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Photo Book Layout: What Makes Sense?

When it comes to photo book layout, there are plenty of pro photographers who feel a little bit overwhelmed. In many cases, this is just because they’ve focused so much on shooting and creating great shots - in some cases for designers - that laying out a printed photo book seems like a foreign concept.

So how do you go about laying out a printed photo book? How can you be sure that your photo book layout makes sense?

  1. Think about the themes in your web site - if that layout has worked well for you in the past, it may be beneficial to choose a similar photo book layout
  2. Think about the shots that you’ve takes - if there is a certain flow to them, you’ll find that you can choose a photo book layout based on that flow
  3. Think about the clarity of your photos - if you shoot digitally and there seems to be a fair amount of noise in a shot at full size, you may want to use that image in a smaller form as a compliment to other photos that you are using
  4. Think about your audience - when you are choosing a photo book layout for your portfolio, chances are good that the layout is going to be different than one designed as a wedding album for your clients

What you’re ultimately going to find is that there’s no one right photo book layout - there are going to be variations based on the purpose of the book, the shots themselves and on whom will be looking at the photo book. Take the time to look at all of your options; the photo book layout that’s best for your needs will come to you.

Printed Photo Books and Gallery Shows

Most photographers have the goal of some day showing their work to others with a gallery show. If you find yourself among their number, there are two specific ways in which printed photo books can be beneficial.

First, if you are looking to book a gallery show, printed photo books can help you to showcase your work in a way that makes it stand out. Whether you’re looking for the opportunity to share work that focuses on a particular theme and you want to create a portfolio of just those works, or you want to be able to create a single tool that allows you to highlight the diversity of your photography work, printed photo books will give you the chance to market yourself effectively.

If you’ve already booked a gallery show, you will find that printed photo books make great guides to the show. When you’ve gone to museum special exhibits, chances are good that you’ve seen the guides to the show that explain the work, talk about the process and give the audience an opportunity to understand the show a bit more. With printed photo books, you can share a bit about your work in much the same way.

In other words, when it comes to gallery shows, photographers will find that there are benefits to using printed photo books - it’s all about getting a bit creative.

Marketing with Printed Photo Books

When you start looking at the options that are available to you for marketing your photography business, a few things are going to become quite clear:

  • Printed photo books are going to create the opportunity to share your thoughts and impressions in your portfolio rather than just cut and dried images.
  • Printed photo books are going to give you the chance to create different books for different target markets.
  • Printed photo books are going to enable you to set apart your work by simply showing your work differently.

When you turn to marketing your business with printed photo books rather than simply looking at more traditions tools - simple web sites and traditional portfolios - you will find that your marketing materials are simply more memorable. The more that you are able to market your business in a way that others are going to notice and remember, the more that you are going to attract additional clients to your business. The more that you attract clients to your business, the more successful that you are going to be.

In other words, what you are going to notice is that the more that you can do to set yourself apart with your marketing materials, the better off you’re going to be. Printed photo books - especially when you use professional quality books - create a great opportunity to make your work stand out.

Quality Enhances Perception of Value

When you are looking into offering printed photo books to your clients or you are thinking about marketing your photography business a bit differently, one of the things that you are going to want to be sure of is that the perception of value of your work is high. Simply put, the higher the perception of value that consumers attach to your work, the more that you are going to be able to charge appropriate prices for portrait sessions, weddings, events and even retouching work.

When you’re using printed photo books, you’ll find that you are able to increase the perception of value of your work - provided, of course, you make an effort to use high-quality printed photo books. You’ll want to be sure that you’re choosing books that are well-bound, that have great color and that are built to your specifications.

In other words, in order to enhance the perception of value of your work, you are going to find that it’s a good idea to focus on the quality of your work and the quality of the ways in which you share that work with others. Whether you are creating a photo book as an album for your clients or you are looking for a better way of marketing yourself, keep in mind, the perception of value is going to have a huge impact on your ability to get work and grow your business.

Printed Photo Books Serve to Document Events

Whether you are a professional photographer who shoots portraits, marketing shots or travel photos (or anything else along the spectrum), you are going to find that you are able to do more for your business by looking at the advantages of using printed photo books. There are a number of ways in which photographers use photo books - from offering their clients unique albums to showcasing their work in a unique portfolio; one great option allows photographers to document events.

There are many different types of events of course. If you’re looking to break into travel photography, for example, you can document a cruise, a trip to a far away destination or even great attractions within your local area. If you’re a concert photographer, you may find that you are able to collect your best shots into printed photo books to document not just the performance, but also the excitement of the audience.

While these are just a couple of examples of the types of things that you can document with printed photo books - the reality is that from weddings to sporting events, from charity functions to school dinners can also be documented - the reality is simple: if it goes on and is worth commenting on, you can take advantage of printed photo books to share the experience with others.

