Top 5 tips for creating an amazing photo book

(ARA) - In today’s digital era, it’s easy to design and publish your own photography book at an affordable price. In fact, Americans will produce 17 million photo books in 2009, according to a Futuresource Consulting estimate. Wedding books, family photo books, and artistic collections of photos published in a coffee table book are especially popular for commemorating special memories.

Samira Kordestani, a professional book designer, offers these tips to help you get started on your own masterpiece:

Choose a publishing platform that gives you professional-quality options.

Blurb.com offers free Blurb BookSmart software, which makes it easy to design an incredible book using professionally-designed layouts. Select from many book sizes, small or large, and simply drag and drop your photos into the layouts of your choice. Once you order your book, it takes only one week to publish and deliver it to your doorstep.

Decide on a story or message for your book.

Great photo books tell a story. Whether it’s an event or a themed collection of images, think about your vision for the book before you begin and then select your favorite photos to help tell your story.

Remember that you are creating a visual experience, not just a book.

Play around with design options on your first several pages. Try out different backgrounds, photo borders and page layouts. Once you’ve discovered the look you like best, keep it consistent throughout your book so that each page has a connection with the next.

Typography is just as important as your photos.

If you are adding captions, stories or other text to your book, select a font and text size that works well with your overall book design. The placement of text should visually complement your photos and other design elements.

Select compelling cover photos.

The front cover of your book should tease the subject of your work, and create an emotional hook that inspires you to want to see more. The back cover is your opportunity to share a final message.

If you are interested in having a photography book published but are short on time, you can always contact a professional book designer through BlurbNation, a community of experienced designers available for hire. For more information, visit www.blurb.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Hobby and Father's Day Idea for Dad: Digital Photography

Dad’s New Favorite Pastime: Digital Pictures

(ARA) - Face it: Dads and technological gadgetry go together like barbecues and the month of June. And, when you add digital photos to the mix, the fit’s an even better one.

Just ask Derek Whiteside, a 33 year-old father of two daughters, Alice, who just turned two, and six-month old Helen. An entrepreneur at heart, Whiteside spent the last five years establishing and managing a boutique beer and wine shop that he recently sold.

So, as he ponders his next business adventure -- likely something service oriented he says -- in addition to caring for two young daughters, he fills his time by using his PC to enjoy all kinds of entertainment, especially digital photography.

I have a sassy new computer in the living room,” Whiteside says proudly.

But in the Whiteside household, the PC does way more than serve as a gateway to the Internet and a repository for spreadsheets and other documents: powered by Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows Vista, Whiteside’s computer is his family’s photography nerve center.

Using a Canon Powershot digital camera, Whiteside has rendered the shoeboxes full of photos stacked on closet shelves as relevant as the rotary telephone. “We’ve been comfortable with digital photography since before the girls were born,” he says. Drawing on Windows Vista, he uses the PC to organize photos in several ways -- by the month they were taken, for example, or by subject matter – and shares photos with family and friends across the nation via email. One of Whiteside’s more noteworthy recipients of his photographs is his 87 year-old grandmother, who recently bought a computer.

Whiteside also enjoys the ability to edit his photos instantly, resizing, for example, and eliminating red-eye shots.

“One of the great things about Windows Vista is that it has functionality for photography, music and home theater built into the system,” Whiteside says. “Having an operating system that can do those kinds of things easily is very nice.”

And, he adds, the entire operation is integrated into the living room. “There are no wires showing,” he says. “It looks pretty. It has a lot of polish.”

Finally, Whiteside is wading into the world of video chatting, following the lead of his sister-in-law’s family. “They’re into it,” he says. “It’s a really fun thing to do and only requires a Web cam, which is pretty affordable. It’s sort of like the Jetsons.”

For more information on Microsoft Windows Vista, please visit Microsoft Windows Vista

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Creating Your Christmas or Hanukah Scrapbook

We hear the phrase “holiday season” beginning as early as October 1st, yet, when it comes to creating scrapbook albums, I often see photos from just the one day of Christmas, or the 8 days of Hanukah.

This year, create your album for the entire season. What does this mean? When do you start your shopping and planning? My kids have always created a wish list for my mom and dad. Make a copy of these wish lists and add them to your scrapbook.

Once you begin your shopping, take photos of the bags and bags of goodies you have purchased. There have been years where I’ve looked in my trunk and just laughed at the amount of bags I have inside. Some years I have bought gifts for teachers, for coworkers, for my family and for the many gift exchanges I’m involved in.

I’ve always done my gift wrapping either during the day when the kids are at school or at night when they are asleep. Take a few photos of the gifts all being wrapped.

Most years, my kids and I bake. We bake for classmates, for coworkers, for those who provide us wonderful service during the years and for the many parties we seem to attend during the “holiday season”. Take photos of your baking process. Consider including a few recipes from your baking in the scrapbook. Copy the recipes onto acid free paper.

