 4-4x5s.

The album always seemed to look better and more interesting with all the sizes included.

If I was doing a neat project like yours, I would probably include a lot of sizes just for the aesthetics and to add interest.

Michael

 

[Gay Larson]

I would prefer all one size, preferably 8X10. I think the consistency adds to the project. I sounds like a wonderful project that will be treasured for years to come. Good luck

 

[bpm32]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this subject. I'm still not sure what I'll do - maybe just make a few prints on a few sizes and see which catch me the most.

Also, thanks for pointing me toward Light Impressions. Looks like they have some good possibilities.

I'm still open to hearing all suggestions and/or experiences.

Brian

 

[removed account4]

hi brian

it sounds like a really nice project you are working on.

you might look into a few books on making your own book of photographs. it isn't as hard as it looks -

check out some of keith smith's books. they have everything you need to get started .

http://www.keithsmithbooks.com/

having all the images the same size is nice for continuity, but michael's suggestion on using different size images does make things a bit more interesting. some images look really nice enlarged big, and some are jewels when small. it make viewing more of a personal experience.

good luck

john