by Erin Gibson | Mar 15, 2017 | Photo Book Design Layout, Photo Book Design Workshop
Being completely honest here…I’m not always the best at describing what I love to do….or how intensely I love helping you print your photos.
Sometimes…..it takes hearing it from others.
A while ago, one of my former PBDW students contacted me that she finally received her photo book and loved it!
Overjoyed could not explain my emotion well enough. I’m absolutely giddy whenever one of my students reports back with photos of their actual book.
Shannon is no exception. And I wanted to share Shannon’s story with you. But first, my Intro Photo Book Design & Advanced Photo Book Design Workshops starts on Monday, March 20, 2017. This is the only time to work directly with me in a workshop setting on your photo book this year.
Now – Here’s what Shannon had to say:
So I took Stacey’s Intro to Photo Book Design Workshop on a whim.
I am a true believer in documenting daily life through photographs and have been a scrapbooker since before my first child was born (I have a 7 year old and 2 year old twins). And even though my life was extremely busy – life in general never seems to slow down – I was determined to take pictures and document our story.
And that’s what I did.
I took several online photography courses to better my skills and was happy with my results. The only thing, I wasn’t printing anything. And what I did end up printing got shoved in a drawer somewhere, a place no one was going to go looking for them.
So when I saw Stacey’s book pop up online one day, I started researching, looked at all her books she had posted on her website and fell in love with the idea of designing my own photo book.
And I’m happy to report hat I have just received my first family yearbook and IT IS AWESOME!
The little details that Stacey teaches makes all the difference in the world (for example Table of Contents, aligning photos from one page to the next, monthly title pages, and I could go on and on).
The things I LOVE about my book are the pages that spread across the entire book…so much impact! I didn’t add much text but what I decided to do was pick a random day out of the month and give a little summary of what was happening.
I couldn’t be happier with the way it came out. I cannot recommend a project like this and Stacey’s PBDW class enough. It is such a great way to see your photos come to life…your story laid out for you in a professional looking book.
Thank you again Stacey for all your great tips and instruction. You were so hands-on and available. You really made the process so interesting and fun. Totally inspired by you and your work. #photobookerforlife
Shannon Belanger
Want to learn more? Sign up for my Photo Book Design Workshops. Registration is open now and workshop starts on March 20, 2017.
by Stacey Wiseman | Jun 1, 2012 | Description, Family Photographs, Inspiration, Photo Book Design Layout, Photograph
For this photo book cover, I am incorporating the two shades of dark gray with a black and white photograph. This gives the cover a stately simplicity that would perfectly set up a modern photo book. For the interior of the book, the same dark gray with light gray font could act as the section pages, dividing the custom photo book into months, seasons, or events!

[divider]Make sure you pin it!
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by Stacey Wiseman | May 29, 2012 | Description, Family Photographs, Motivation, Photo Book Design Layout, Photograph
The following is an example of my May page for the One Word Challenge. For this layout, it is only 1 page with a simple border around a 5″x7″ photograph.

by Stacey Wiseman | May 25, 2012 | Family Photographs, Photo Book Design Layout
Here is a very simple cover idea for a photo book for your child. It pulls a dominant color from the photograph and creates a band at the bottom for the text. You can use your child’s name or nickname to personalize it even further. Selecting a font that you love or that really sums up the personality of your child really adds to the cover.

[divider] Do you love this cover idea? Make sure you pin it!
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by Stacey Wiseman | May 24, 2012 | Description, Family Photographs, Motivation, Photo Book Design Layout, Photograph
Here is the next entry in the Book This Project Color Series!
Here are six color options to pair with a photograph in a landscape size photo book. Submit your photograph to info[at]bookthisproject.com and I will prepare a color profile for you!
Let me know in the comments below, which one is your favorite?
[divider]Here is the original photograph from yesterday’s wordless wednesday post:

[divider] the colors:





[divider] A free download of the color values are located here:

by Stacey Wiseman | May 22, 2012 | Description, Family Photographs, Inspiration
I am super excited to share with you the final installment Book This Project ebook launch!
The House the __________ Built
I love this idea! I adapted the concept from R. Caldecott’s “The House that Jack Built” and customized it to fit our family including my son’s favorite things for a personalized book.
This concept is incredibly easy to customize for your family. Upon purchase, a questionnaire and upload form will be emailed to you. Once you upload the photographs of your “characters,” I will pull it all together in a beautiful, easy-to-use ebook or pdf.
Photographs and narratives do not have to be known before you purchase. I will walk you through all the steps and provide suggestions!
The main point is to create a cumulative tale that describes the fun family members and toys that live in your household.
Here is the text from my final “page”:
This is the phone that buzzed in the morn,
That woke up daddy not shaven or shorn,
Who kissed mommy in her pj’s worn,
Who fed Lydia all forlorn,
Who loved the elephant with the big, loud horn,
Who startled the bear,
Who pushed the fire truck,
That carried the cheese,
That Lay in the House that Alden Built!
This video illustrates how it all comes together!
If you have any questions, please let me know!
Again, for any of the ebooks that have been launched, you do not have to have the photos and text ready. I will work with you to customize your book!
Even though this concludes the official launch of ebooks, I will continue to release new book and ebook ideas, so make sure you check out the website, facebook, and newsletter!
* R. Caldecott “The House that Jack Built” published in 1878 is in the public domain.
by Stacey Wiseman | May 18, 2012 | Family Photographs, Photo Book Design Layout
Here is the next entry in the Book This Project 2012 cover design series.
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by Stacey Wiseman | May 7, 2012 | Description, Family Photographs, Inspiration, Photo Book Design Layout, Photograph
COLOR! It is so important in design and can add so much to your photo book layouts. I have decided to start a new monthly series that examines the impact color has on layouts. I will take a photograph – or a group of photographs – and run through a series of different design layouts – exploring color, type, size, orientation, and proportion.
First, to start off this series, I want to mention the beautiful and inspiring site: Design Seeds. If you are not familiar with them, I hope you will check out their site, facebook page or pin boards. This site examines the rich color groups found within evocative photographs. If you are ever in a color rut or looking for color inspiration, you should check out their work!
Photo

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[divider]Get a free download listing the colors used in this series (RGB and CMYK) – here!
[divider] Would you like one of your photographs featured in this series? Email me your photograph and I will let you know when your photo will appear.
I hope this gets your creative juices flowing!
And if you love any of these, share this post on your facebook page or pin your favorite(s)!