A Letter of Introduction from Melissa F. Kaelin:

Welcome! A new project to publicize the talents of the community is taking shape! Just in time to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the Michigan Aurora Chasers, I am sending out a call for submissions to a new photography collection!

I have decided to pursue a project featuring the Aurora that I’ve been dreaming about for over a year. It would be an honor to publish a hardcover book illustrating the beauty of the Northern Lights, featuring your photographs of Aurora in Michigan!

The project will include:

1) A Three-Part Submission Process:
a. An Entry Form, for you to include details and share project preferences.
b. Limit One Aurora Photo Published, participants may submit 1-5 photos for us to choose from, high-quality and detailed for large, full-color printing
c. Captions for Each Photo, including time, date and location.

2) Upon Acceptance, Sign A Contract Consenting to First Publication Rights. In order to publish your work and make it available for sale, I will need your permission in writing. A short contract will be provided with the Entry Form. I will ask for First Publication Rights, which means you give me your permission to publish your photo ONE TIME, then all rights revert back to you. I will also try to cover my bases, in case your book page appears on social media, marketing, webpages or other digital uses, like holding up the book in a video.

3) Receive an Acceptance Letter, confirming your photo has been selected for publication.
— This means it meets the criteria, you have agreed to be featured alongside the Michigan Aurora Chasers, and the quality is high enough for print.***

4) Simple Captions, for your work written by the book author/editor using the details you provided.

5) Cover Art Considerations, more details coming this summer!

6) Approval Process, giving you a limited window of time to suggest edits to a mock-up page.

7) Pre-Orders & Publication, with Discounted Contributor Copies Available.

8) A Book Release Party, open to the public, inviting the Michigan Aurora Chasers, and giving contributors an opportunity to make an appearance, sign books, and celebrate.

Please be patient along with me, because this project is a big undertaking and a work in progress. I recognize that I’m asking photographers to volunteer the submission of their photos for publication, but I would also be volunteering hours upon hours of my free time to create this book. I’m also willing to support the project with up to $3,000 of initial investment working with my contacts at an independent publisher.

If you believe we can create something lasting and beautiful together, I would love to collaborate with you on this project! I invite you to browse the sections on the Shape of the Sky Project website to learn more.

Thank you for your collaboration!

— Melissa F. Kaelin
Michigan Aurora Chasers Founder

***Please know that a rejection letter is not a comment on your work — I can personally tell you some of my own phone pictures, while they are beautiful, are simply not large enough in file size to print in large dimensions and simultaneously keep the stars in focus. Decisions on whether a photo meets the criteria will be left up to the book author/editor, with advice from the MAC Admin Team and/or Group Experts.