Printed Photo Books Aren’t Just Fancy Albums

When you are working as a professional photographer, one of the things that you need to be sure that you are doing is presenting the photos that you take in the best way possible. Rather than simply creating an album of photos for your clients, why not make an effort to do something more? Why not create a printed photo book instead?

When you create a printed photo book, you aren’t just giving your clients an album of shots from their wedding or event and you aren’t just making an effort to showcase pictures of their kids; instead, by creating a printed photo book you will find that you are helping them to tell the story of their lives - even if only a few moments within those lives.

Similarly, when you create a printed photo book rather than simply creating an album of shots that you took while you were on vacation or while you were spending time at a family reunion, you will find that you are able to tell the story of the event - to do more than just give a brief overview of what happened.

In other words, when you make an effort to collect your work in printed photo books rather than traditional albums, one of the things that you will quickly discover is that it’s easy to set yourself apart. Printed photo books are far more than fancy photo albums; printed photo books are a story that is illustrated on the page.

Printed Photo Books Help You to Establish Your Brand

When you are looking for success as a professional photographer, one of the things that you are going to want to be sure that you are able to establish your brand. When you use printed photo books to get the word out about your business and to make sure that others are seeing your best work, you’ll find that you are in a better position not only to establish your brand but also to promote that brand.

With printed photo books, you will find that you are able to:

  • Choose colors and fonts similar to those that you use in all of your other marketing materials.
  • Tell the story of your work.
  • Give your prospects a sense of what you can do to help them meet their needs - whether they are looking for family portraits, marketing shots or even a wedding photographer.
  • Showcase your commitment to excellence.
  • Create a fuller representation of your work.

Everything that you do to establish your brand is going to help you to market your photography business. By making sure that you create consistent materials - including printed photo books - you are going to find that more people will remember your name, your business name and the quality of work that you can provide them with. In other words, you’ll find that you are able to market your business more effectively when you aren’t “just another photographer”; a printed photo book will help you to stand out from the crowd.

5 Photo Book Layout Tips

When you’re thinking about photo book layout, one of the things that you are going to want to be sure of is that you are able to use photo books to your best advantage. Therefore, it’s a good idea to think about the following when you choose a photo book layout:

  1. When you choose a photo book layout because you intend to use a printed photo book as a portfolio, you are going to find that you want to take advantage of the opportunity to use images of less traditional sizes.
  2. When you focus on using printed photo books to market your your work, your photo book layout should take into consideration the prospects you are marketing to and what they hope to see.
  3. When you are planning to offer photo books as a finished product to your clients, you are going to want to be sure that you are choosing a photo book layout that they are going to feel good about.
  4. Which photos will work well in which order is an important photo book layout to keep in mind.
  5. When you think about photo book layout, you’re going to want to remember that you can be creative throughout the process, that you have a story that you want to tell.

By really thinking about your photo book layout, you will find that it’s a lot easier to create the books that you will be proud of for years to come. It really is as simple as that.

Printed Photo Books Allow You to Work with those Photos that Don’t Quite Fit

When you work as a professional photographer - particularly when you shoot travel or real estate photographs - you are going to find that there are some photos that are fantastic, but not quite right for the project you’re working on. When you have a variety of these shots, the question is, what can you do to put them to work for you?

If you’re familiar with printed photo books, you’ll find that you have a chance to use those photos that didn’t quite fit into the project by creating additional marketing guides for your business. When you collect those great shots that aren’t right for a given project in a printed photo book - especially when you know that those shots are still “keepers” - you will find that you are able to put those shots to work for you.

When you use printed photo books, you’ll find that you are able to market yourself effectively to those who are less familiar with your work than your current clients are. You will also find that you are able to share the shots that you feel good about with your current clients, even if they weren’t quite right for the project you were hired to do. For example, if you’ve taken a great photo of the exteriors of a variety of homes that a real estate brokerage has sold, you’ll find that you can use printed photo books to help your clients further market their businesses.

In other words, when you’re familiar with using printed photo books, you’ll find that none of your shots are going to be wasted shots.

Printed Photo Books Can Help You Make a Difference

When you are a professional photographer, chances are good that you are connected with other photographers - in part because one of the best ways to continue learning and to get the gigs you’re looking for is to have a strong network. When you all come together and when you are able to focus your efforts, you’ll find that it’s easy to make a difference - particularly when you come together to design printed photo books.

For example, let’s say that you are looking for the opportunity to raise money for scholarships for high school students who want to be able to be able to study photography. You will find that, along with other photographers in your area, you can design printed photo books that can be sold to support your cause. Likewise, the possibility exists to help local little league teams or youth soccer programs to raise the money that they need for new uniforms or for transportation to games that are further away.

Simply put, when you recognize that there are opportunities to make a difference and when you are able to put together printed photo books that can be used in fundraising campaigns, you will find that you are in a position to have a really positive impact on your community. At the same time, you will also be able to create an awareness of your business, your design and layout abilities and the fact that you offer printed photo books to your clients.