Saturday, October 30, 2010

Help choose a book cover

Vineyard Light on our Earth, Character and Spirit is the working title for one of the new books I'm creating. The text is quotes from 100 winemakers, owners and vineyard workers plus excerpts from my personal vineyard journal telling what we have learned while in the vineyard. Heavy and humorous stuff, all synergistically combined with knock-your-booties-off photography.

I've done a layout with the title as a sample, but those PDF cover photos are dull.

Need your help with the cover. Which would you choose? Why?

(Note that the numbers and titles are below the photo.)

Sample cover
Sample cover
Photo #1 Morning light on Five Mountain Vineyard and Mt Hood
Photo #2 Sun streaks on Red Hills Vineyard
Photo #3 Breaking storm at Sunset
Photo #4 Morning light after storm on Red Hills vineyards
Photo #5 Sunset over vineyard
Photo #6 Stormy light on Napa vineyard
Photo #7 Sunrise after storm Napa vineyard
Photo #8 Foggy sunrise over Red Hills vineyards.

15 comments:

Unknown said...

probably no4 - because it brings my eye to the topic...vineyard. I would like to see one with you and a vineyard owner/wine maker walking the fields - you have an interesting spirit that is captivating and would draw me to pick up any book....just my 2 cents. Interesting people on cover [for me] always pull me in - old souls, lined faces - experience being there....

good look and will look forward to finished offering.

Unknown said...

Janis,

You just don't make it easy, do you?
Wonderful pictures all.

I like the idea of including a person or silhouette due to the subject matter. Of course that could have been said for first book on this subject.
Are the quotes from Oregon wineries only. If so I like the Mt. Hood version.
I've always liked the theme photo for your blogg, but the other numbered photos are a notch above and any could make a hit!
frank

Janis said...

A vote from an email: My goodness those are all beautiful photos and any one of them would be incredible on the cover. It was hard to choose any one over the other....but I think I really love photo number 1. I love all the different dimensions in this photo, from the crystal clear vineyards to the soft subtleness of the fog over the trees and then the whole photo being overseen by the majestic Mt Hood. I think I am partial to the photo for our recognition of Mt Hood. As you look at this photo it just feels like looking at layers of God's perfection in nature.

Janis said...

A vote from an email: I like cover #5. After warming the vineyards Mother Nature puts the vines to bed under a cooling blanket of fog.

Janis said...

A vote from an email: Photo 7, it just speaks to me the title of the book more than any other of the photos.

Janis said...

A vote from an email: over NÂș4

-You need to show clearly the vines
-There is room at the top for the title

Janis said...

A vote from an email: I would go for #4.It has not only vineyards but also terrain.Trees in the gullies and fields in the distance.Nice quiet sort of a
picture.

Janis said...

A vote from an email: No. 1 is beautiful and peaceful. No. 5 is also peaceful so you have a beginning, morning, and an ending, evening .

Janis said...

A vote from an email: I vote #4 - it has so much depth, dimension and color... kind of like an Oregon wine!

Janis said...

A vote from an email: I like #1 the best, with #8 next, I think they both show a calm not in the other photos that seems to go with the title.

Janis said...

A vote from an email: I like #1 and #4

Janis said...

A vote from an email: #5

Janis said...

A vote from an email: #1
The soft filtered glow of light through the mist (fog or smoke?) gives it a more romantic and dreamlike feel, and harkens the harvest time to my mind….the vines in the foreground stretching to gather the last rays before harvest and then winter.
Also the flow of the undulating ribbon of fencing in the foreground emulates the earth and soil it grows from, and builds like waves through hills beyond to a faint crescendo of the subtle and sublime mountain in the distance.
The low contrast lighting, simple palate of warm tones are also more inviting to me like savoring a good glass of wine in the evening (as opposed to the vibrant punches of color or even the Napa Storm shots, which while beautiful, immediately reminded me of Mordor and leave me a little unsettled)

Janis said...

A vote from an email: I vote for #7 which might be the second title mock-up but, doesn’t do justice to the breathtaking ethereal quality of the sun (as in spirit) rising over the earth and transforming the character of the living by its radiance.

Janis said...

A vote from an email: #1