Feedback on photo for Front Cover

The_Outlaw_Torn

The_Outlaw_Torn

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This is the link to the photo that I'll be using for the front cover of my first book (Kindle). The photo was taken in Southern California, and I think it reflects on the tone of the book (a short-story collection). It's a comedy/drama with situational humor that's mostly lighthearted. The drama, on the other hand, is pretty serious, with one chapter dealing with an absent parent. The palm trees in the photo symbolizes the state's famous Mediterranean weather. I know that it's a pretty amateurish picture, but with such a low budget, it's the best that I can come up with.

http://100yearoldwhiskey.deviantart.com/art/Palm-Trees-at-Dusk-495513283

I would like some feedback. Thank you.
 
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StephanieZie

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Honestly, the picture is pretty dull and the composition isn't working. With the blue gradient background, the trees don't look like vectors so much as they just look underexposed. Have you tried stock photos? You could probably find something to suit your needs for free.

I'm not sure I like the idea of just palm trees either. Was this the book that was about asian american culture clash? Someone had suggested a picture of chop sticks next to a western meal, and I thought that was great.

I know palm trees say "southern cali" to you, but is that really the theme of your book? Is that the one motif tying all the stories together? Or is that culture clash the thread that runs through them? I personally find that more intriguing and would be more likely to pick up a book that hinted at that than at generic california foliage.
 
The_Outlaw_Torn

The_Outlaw_Torn

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StephanieZie said:
Honestly, the picture is pretty dull and the composition isn't working. With the blue gradient background, the trees don't look like vectors so much as they just look underexposed. Have you tried stock photos? You could probably find something to suit your needs for free.

I'm not sure I like the idea of just palm trees either. Was this the book that was about asian american culture clash? Someone had suggested a picture of chop sticks next to a western meal, and I thought that was great.

I know palm trees say "southern cali" to you, but is that really the theme of your book? Is that the one motif tying all the stories together? Or is that culture clash the thread that runs through them? I personally find that more intriguing and would be more likely to pick up a book that hinted at that than at generic california foliage.
Click to expand...

If that's the case, I suppose I could take a photo of two slices of pizza on a small plate, with a pair of chopsticks lying right next to it. I mean, the short-story collection does rely on humor for most of the time. Thanks for the feedback.
 
StephanieZie

StephanieZie

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The_Outlaw_Torn said:
If that's the case, I suppose I could take a photo of two slices of pizza on a small plate, with a pair of chopsticks lying right next to it. I mean, the short-story collection does rely on humor for most of the time. Thanks for the feedback.
Click to expand...

I'm also a little concerned though that you mentioned you're photographing things with a cell-phone camera. If you're going to take the picture yourself, does no-one you know have a professional camera you could borrow? Have any photographer friends who might want to help you out? I'm no photographer, but I know enough to know it's alot more complicated than just snapping a picture of something. There's lighting, and color and composition, and exposure, and...

Not trying to down on you or anything, but covers do sell books.

Just found this one on getty images of a burger and chopsticks:
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/burger-and-chopsticks-royalty-free-image/6590-000128
Not free, but commercial licensing starts at $45.

Or if you have any kind of photoshop savvy, you could just find two separate free images and combine them to get your chopsticks with western food picture.
 
Gale Haut

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It is possible to compose a cover image for an ebook that looks professional just using a cell phone. But you need a pretty decent understanding of design and photo preparation to really pull it off.

I think you should try taking the photo you described above with the chopsticks and we can see if there's anything that can be done with it. But first make sure...
1. The lens of your camera is clean
2. To steady the phone while you take the shot
-Don't let it shake at all; if you have to prop your elbows with a stack of books to get the angle then do that!
 
The_Outlaw_Torn

The_Outlaw_Torn

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How about this? I'm thinking of a front cover being a white background, with the South Korean flag in the top center. The four trigrams surrounding the yin/yang symbol will be replaced by four American flags. The title and name of author will be put at the bottom. If I can do that, which editing program should I use? I currently use GIMP, but I'm not sure it will let me able to copy and paste appropriately.
 
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