Calendars of London, Verbier or La Tzoumaz? The choice is yours…
In the past, I have printed various calendars (check some of them out here). I usually create one from the London area and others from Switzerland (with focus on La Tzoumaz and Verbier). So far it has not exactly been a money maker, but I have decided to have another go. Last year the garage proprietor in Switzerland where I service my car had to switch from the calendar he usually displayed (a cheap version of the Pirelli calendar) to mine, as he was getting looks from female customers. My photos are less likely to offend, thus there is hope!
Having just received the 2020 versions, here a little review of the process.
I kept the format the same as in 2019 (42cmx21cm). While previously I printed the Swiss calendars in both French and English I decided to only make a French version in 2020. I assumed that Brexit voters would only look at the pictures anyway and the others will understand.
First I had to find the photos, 13 in all for the London calendar and about 20 for the La Tzoumaz and Verbier versions (I can use some photos for both). Since I also try to take slightly different subjects from last year, the challenge is to have enough high-quality photos that justify inclusion and fit the format. I have thousands of photos of for example London, thus finding 13 should be easy. It isn’t… The format for the photos on the calendar has to be 1:0.3. This is relatively narrow for a city with new skyscrapers seemingly popping up every other week. I managed to find 13 that I was happy with. These days when I am out shooting, I usually take photos of the same view in various formats to fit for my different needs. For my social media channels I usually shoot in portrait mode, for the calendars in landscape and when possible, I always look out for a potential labelled panorama too.
Then I had to write a template for the calendars. 12 months, 366 days correctly assigned to a day in a week (2020 is a leap year) and a small title for every picture. It seems simple enough, but the potential for a mistake is massive. I found that out last year when my London calendar had a spelling mistake. Selling it was then impossible, thus if you were an acquaintance of mine, you probably got one as a gift. This year my wife proofread them all and they look alright to me (and should there be a mistake, at least she won’t go on about it…).
Printing the calendar is another story. Having used various printers, I was very happy with my local printer (www.freestyleprint.com). We decided to go for a hardback, 13 pages including the cover and a clear acetate protection page. It oozes quality.
With the three calendars being printed, there is now only the small issue of selling them. The La Tzoumaz version will be sold at the market in July and through the local shop. London and Verbier I will only sell by word of mouth. The cuts shops take is too large considering the relatively small quantity I printed.
Et voilà, dear readers, that is where you come in. If you know anybody who lives in London, La Tzoumaz or Verbier I might just have an idea of what you could bring along next time you see them. 😉 And of course, you should also get one for yourself, it would be a shame to miss out.
The price? Sfr 25 / £ 20 (+postage).
Find them in my online shop here https://your-panorama.square.site/home
On a different note, if you own a business and would like to offer your customers or employees a calendar, please get in touch. We can personalise the photos (by for example adding your logo). A fantastic way to remind your customers who they should call next! Prices for size are substantially different from the above.
