Tips for Designing and Creating Impactful Photography Books

*Please scroll to the bottom of the post for more images from our guest.*

Tips for Designing a Photo Book with Peggy Farren

Start with a Plan
Purpose of the Book
-Tell a story
-Document a trip or event
-Showcase a collection of images for a coffee table book
-Guide book
-Portfolio

Audience

-Gift for friends or family
-Memory book for yourself
-Sell to a larger audience

Knowing these helps to determine size, format, and paper choice - which will also help to determine the cost.

Software

Blurb - Lightroom compatible
Shutterfly, Snapfish
MPix - from Miller’s professional photo lab

Tips for Arranging Your Images

• Overall arrangement can be chronological, theme-based, or location based.
• Print thumbnails of the images to organize and arrange manually.
• Less is more! Choose your BEST images to represent the “story”
• Get a second opinion before you print!
• Remember rules of composition when arranging multiple images on a page.
• Always leave room in front of a face.
• Give images room to breathe - avoid crowding too many images on one page.
• Give the viewer variety - mix close-ups with more distant views to help tell a story.
• Pay attention to color combinations within pages and make it pleasant to look at.

Text Options

• Use no more than 2 font styles or colors that are easy to read.
• Unless you are telling a story, keep text to a minimum. Remember, less is more!
• Title of Image
• Inspirational quote
• Any text that helps put the photo in context or helps to tell the story without being overly wordy or using lingo.

Important Images

• Cover - an impactful image letting you know what the book is about.
• Lead image - the picture on the first page– needs to grab the viewer’s attention and lead their eye to the right and further into the book.
• Final image - an impactful summary or end of the book.

Mentioned on the Show

Episode 88 Karen Shulman
Episode 164 Kevin Holliday
Florida Photo Spots: Naples and Collier County

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