by Stacey Wiseman | Jun 9, 2015 | Design Series, Motivation, Photo Book Design Layout, Tutorial
You’ve taken the photos and you have the desire to print them. In all honesty, you understand that’s the point. But in reality…it’s hard to find the time to actually complete a photo book.
I completely understand. We are all so busy. Keeping up with chores, errands, dinner, appointments. It’s difficult to find time for anything miscellaneous.
But printing your photos makes your memories tangible.
So what’s the road block?
One reason could be indecision. You don’t know where to start. What type of book? Which photos to select? To add text or not?
There are a lot of small decisions to make when it comes to making a photo book. And if you are not used to making them, it’s easier to not make them. To put it off. To wait until next month to tackle all of the answers.
But here’s the thing: when you wait, it only becomes harder to accomplish.
Today I want to share three easy strategies in getting started with printing your photos.
1) Limit your choices.
It’s been mentioned by researchers like Malcolm Gladwell – too many choices makes it too hard to decide. It’s much easier to decide between two options compared to ten. It’s as true for toothpaste as it is for designing books. So limit your options – for everything from which company to use or what type of book to design.
2) Take quick action.
When I’m feeling indecisive, it’s usually because I’m dwelling (well, agonizing) over the right decision. Should it be this way…or that way? And I could go on and on forever. To move past this point, I remind myself to make quick decisions. I rely on my gut reaction. Being perfectly honest, I make faster decisions when I’m under the pressure of a deadline. If you recognize this trait, give yourself a deadline to help you decide faster.
3) No second guessing.
There are no wrong answers when it comes to designing a photo book. Once you make a decision, don’t look backward; only forward. Keep the momentum going.
To see how I recommend starting your book – and how a Friends’ episode relates to designing photo books – sign up for my 4 free video tutorials.
by Stacey Wiseman | May 20, 2015 | Family Photographs, Inspiration, Photo Book Design Layout
When designing a photo book, an event can be slightly redefined. It doesn’t have to be a huge deal, such as a birthday party or celebrating a graduation. It can also be a smaller activity, like an afternoon of coloring, playing legos, or picking out clothes.
Photo books are actually a collection of these types of events – or moments. Today, I want to share how you can design a layout for a small group of photos describing an everyday event.
A couple of weeks ago, I was working on a challenge within David duChemin’s The Visual Toolbox for The Photographer Within’s forum. For this particular lesson, we had to capture our subject in a variety of angles and perspectives. When my daughter wanted to use sidewalk chalk, I knew this would be a good time to practice.
Here are the photos that I captured:
Notice how many photos I’m deleting versus how many I’m keeping. You’ll also see that I’ve starred my favorites. I start with three stars. Once I’ve selected photos that achieve the variety of angles and capture a part of the story, I filter all of my 3-star photos.
My 3-Star Photos
The next step is to narrow down my selection even further by designating 4-stars. These are the photos that really tell the story without being too repetitive.
My 4-Star Photos
With the 4-star photos filtered, I now make sure the editing is exactly the way I want it for a book. I check for white balance and exposure consistency.
When ready, I export out my photos and move to my book design software.
Good Layout
One option for a layout is to prepare a normal grid of photos, vertically centered on the page.
This works but is kind of typical (read: too boring for the activity).
Better Layout
With these photos, I want to accentuate certain actions or details. In layout design, you can use the size of the photo box to establish hierarchy.
This layout improves on the first by adding a central photo that is larger than the others.
Best Layout
While there is more interest in this layout, I wanted to test out one more layout. In the final layout, I reduced the number of photos and paid more attention to where the white space is happening on the page. Also, I used three different sizes of photo boxes making for a more dynamic layout. Finally, I added the date to complete the layout.
Take Action!
That’s how I work through my photo selection and book layout process. Good, better, best!
Of course, the varieties are endless. You could imagine a completely different layout for these photos, based on your style and preferences. It’s what makes photo book design so fascinating.
