Creating an epic photobook is a lot like making a great mixtape. Yes, no one has a tape deck anymore but the principles remain the same. Think like John Cusack’s character Rob in High Fidelity. You’ve got to start with a ‘killer’ photo and grab the attention of your viewer. Then, take it up a notch. You’ve raised the stakes pretty high in that first photo – you’ll want to follow it with an even funnier one, prettier one, sentimental one. Then you’re going to need to cool it off a notch. Photobooks are more often than not a gift – let’s not go overwhelming your lucky gift receiver with too much awesome. There are a lot of rules. Follow our helpful guide below to see how you too can create an epic photobook.
1. Who is the Photobook for?
When you choose songs for a mixtape you choose them for the person listening. The same goes for your Photobook. If you’re making it as a gift for someone think about photos that mean something to them. Choose the funniest moments from their twenties. The most adorable photos from their childhood. Their proudest achievements. Think about what they would like to see.
2. What is your Photobook about?
A great mixtape has a course of action, a purpose. The songs may be themed around a holiday you took once, they may be songs from the era of your friend’s birth. Theming can really help if you’re stuck with where to start. Choose a holiday you went on. Collect photos from every year of someone’s life if it’s a birthday gift. Maybe it’s telling a story, give narrative to your photos. If you’re downloading from Instagram why not choose the most beautiful shots you’ve taken? Or maybe you could do a year in review and put together an album full of photos from each month of the year.
3. Ensure Quality is High
You wouldn’t make a mixtape with bad songs… unless that was what you were going for. But, even then they would be good bad songs. A photobook is much the same. You may be using ‘bad’ photos of your friend, if it’s a funny gift, but you still want them to look good. If you’re downloading from Instagram or getting the photos from your desktop ensuring the quality of the printing is great is more than half the battle won. You don’t want to give them blurry or poor quality photos, so make sure you use a reputable printing site like square-snaps.com