Are you having any type of dinner at your home? Again, snap some photos of the grocery list, the preparations and again consider adding a few of your dinner recipes.

Do you put decorations in your home? I have seen absolutely beautiful homes, both for Christmas and for Hanukah over the years. Take photos of your home without guests in it. Then take photos again when the house is filled with people, noise and great food.

Opening presents is a highlight for children. In addition to taking photos of everyone opening their gifts, save some of the wrapping papers for your scrapbook. Save just a little bit as it will yellow.

If you receive cards from family and friends, consider laminating the cards and adding them to your scrapbook. If the card itself it not acid free, it will over time yellow and crack, which is why I suggest laminating them.

This year when you consider your holiday scrapbook, consider the entire season, not just the one or eight days.

Article by:
Audrey Okaneko has been scrapbooking for several years. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at www.scrapping-made-simple.com

Finding The Time To Scrapbook

Click Here for the Ultimate Fast Start Scrapbooking Guide. A Step By Step Guide To Creating Beautiful Layouts!

I had someone tell me yesterday that she had given up scrapbooking as she just couldn’t find the time anymore. I asked if she could find 30 minutes once or twice a week. She said with some planning, she could find 30 minutes a few times per week.

Often we think of scrapbooking as a start to finish project requiring several hours of our time. However if we begin to think of scrapbooking in 30 minute increments, we can complete albums and still have time to be mom, work, cook etc.

Start by choosing a theme and choosing photos. Your first half hour will be nothing more than choosing photos.

Your next half hour slot will be choosing papers. Choose both background papers and cardstock to mount your photo. You may not be able to choose paper for the entire album in this one sitting, but you can begin to choose the papers you’ll be using for your scrapbook.

Cropping the photos is your next step. Again, you may not finish all photos in one sitting but you can certainly start the cropping process in one 30 minute segment.

Next comes the mounting of the photos. This can be done in the car while waiting for carpool. This can be done while your older child is taking a bath and you are just waiting. This can be done while waiting in a doctors office.

Journaling and embellishments are the last step in putting together your scrapbook. Journaling again can be done most any time and any place. Choose how you will journal. Then write on the paper of your choice.

Choose your embellishments. These can be added in one 30 minute segment. By creating your scrapbook in steps and in 30 minute fragments, you’ll find you do have the time to complete a scrapbook and have a lasting memory.

Article by:
Audrey Okaneko has been scrapbooking for several years. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at www.scrapping-made-simple.com

Scrapbooking Made Easy

Fabulous Scrapbook Pages In Minutes. Fabulous Scrapbooking Pages That Are Simple And Fast.

The thought of scrapbooking can be overwhelming if you have never tried it before. With the ever-growing supply list of scrapbooking accessories, it’s easy to get lost. Use these four simple steps for scrapbooking made easy:

Step 1: Gather your photos. If you’re like most, you have photos stored throughout your house. Locate all your pictures that are in boxes, drawers, and wherever else you stash them. Gather every picture you’ve ever taken and make one big pile.

While gathering photos, this is the perfect time to have any digital pictures printed. If you’ve been saving them on a disk, waiting for the right time to have hard copies made, this is the time! If you have rolls of film that’s waiting to be developed, take those with you, too.

Step 2: Sort through all photos. Now that your photos are all together in one pile, it’s time to sort. This is the most overwhelming part of scrapbooking that tends to discourage people from creating their scrapbook. Seeing all your precious memories in one heaping mound can feel intimidating. Don’t let it scare you! This step could take up to a few weeks, depending on the size of your picture pile. So take a deep breath and dive in.

There are many ways you can sort your photos. The main idea is to group your pictures together by themes or dates. Some examples of different sort piles you might create are summer vacations, sports activities, school programs, holidays, family outings, birthday parties, etc.

Don’t worry about the number of photos are in each pile. Don’t try to make rhyme or reason of your piles either. It doesn’t matter if you have more photos in one pile than another. Just sort your pictures by theme.

Step 3: Determine your starting point.Now that all your photos are sorted, it’s time to find your starting point. First, you should determine what kind of scrapbook album you would like to make. Look at your picture collections. Do you see some sort of overall theme? Do you have tons of vacation photos?

Think about what kind of categories you may have to work with. If you have a child, you might start by creating a scrapbook that includes her pictures from birth to age five. Alternatively, if your family travels frequently, you might consider creating a family travels scrapbook and include photos and mementos from your journeys.

Step 4: Focus on one page at a time.You are finally ready to begin creating your scrapbook! You have a scrapbook theme and a group of photos to include in your scrapbook. Coordinate your photos with matching page sets, stickers, paper punches, etc. Don’t forget to write your memories on each page with your photos. Concentrate on creating one page at a time and in no time at all, you will have a completed scrapbook.