Often what separates a good album design and a great album design is not the design itself, but rather the images within the design. In our experience, we’ve noticed that the best album designs are created by photographers who shoot with the album in mind. An easy way to think of shooting for the album is to consider mini stories within the overall story. Once you’ve nailed down your main image, you will want to take supporting shots that enhance the design while sticking to the story.
Mini Stories
We’re sure we’re not the first ones to coin this term, but the phrase “mini stories” recently came up during a conversation with our friend and long-time Fundy Storyteller, Jerry Ghionis. In a recent interview with Jerry, he described it like this: “I walk into a situation and I first take the main shot or two, then I immediately look at how I can take supporting shots.” In addition to taking these supporting shots, it is important to think about how many supporting shots are necessary to complete the album. This involves close attention to detail and considering which shots will complement the main image you already know you want for each spread.
Simple Designs
Mini stories do not have to include a bunch of photos in one spread, either. Below is a great example from Chrisman Studios. There is a wonderful main horizontal image that spans the middle of the album. Then there is a smaller single image that accents the main image. The accent image supports and matches the main image in this spread, rather than competing with it or confusing the story.
Auto Design Helps You Out
The Auto Design feature in Fundy Designer will automatically group your mini stories together since they are organized by timestamp. However, you have even more control. You can use the Group button to choose which photos go on the same spread when using the Auto Design. Learn how you can do that here.
Summary
When you are out shooting this weekend, we hope that by focusing on shooting the main image and photos that will go with that main image, the album design is easier. You can also form mini stories in the album design by using the Group tool in Fundy Designer.
If you already own Fundy Designer, give these techniques a try. If you haven’t tried the newest version with the Auto Design feature, you can download the trial and give it a spin.