Hopefully, this has inspired you to get out there and document an everyday event and create a layout for your photo book!
To get even more layout design inspiration – and – a special discount on my signature workshop, Document Your Year, sign up below for 5 free design lessons.
by Stacey Wiseman | Apr 3, 2015 | Photo Book Design Layout, Review
Recently, I was working on a design for a fantastic and very helpful ebook on food photography. It’s impossible for me not to share with you – not only because the author and I collaborated to bring her instructions and photos to life but also because there is so much information packed into the pages.
I love food photography. It’s the one area where I would love to improve upon. Many reasons for this desire – my husband is an amazing cook, family meals are an essential part of our family and I just find food so darn beautiful.
But I often struggle with how to position the food. And what lighting works best. And how to use the props.
In Trisha Hughes ebook, Eat Pretty Things, she explains her process. She breaks down the components of taking beautiful photographs of food. You’ll learn her tips and tricks not only to get the shot but also for posting your photos on Instagram.
If you are interested in getting started with food photography, I can’t recommend this ebook highly enough. Plus, I’d love to hear what you think about the design. 😉
Pin this image and check out her blog. Even if you don’t buy her ebook, she offers amazing recipes and advice on her blog and in her emails.
Note: I’m an affiliate for Trisha because I recommend her ebook for the value it provides and I support the mission of her business. If you purchase her ebook, I will receive a small portion of the sale.
by Stacey Wiseman | Mar 12, 2015 | Family Photographs, Photo Book Design Layout, Photograph
I finally had a chance to pull together my February Morning, Noon, and Night photos. For an added bonus, I even found time to place these photos into my photo book! We had a large snowfall last week that kept us indoors for most of the weekend. It was the perfect opportunity to get caught up with my photos.
In February, we had a relaxing morning. My husband was drawing which led to my daughter wanting to follow suit. After lunch, my son had a birthday pool party to go to. It’s been about 6 months since we’ve been swimming so this was a lot of fun. The evening included a little silliness, my kids playing with my iPhone.
Morning
Noon
Night
Book Layouts
Are you participating in my monthly challenge? Leave a comment with a link so I can check it out!
by Stacey Wiseman | Jan 27, 2015 | Photo Book Design Layout, Product Feature
An ancillary benefit to designing photo books is to live vicariously through my client’s lives. And the C Family in Indiana is no exception. I have to admit my jealousy over the travels this family took in 2013. Last summer, they loaded up in a RV and traveled across the country. It looked like an absolute blast.
Working on her family photo book reminded me of one of my favorite trips out west as a child. Many years ago, my sister, brother, and I were marooned in the back of a station wagon for what seemed like days. But the agony of being cramped and hot was worth it once we finally arrived at Yellowstone.
I love that I’m helping to preserve these memories of their 2013 trip by placing them in a photo book. Of course, that was only one part of their year. The entire book actually documents a Project 365 – a photograph taken every single day of 2013.
Using the Day # / 365 was an important detail I included in the design. It was the only caption or title throughout the entire book. I did not designate the months, places, or events. Only the day the photo was taken.
This was a monumental project and one that I know my client will treasure years from now. The simple, elegant design of this photo book allows her photos to shine.
11×8
270 pages
Hardcover Linen with Dust Jacket
by Stacey Wiseman | Jan 22, 2015 | Description, Family Photographs, Photo Book Design Layout, Promotions, Uncategorized
Last weekend, I photographed my morning, noon and night. It’s so great to capture the everyday moments to see how they remain the same and how they change. It’s an easy way to document your life without the huge commitment of taking photos every hour.
This removes the overwhelm from the selection, editing and design process. In fact, for my January submission, I shot 162 photos and selected 29 to edit. I ended up using 24 of those photos. With that simple process, I’m well on my way to design an annual book.
Of course, this book may not include all of the details (chances are….I’m going to design that book too!), but if this is the only photo book you think you’ll make all year, it’s a great one to touch on the details that make up your life.
