I’ve been a huge fan of Shutterfly for many years. I’ve gotten most of our Christmas cards from Shutterfly. I order all my print photos from Shutterfly. I’ve gotten several gifts from Shutterfly over the years including mugs, office/desk items, and other prints. My favorite thing to create on Shutterfly is a photo book. My sister-in-law makes one on Shutterfly every season. I wish I was that organized. I have made them for our vacations each summer and for a family wedding.
I have to admit, it was hard for me at first to get used to making a photo book rather than putting photos into an album, but once I made my first one I was hooked. Over the years, Shutterfly has come up with so many neat styles, artwork, themes and ways to really make the photo book your own style. Plus they are always saved on Shutterfly in case you ever wanted to give one as a gift. A Shutterfly photo book would make a great gift for a new mom, a child’s birthday, a grandparent or even a high school graduate. I’ve seem them used as guest books at weddings, graduations, and birthday parties. Such a great idea!
If you have ever thought about making a photo book, but wasn’t sure where to start, my best tip is just to jump in. Upload a group of photos from a special event or year and start adding them to your photo book project. Without pressure of having to print it or finish it by a certain date, you are much more likely to take your time learning all the ways you can add your own personal style to a photo book. Just remember to always SAVE your work by naming your project right away.
I have a great guest post for you today from Heather Hewitt from Shutterfly with her best tips for creating a photo book. To create your own photo book with Shutterfly, go to www.Shutterfly.com.
Compelling Photo Book – Heather Hewitt
notice a colorful book of photos on the coffee table. When you pick it up to
look inside, you’re immediately impressed with the way it captures your
friend’s Hawaii vacation with simplicity and beauty. Yet, because of the captions
and fun layout, it’s more interesting to look through than a regular photo
album. “I can do this,” you think. And you can! There are a lot of online sites
that offer predesigned photo
books that you can customize with ease for vacations, events,
year-in-reviews, and much more.
photo book stunning and compelling.
Choose
good photos. If you’re designing a photo book, obviously the most important
component will be the photos you select. With today’s use of the digital
camera, or phones for that matter, we tend to take a lot more photos than in
the past. But that means more to sort through, so how to choose from the
hundreds – maybe thousands – you’ve taken? Simply put, you want to select
photos that tell a story. Perhaps there’s more to them visually than
others. Maybe the lighting is better. Maybe they evoke emotion. Try to choose
interesting pictures, especially for the photos that will take up an entire
page or stand alone.
Select a
varied layout. The layout
of a photo book can change the tone of the book as a whole. It’s important
to alternate the number – and type – of photos used on each page. For example,
don’t make every page a standalone photo with a caption. On the other hand, a
photo book full of collage pages will make it hard to focus and might make the
viewer’s eyes tired. As tempting as it is to cram as many photos as possible
into as small a space as you can, it’s a much better choice to make the layout
interesting. Together, the photos will tell a story they can’t tell alone.
Write
detailed captions. Have you ever thumbed through someone’s photo albums and
wondered who people were and what event they were at and what was so darned
funny? Just think how much more interesting those photos would be if you had
captions. Not only that, but as the years go by, details tend to leave our
brains. So when writing your photo book, make sure to write captions with as
much detail as you’d like to remember – and that you’d like your kids and
grandkids to know later. Remember, you’re leaving a legacy with these books!
Just like you might have learned in yearbook class, details could
include names, dates, locations, etc.
you’re well on your way to create a compelling photo book. Take time to decide
how you want to tell the story of your vacation, year, or significant event –
then take joy in creating and sharing it with family and friends!
Bio: Heather Hewitt is a seasoned writer and guest author who enjoys connecting
people with thoughtful products, services and ideas as they relate to crafting,
photography, gift giving and personal expression.
Posted Under photos, Product Review, Shutterfly, tip
We are taking vacation soon, so I will have to keep this idea in mind for our photo's. I always worry about the quality of the paper that will be used. I assume you have been please and no issues with that quality?
Kris,
I am happy with them. It isn't real thick paper, but not so flimsy that it tears when you turn a page either. I haven't had any issues with it and I have kids that look through them.