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Real characters, raw emotion, an authentic journey to love
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Cover poll
I'm almost done with my next book, tentatively titled The Path (or possibly El camino since it's set in Peru) and I need some input on the cover. I took close to a thousand pictures while I was in Peru, many of them of the Inca Trail, one of the elements of the book that the title refers to. And this is where you come in. I've included some of the best pictures of the trail below. Leave a comment with your favorite to help me decide which one to submit for possible use on the cover of the book.
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I like #5, then #1. Good luck, Ariel. :)
ReplyDeleteI like 3 and 5
ReplyDelete3 &5
ReplyDelete2 ot 4
ReplyDeleteI like #4 best.
ReplyDeleteI like #5. :)
ReplyDeleteI like #3
ReplyDelete5, 6,1,2,4,3--
ReplyDeleteJust no more shaved guys with sleeve tats----or any kind of chicks on the cover.
A faint outline of a lama up the steps?
Given the setting, no shaved guys with sleeve tats, I promise! No chicks either. Other than Benicio's mother and a few female tourists, there aren't any in the book.
DeleteWhat happens with the cover after I send it to the art department is out of my hands. I'm just looking at base pictures to start with. We did see a lot of llamas and alpacas while we were hiking, some right up on the trail.
I like 3 & 5. :)
ReplyDeleteI like 3 and 5
ReplyDeleteI like #5
ReplyDeleteNumber 3! and all the pics remind me of home....we have gorgeous rockwalks here in WV.....One of the most beautiful walks is the path to the observation deck at Seneca Rocks....*sigh* The good ole days when I could walk that path....and did! *grin*
ReplyDeleteCongrats on another book and I cant wait to read it....*big grin*
I seem to be the only one, but I like #6
ReplyDelete#6 is interesting because it's the one part of the trail that has an actual name. They call it the Monkey Steps because you have to climb it essentially on all fours like a monkey, they're so steep. It's also the last ascent to the Sun Gate where you get your first glimpse of Machu Picchu.
DeleteI like 3. The peeps on the trail make the orientation clear and gives the shot movement. In most of the others it's hard to tell if you are looking up a trail or down a trail, and that's mostly due to the weathered condition of the steps.
ReplyDeleteYes, the steps are definitely weathered. The trail is somewhere between 500 and 5000 years old. There's some debate on exactly when it was laid out (and by whom) and there's even some debate as to whether it was all laid out at once or if some parts are newer.
DeleteI'm with the majority. I like 3 and 5, leaning more to 3 because of the two hikers. I like 6 as a third choice because of the light, but it isn't quite as "grabby" as 3, imo.
ReplyDelete6 was taken as the sun was rising, which gives a different quality to the light, but the steps were SO much steeper that it made the composition more of a challenge. Ah, the joys of photography.
DeleteI like 1, 3 and 5, in that order. :D
ReplyDeleteI like #6 and #4...and Peru is simply breathtaking!
ReplyDeleteI like 5 best!
ReplyDelete#3!
ReplyDelete#4 I really like the composition of it and it has enough contrast and definition to show up well on a cover with some minor tweaking.
ReplyDeleteThey are all interesting pictures. Each has a different feel to it. The questions raised in my mind are these: 1)What mood are you looking to evoke with the cover? ~some of your pictures are clear and crisp, with obvious challenges inherent in the placement of the stairs. ~some of the pictures have a misty, wistful feeling. If you're looking to evoke that sensation, I'd go with one of the fog shrouded ones. 2) Are you planning on having cover models as well, or just the image? ~if you plan on using models, I'd say go with #2. It is the most visually arresting picture that also achieves balance with it's focal point close to the center of the picture.
ReplyDelete**However, I'd vote for #3 over all** Why? It is cover complete as is (minus the title and your name) The composition of the picture is such that the Title would fit neatly above the heads of the two hikers, the upward motion of the stairs would draw the readers eye up from the bottom (which is where I'd put your name in a visually arresting font--because, let's face it, at this point, it's the Ariel Tachna branding that sells books. Readers are assured when they see that author name that they are going to get a fabulous read. The stairs will draw their eyes upward, the indistinct people figures will work with the mist and imply an unknown, perhaps magical state (in the sense of ordinary human interactive magic--relationships), and then the title, echoing the font style from below will preserve the entirety as a beautifully balanced whole. The reader won't think this all through, necessarily. They'll simply be inexplicably drawn to the mystery and quiet splendor of the cover... so, that's what I think.
I like #3 then #1
ReplyDeleteI like #5, #4, and #6, in that order.
ReplyDeleteI'd vote #1. It has the best contrast and is the most clear as to what you are depicting. It think it would work well on a cover, especially when you add text, etc. I also love #2, but if you want the trail specifically I vote for 1.
ReplyDeleteI love #2 for the panoramic vistas and in full size, you can see the trail winding up the side of the mountain, although that didn't come out in the smaller version visible on the blog, which probably means it wouldn't show up no a cover. #1 is one of the smoothest sections of the trail, which is aesthetically pleasing but not terribly representative. Most of the trail looked more like 3 or 6.
DeleteI like #5 the best then 1, 2
ReplyDeleteI like #5
ReplyDeleteI love #6 and the way it ascends. It might just need a little tweaking contrast-wise. I also really like #4. But they're all spectacular. :D
ReplyDeleteSeveral of them probably would need tweaking in terms of contrast. I had just gotten an adapter that allowed me to use my very powerful (but old) telephoto lens on my new digital camera base, which meant everything had to be done manually. Now I like a manual camera, but it takes a little trial and error, and one of the errors I made was in controlling the exposure with the f-stop instead of the aperture. Next time I'll know to change the aperture first.
DeleteI like no 1, because somehow it reminds me of the path of life, smetimes smooth and straight and sometimes full of steps you gotta climb to get somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI also like no 4, simply because it's got a nice feel to it :D
I like them all, but #5 is my fav of the group (as long as I don't have to walk any of them)
ReplyDeleteI say 5 then 6 as a second choice!
ReplyDeleteThey're all cool, but i like #3 the best.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to this book! :)
~Charley
I loved 2 and 3 ^^
ReplyDelete