Commentary on LIDLIPS

“This book isn’t about lighting or technique.  It’s about how you think about photography, how it intertwines with your life, how it excites your passion.” David Ziser – Digital Pro Talk

“Just got a gr8 new book frm @syl_arena called LIDLIPS. EZ read & full of pearls of wisdom 4 photogs. I luv this bk.” Kevin Kubota – Kubota Imaging Tools (via Twitter)

“Syl Arena has come out with his new book. LIDLIPS or Lessons I Didn’t Learn in Photo School is a an insightful and humorous book looking at what it is we do as photographers.” Moose Peterson – Wildlife Photographer

Buy your autographed LIDLIPS directly from PixSylated for $14.95, plus shipping.

Or you can buy LIDLIPS from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (unsigned, of course).

Buy LIDLIPS on Amazon.

Buy LIDLIPS on Barnes & Noble

Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School opens up new territory for photographers. As our world becomes increasingly cluttered with cameras, there are fewer people who truly understand the nature of photography. Refreshingly, LIDLIPS presents thought-provoking insights on photography as art, philosophy, science, business, and lifestyle. This collection of 100 micro-essays discusses photography from angles you’ve likely never considered: relationships, persistence, creativity, leadership, confidence. In a unique voice, LIDLIPS proves that there is much more to crafting great photographs and being a photographer than knowing how to operate a camera.

Author Syl Arena spent many years in photo school-eventually earning a BFA in fine art photography. Yet, the most important lessons he learned about being a photographer, he learned by being a father, husband, business owner, mentor, and artist. Photography, it turns out, has more to do with who you are as a person than with the brand of gear you use. For both amateurs and pros, LIDLIPS will expand your understanding of photography and inspire you to create images in completely new ways.

Here’s a sampling of a few LIDLIPS titles:
#1 – If you can’t be remarkable, be memorable.
#17 – Learn to think of the viewfinder as optional.
#22 – There is nothing more interesting to us than photographs of other people.
#32 – Be open to your camera capturing realities you did not see. #46 – Creativity comes as a breeze before it comes as a gale.
#56 – Hollywood is waiting to teach you how to light.
#68 – Making yourself vulnerable is a sign of strength.
#77 – Play photography like a team sport.
#83 – Sometimes the best way to see something is to not look straight at it.
#92 – The exotic is easy. The common is hard.

If you’re curious about the results of the “votes” on the eight LIDLIPS cover candidates from last week’s post, read on.

About the new LIDLIPS Cover

Many thanks to the 100+ PixSylarians who added their comments to last week’s post that presented eight cover designs.

^ The clear winner was Minimalist #8–with almost 50% of the votes. This black cover was my favorite among the bunch too.

^ The second most popular was Red #1–which received 30% of the votes.

What impacted me the most were the five people who said that they did not like any of the options. My friend, John Paul Caponigro, was the first dissenter and stepped up to do what any friend should do during a critique–be passionately honest. JP wrote:

Syl!
None of the above.
They’re all way too generic for you and a new book concept.
They don’t leverage your sexy color photographs or your distinctive hairdoo.
This is a great opportunity to assert the image of your brand.
Don’t play it safe.
You with a thousand flashes going off over your head.
You in an interesting environment looking off into space camera on the ground.
You and something high concept 21st century.
Be bold. Be distinctive. You are. So this cover should be too.
That’s my vote.

Within minutes of reading JP’s comments, I headed back to the drawing board (literally). My take-away was the huge disconnect between the cover candidates and the tone of the LIDLIPS. I see my LIDLIPS as being modern, bold, brief, and willing to test the boundaries of  photography. [As for me with a thousand flashes going off over my head, that's the tone of my next book–Speedliter's Handbook–to be published next spring.]

For the cover photo, I choose one of my favorite photos from the past year. It’s a photo of nothing more than light. I whimsically fired off my camera while walking down a sidewalk. I don’t remember what I was responding to–but there was something there that inspired me. No focus. No composition. No exposure setting. I just fired. The machine responded and collected a load of photons. I think it’s one of the strongest images I’ve ever made. [Sneak peek: LIDLIPS #101, A photograph does not have to be about anything.]

The design elements were inspired by a number of readers. Anna hit the nail on the head when she wrote:

The first time I saw one of your photographs it took my breath away. It was an image used for a LIDLIPS blog entry, delivered into my inbox earlier this year. I think you should use one of your own unique and compelling photographs for the book cover with the acronym “LIDLIPS” reversed out, (large, if you prefer) across the top, and then in smaller type “Lessons I …” and the sub-head somewhere at the bottom. This will guarantee striking, clean layout that reflects what the book is about, and because of the image, a more effective way to sell the book.

My friend, Bob Ray, reminded me of my ultimate goal with these powerful words: While photography is art to be viewed, book covers are art to entice a sale. As much as my ego would like to believe that every photographer knows about my brand and my persona, I am reminded that the world is a much larger place than I think it is and that the vast majority of people who see this cover online or in a bookstore will never have heard of me before.

In the end, I’m very happy with this cover–and very grateful that I had so many “beta-testers” for the earlier versions. There’s nothing I want to add, nor anything I feel it could do without.  All encouragement about my crazy hair and flash madness aside, this cover is a reflection of who I am and the Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School.