a bird in hand is worth …. ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone
THE FIRST THING TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT MY “SECRETS” FOR MAKING photo books is that there are no secrets. The simple fact of the matter is, assuming you are able to create good quality image files (cuz who wants a photo book comprised of crappy looking pictures), making a photo book is not a very complex endeavor. The most difficult step in making a photo book is likely to be figuring out how to navigate / utilize the book making software on any given online POD (Print On Demand) photo book making site. That written, while there are no secrets to the making of a photo book, I do have some very strong opinions on the making thereof ….
LAYOUT / DESIGN (fine art / body of work / portfolio) … first and foremost, I am a devotee of the classic monologue format of most “fine art” photography photo books - a very simple / clean / iMo, elegant 1-picture per page layout with each page having the same size picture with an ample page-white surround / border. My reason for that design approach is that a photo book is all about the pictures and, to my eye and design sensibilities, anything that detracts visually from an emphasis on those pictures is a distraction. A simple, repetitive layout creates a relaxed visual “rhythm” to the photo book viewing experience, freeing the eye and the mind from the constant perceptual “readjustments” encountered in a more “creative” layout presentation.
typical “fine art” spread with page-white borders
LAYOUT / DESIGN (“family” photo album / travelogue) … the only difference between my “fine art” design ideas and my “family photo album" design ideas is that I ignore my 1-picture per page rule inasmuch as some pages have 4 pictures per page. Those pictures are ganged together much like individual prints might be grouped together on a single traditional photo album page. However, ample page-white space still applies.
In all of my photo books, the pictures pages are bracketed by a title page, copyright page and artist statement page in the front end of the book and a lifesquared logo page at the back end of the book. The front and back covers are usually a single full-bleed pictures selected from the work in the book.
typical travelogue spread
typical title / statement pages
typical covers and spine
OTHER DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS …. sequencing and number of pictures. Re: number of pictures. There is no hard and fast rule regarding the number of pictures. However, do keep in mind that the more pictures there are, the more apt you are to lose a viewer’s full attention. My rule of thumb is to include 20-30 pictures in a fine art / body of work / portfolio photo book with 20 pictures being the “ideal” number. In theory, when it comes to family photo albums / travelogue photo books, the sky is the limit. That and the cost of the book, which can rise substantially as the number of pages increase.
Re: sequencing …. sequencing is a tricky subject for me. Whether or not a photo book needs sequencing of any particular kind is up to the book creator. For me, other than my travelogue photo books which I sequence on a timeline approach, starting at the beginning of a trip and sequencing thru to the end of a trip, I don’t pay particular attention to sequencing in my fine art / body of work / portfolio books. Inasmuch as I am not trying to tell a “story” in those books, but rather, trying to create an “impression”, I don’t feel that the sequence with which the pictures are presented is very important. Although, in some cases, I might look at a 2-page spread (1 picture per page) and decide that, for one reason or another-predicated on my eye and sensibilities-the pictures do not “work” well together. At which point, one picture or the other is moved to another page and replaced with a picture which is less visually disruptive to the spread. For me, it ain’t science, it’s all about the “feel”.
CHOOSING A POD PHOTO BOOK SOURCE AND WORKING WITH THEIR BOOK CREATION SOFTWARE …. There are 2 types of POD photo book sources: a.) those that cater to the average consumer, and, b.) those that cater to “serious” amateur / fine art picture makers and professional pictures makers. Both sources are capable of delivering very good quality photo books. That written, there are some significant differences between the 2 sources.
The first difference, and for some the most important difference, is cost. Those sources which cater to the average consumer tend to be much lower in cost ($-$$), some are significantly lower, than those sources which cater to the “serious” / professional picture maker ($$$$-$$$$$). iMo, unless you are creating a "keepsake" photo book with a lot of bells and whistles, many average consumer souces produce excellent quality-printing and materials-photo books that will more than satisfy most pictures makers who are looking for a very good quality photo book.
The second difference between the high roller (more choices) and average consumer (fewer choices) sources is the number of options available for the making of a photo book. Things like paper choices, cover finish choices, binding choices and the like. And, in the case of Shutterfly (and maybe others?), their 6-color printing option (as opposed to the industry standard 4-color printing), which, as I can atest, is well worth the extra cost.
The other difference amongst all sources is their photo book making software. In some cases, photo book making is done all online using the source's software. Some others require that you download their software to your computer. I can also write from experience, some software is rather intuitive to use while other software will make you crazy.
In any event, it's free and easy to "test drive" most POD photo book sources' software. Case in point, Shutterfly. Just go to the site, set up an account (no cost or downside), upload some pictures and have at it. Assembling a book does not require that you print the book. So, there is no cost unless you print the book.
This entry has gone on long enough. In the next entry, I will devulge a couple of kinda real "secrets". One that makes all POD photo book making software very easy to use and another that will save you money.