Morning
Noon
Night
The best part is, I’m working on my book each month as I shoot. Here are a few of my pages.
Want to join along?
by Stacey Wiseman | Jan 20, 2015 | Description, Family Photographs, Photo Book Design Layout
There’s something so magical about being able to design a family’s photo book year after year. This past year, I finished my second photo book for the B Family in Canada and I’m getting ready to start their third book. I’ve documented birthdays, amazing family vacations and even the birth of the fourth child.
The bond of this family is truly remarkable. They’re active, funny, kind-hearted and loving. And yes, I can tell all of this by her photos. I’ve seen silly antics, scattered legos, messy artwork and hockey games. I’ve also seen charity events and immense brotherly love.
One of the reasons I love working on their photo books, my client includes photos of their daily life but also abstract, macro and flower photography as well. This provides a tremendous amount of flexibility to the layouts and ultimately the flow of the book. In their 2013 book, I used these photographs as a full spread bleed layout. Using these layouts, I’m able to make a big impact to the start of each month with bright, vibrant photos.
I’m so thrilled to design her photo books! Beyond my love of designing, I know how much her family appreciates these family heirlooms – which adds to my excitement to design her next book!
All book photos in this post are copyright protected by Renee Bonuccelli, 2014. All Rights Reserved.
by Stacey Wiseman | Jan 15, 2015 | Photo Book Design Layout, Product Feature
Custom Cover Design
Often when I’m designing photo books, I prefer a clean, simple yet sophisticated design to let the photos (and the moments captured in the photos) standout. While this sounds good, I realize it can be difficult to understand what that truly means.
The best way I can explain it, is to show an example. My design for the T_Family, located in South Carolina, is a perfect example. There is simplicity to the layouts because there is order, alignment, and hierarchy. All of the photos are organized on the page in a logical way. The alignment, margins and spacing between photos are consistent throughout. White space is used to provide the eye breathing room to dwell on particular photos. Hierarchy is employed by placing larger images next to smaller ones.
All of these decisions are deliberate. It shows my ability to choose from the photos my client provided to show them in the best possible way on the page. It reveals how I can tell a story of a year, over the course of a book.
Having said that, it’s also important for me to show a design sophistication in the details. For this photo book, I selected an ornate font, soft color palette and graphic that appears on each month section page and page numbers. Since a majority of this photo book documents the life of their daughter, I wanted to present a sophisticated feminine approach. I used two shades of a muted pink as opposed to a brighter more vibrant pink to emphasize the daughter interest in dance.
Section Divider Page
I was elated to learn that my client absolutely loved her photo book. Currently, I’m designing her 2014 photo book – we’re going to change a few elements but the core concept of a sophisticated and modern book design will be the constant driving factor.
11×8
240 pages
Hardcover Linen with Dust Jacket
Would you love for me to design your family photo book? Let me know!
by Stacey Wiseman | Dec 5, 2014 | Design Series, Photo Book Design Layout
Once you have the photos into a specified layout, what to do! One way to elevate a layout is to add details or elements of design. Revise the page to include a color or add text to document the event.
Color is one way to add personality or style to the page. You can add a neutral color, like a tan or gray, or you can add a bold color that complements the photograph. As for the text, this can be anything from a title, a quote, a descriptive caption or a lengthy journal entry.
Not sure how to use color or text in Blurb’s BookSmart? Check out this video:
Want to catch up with the previous videos in the series? Check them out here.
by Stacey Wiseman | Oct 17, 2014 | Design Series, Photo Book Design Layout
This photo book cover is so simple yet so powerful. If you decide to use a text only cover, you want to make sure you study font options and select the right style that goes with your photo book.
For this photo book cover example, I used the font Marlowe which is thin and modern. But it’s a little more great gatsby than bauhuas.
Each number in the year is a separate text box so I could control the spacing of the numbers and overlap them exactly as I wanted. The numbers are all connected and that satisfies my vision.
