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Which Photos Spark Joy?

Stacey Wiseman — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 14:07:44 +0000

Over and over again, I hear from people that what makes designing a photo book so difficult, is selecting photos. Even if I design a custom photo book for you, you still have to select the photos, right?!?! So it’s important to get over this hurdle and find a way to make selecting photos less of a chore and maybe even {gasp!} enjoyable!

When I first heard that Marie Kondo was translating her very popular book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, into a Netflix show I was excited. I read her book when it first came out but tidying up always comes in waves for me. I’ll make progress over several weekends, then get derailed with life’s other demands.

This is what makes her show so enticing to me. Once I started watching the first few episodes, I realized how much it helps to see her and the families in action to get me back in gear. And whenever I fall off the tidying-up wagon, I can just watch another episode (or one I’ve already seen) to get re-inspired and make progress in my own home.

And this led me to photo selection. Kondo’s main mantra on clearing out the clutter can actually help you select photos for a photo book. As you are going through your photos, ask yourself, “Does this photo spark joy?” If so, it should definitely be flagged as a photo to print (either in a book or on your walls).

However, you also have to realize, multiple photos of the same event or moment, is just like clothes in your closet. While you may initially have a desire (joy) to keep 10 black dresses, at some point you have to ask, do I really need all of these? Or are there a few that spark the most joy for me. And that helps to narrow your selection….and all of the clutter.

I’m sure you would say most of your photos spark joy but you have to dig a little deeper. Are you holding on to similar photos just because you have the storage space? If pressed, could you actually select the pose/photo that provide you with the most joy?

Now, I would add one more question to help with your photo selection process.

How do I intend to use this photo?

Particularly when working on a photo book, it’s helpful to know if a photo is part of a series or a grouping – or – if you want it to be a stand-out photo on the page. Asking this question will help you determine if you can select a couple or if you need to be really strict and only select one.

As I mentioned earlier, actually watching someone else go through the decluttering process, helps motivate me to take action. If that sounds like you, I have a Photo Selection Guide ($5) that shows you how I selected photos from 4 different moments in my life. You’ll get access to videos walking you through my thought process while selecting photos plus examples showing how the photos ended up in a photo book layout.

Get it now.

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2014 Photo Book Cover Design: Stencil

Stacey Wiseman — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 14:00:38 +0000

It’s time to bring back the weekly photo book cover designs!!!

In 2014, every Friday I’ll be featuring a cover design for a photo book. Some may have a tutorial associated with it…sometimes it will just be the cover. Always feel free to pin it and share it on Facebook.

I’m starting the year off with a simple cover. In this example the photo occupies the top two-thirds of the cover and then a bold color forms the base. I use a stencil-type font style to write out ‘2014.’ In this case, I wanted the font to be light because the photos and the color are so bold. To achieve this, I created an outline for the text.

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wordless wednesday

Stacey Wiseman — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:00:38 +0000

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wordless wednesday

Stacey Wiseman — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:00:49 +0000

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wordless wednesday

Stacey Wiseman — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:00:07 +0000

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recent film | photo book design layout

Stacey Wiseman — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 02:51:09 +0000

This year we took a family vacation to South Carolina. At the end of October. Not exactly beach season. But the weather was fantastic for us. Comfortable, clear blue sky, not too hot, but definitely sunnier than the place we left. One morning of our trip we decided to go fishing for crabs. I decided to be brave and only take my 35mm film camera loaded with Ektar 100 film.

My mother-in-law ended up catching two crabs. Not a lot…but better than I expected. Even though my son sat around and watched for most of our time on the dock, he still felt part of the action and really enjoyed it. While we were waiting for the crabs to bite, a seasoned fisherman pulled up with his baskets and baskets of crabs.

Here are some of my favorite from the trip.

Now, how will all of these photographs translate into 2 pages (left and right) of a photo book? I wanted a layout that is simple and focuses on the actual act of fishing for crabs. I wanted a subtle caption of “crabbing” to describe the day. And, like all of my layouts, I wanted to include the date of when the photographs were taken. So here is what I came up with!

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the film photos or my layouts! I definitely need more practice…but I get so excited when I see my film experiments!

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Inspiration Photograph

Stacey Wiseman — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:15:17 +0000

Now that it is June, it is time to start thinking about and taking summer photos. To me, that means picnics, barbecues, and nothing says summer quite like a pool photograph. I love Lynne Rigby and I love Lynne Rigby’s photographs. She is amazingly talented – both with her camera and teaching. Truly inspiring lady. But…today…I want to focus on her pool photographs. I loved so many of them last year and already a little giddy for her photographs this summer.

Her photographs highlight the sun sparkle, the waves of the pool, and her kids in and out of the water. Here is a great photograph to get you inspired for your pool photographs this summer. And just warning you…there may be more. Seriously love her!

I want to see your summer photographs! I have started a flickr set that you can link your photograph to. Or you can always leave a comment below with a link to your blog post, Facebook page or flickr set. Love to see each other’s work!!!

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May One Word | custom photo book

Stacey Wiseman — Wed, 30 May 2012 01:09:15 +0000

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.

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2012 Cover Series | custom photo book

Stacey Wiseman — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:24:27 +0000

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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Color! Design Tutorial

Stacey Wiseman — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:24:04 +0000

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:

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