Each year I design a family photo book which serves as a pictorial record of our year as a family. This takes the place of the traditional photo album and I believe is a much nicer version. Photo books are slim in design and fit neatly onto shelves – or they can be displayed on coffee tables at easy reach for people to browse through.
In September last year, I finished my family photo book for 2019 and it was quite a process! Before designing the book, my photos for the year needed to be organised which included the following steps;
- incorporating the images taken on my camera with those taken on my iPhone and other devices
- the deletion of duplicate images
- the deletion of images that didn’t make the cut (ie those that were out of focus, subject’s eyes closed etc)
- the application of keywords and metadata including subjects’ names and the location of where photo was taken
- rating those images to include in my book
- backing up my image library for the year
I then extracted those images that I’d earmarked as using in the book and the design process began.
The finished product is now on display in my home, and will always be there for family and friends to browse through, serving as a reminder for all that took place during the year of 2019!
One of the hardest parts of designing a photo book is to determine which images to use, particularly when we have so many to choose from in this age of digital photography. Even though it can be difficult at times, it’s always best to go with the ‘less is more’ theory if at all possible. Sticking to the best images and those that tell a meaningful story is the way to go.
If you like the idea of having a yearly family photo book, but need some help in getting this done, don’t hesitate to contact me.
https://www.yourphotosfiled.com.au/contact/
Simone