First, I want to say that putting lots of words at the top of this blog will by necessity force the good photographs down, but keep scrolling, they're down there. There's also a good Flickr page with more.
What happened was that I brought it up with my brothers and sisters, the major stakeholders in the operation. They made several points that need to be expressed, but they were all ok with what we're doing. They're ok with my son's helping. They will cooperate with every picture they own.
The first point is that his photography is wide and varied and numerous. This I already knew but I think they know of some places and photos that I didn't even know about. Having them onboard will provide more and give us more to work with.
It can be divided into categories according to topic; there is a huge supply of family photos which we would have to decide whether or not to include. The nature photography is by far the prominent group. There is also what we could call industrial design photos: photos of mills, work environments, etc. Sometimes this includes things I don't even know what to call: round things, sandy things, etc. He saw them at work. He was interested by the design. He used quality cameras. Beyond that are a few other kinds. Landscapes - views of mountain valleys. Pictures from Mexico, particularly of people. They went to the Galapagos diving (lots of pictures of boobies and exotic animals), and to the Pacific Northwest. I guess you could call these travel photos but in some respect they also fit into the other category. So choosing may be an issue.
One valid point is that preserving his legacy may involve more than a single book.I have always seen a book of any size, as high quality as possible, as the most urgent of goals. But my sister maintains that framing a couple of them in metal or in as good a representation as possible might be the better way to preserve his legacy. I couldn't argue but finally concluded that the Committee for Preserving Jim Leverett's Legacy should strive to do both. A single wall at Good Sam (Las Cruces) and a box of slides in Bruce's attic, and some digital photos on a disc (which I believe several us have) is simply doomed to obscurity. We can't let that happen.
The issue of what platform is simply this: If I can make a book free, or print-on-demand, and only ten of us buy it, I'll do it. I won't lose any money. It won't bother me if only a few family members know about it, though I can take it to places where they know him if I'm aggressive. I will at least have put his legacy somewhere where we can touch it. But quality is an issue; that's why I have my son involved. If it takes a few thousand to make a quality book, that's already too much work, raising the money, arguing about it, etc. But I think I can get adequate quality on the print-on-demand sites. We need to find the right one and be happy with it for the first project. If we end up making more books, all the better. If we make some quality productions that's good too. My goal is to make ONE book. If time catches us before it's over, so be it.
Any thoughts?
Monday, September 28, 2026
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
There is news on the Jim Leverett's photography front. My son, Justin, has agreed to help put together a book.
I have been sitting on a trove of his photographs and, since he died about eight years ago, procrastinated in doing something about it. I among his kids have the knowledge and skills to publish a book. So why not? Because, in short, he was ambivalent about the idea. He had never done photography for commercial purposes. It was always simply his passion.
What I have learned about self-publishing is this: although is by nature commercial, both you and the platform will make some change from every book sold and printed, it is not entirely a money-making operation. The money made is inconsequential unless it really goes big, and it probably won't. You don't go into it expecting it to go big. You go into it with the intention of putting into history something that will stay there and represent a life's passion.
Here is my favorite story about Jim Leverett. When he was 55 he retired and announced he would walk the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. He got all ready, with the right tent, the right raincoat, the right shoes, etc. After he started he changed his needs so that he could keep the pounds down. He had taken about three cameras but soon two of them came back to us by mail. Then the third one was exchanged for one that was just as good but half a pound lighter, and it came back by mail as well. He engineered all his purchases so that he was carrying a slightly lighter load, because it was weighing on him heavily.
His nature photography is fabulous, but there's a lot more. I am hoping a book can be made.
I have been sitting on a trove of his photographs and, since he died about eight years ago, procrastinated in doing something about it. I among his kids have the knowledge and skills to publish a book. So why not? Because, in short, he was ambivalent about the idea. He had never done photography for commercial purposes. It was always simply his passion.
What I have learned about self-publishing is this: although is by nature commercial, both you and the platform will make some change from every book sold and printed, it is not entirely a money-making operation. The money made is inconsequential unless it really goes big, and it probably won't. You don't go into it expecting it to go big. You go into it with the intention of putting into history something that will stay there and represent a life's passion.
Here is my favorite story about Jim Leverett. When he was 55 he retired and announced he would walk the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. He got all ready, with the right tent, the right raincoat, the right shoes, etc. After he started he changed his needs so that he could keep the pounds down. He had taken about three cameras but soon two of them came back to us by mail. Then the third one was exchanged for one that was just as good but half a pound lighter, and it came back by mail as well. He engineered all his purchases so that he was carrying a slightly lighter load, because it was weighing on him heavily.
His nature photography is fabulous, but there's a lot more. I am hoping a book can be made.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Monday, October 29, 2018
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First, I want to say that putting lots of words at the top of this blog will by necessity force the good photographs down, but keep scrollin...
