Years of experience have taught us what people want to see on the calendar, and what they don't want to see.
Resolution and Size:
The Hummer Calendar has always been of the highest quality possible, so photos need to be high resolution. Four megapixel minimum, six megapixel or greater, digital is preferred. The larger the photo size the better. There is a big difference between computer screens and print. A photo that looks good on a computer screen might be quite small in print. Stretching photos to the size of those on the calendar can produce less than desirable results. We prefer not to use photos shot on film because that requires mailing in negatives which need to be taken to a photo lab for drum-scanning, then returned. This costs both time and money, and there's always the chance of a valuable negative being lost in the mail.
Photos taken with cell phones do not have sufficient size or resolution for use on the calendar, at least not yet. They are designed for sending photos from one phone to another, not for use in print media. Please only submit photos taken with a good digital camera.
Content:
People want to see close-up extreme action shots of Hummers. The Hummer should take up around 1/3 of the photo or more, not seen in the distance. It should jump off the page at you. In your face. If there's dirt or sand being kicked up, or water or mud being splashed up, that's a plus. Angles and/or wheels off the ground are also pluses. See the examples below.
Avoid:
With rare exceptions, posed shots, even if the background scenery is breathtaking. Any vehicle can be parked in front of nice scenery. People want to see Hummers doing what only Hummers can do. People in the shots, including spotters. Other vehicles which are not Hummers. Power lines or other unattractive things in the background. Hummers in parking lots, driveways or on pavement or roads. Advertising or political signs, logos, banners, stickers or statements.
Lighting, Color and Focus:
Hummer should not be in a shadow. If the sun is behind the Hummer, the front of the Hummer will be in shadow. If the sun is overhead, the top of the Hummer will be in light while the bottom will be in shadow. It works best when the sun is behind the camera. Colors should be brilliant and consistent. Focus should be sharp. The finer the detail, the better.
Descriptions/Captions:
You should be prepared to furnish a description or caption for each photo. This would include information about the truck(s) in the photo, such as model year and engine type, as well as names of owners and/or drivers, the place where the photo was taken and anything else about the photo that might be interesting.
IMPORTANT:
In order to submit a photo for the calendar, you must own the photo and the rights to use it for publication. We cannot use photos without the clear rights to do so. If you have purchased a photo from somewhere, you might own a copy of that photo, but you do not own the rights to it (unless you have specifically obtained those rights). If you have found a photo in a book or magazine, we cannot use it. If a professional photographer has been used, you must have the publication rights for the photo(s) in writing. We can really only accept a photo if you have taken it yourself, or it was taken by a friend or family member who will not question our right to use it for publication. No copyrighted material, such as logos, visible in a photo can be used without permission. Readable license plates may be obscured by our graphic artist. We will not take even the slightest chance of being sued over the use of a photo.
By submitting a photo for the calendar, you can and do grant us the right to publish it in print. This should be clearly understood. If you are not absolutely certain that you own the rights to a photo, please do not submit it.
