Scrapbook Photos and More Photos!

Photos are the highlight of any scrapbook. All the other stuff is simply icing on the cake.

In order to have a great scrapbook, you must first have good pictures to base that scrapbook on.

To mat or not to mat. Many people grouch and complain about the headaches of matting photos.

Matting is a necessary element to a good layout because it distinguishes the pictures from the rest of the page.

If you are heavily opposed to using mats, I don’t guess they are essential.

Well, with one exception. If you choose to use a patterned background of any type, it is crucial to mat your photos with a solid color in order to keep in from meshing together.

When you are taking your photos, it is a good idea to take several shots of different perspectives of focal points so that you ensure that you get a great shot and you have a variety of pictures to choose from.

Take close-ups!!! This is a trade secret of scrapbooking.

If you take your own pictures, take an assortment of close-ups to use in your pages.

Close ups not only eliminate the need for cropping, but they also give you more subject matter that is covered for use in the scrapbook.

Different angles are another element of good photo taking for scrapbooks.

You would be amazed in the difference a different angle makes in a photo.

Don’t shoot multiple pictures from the same angle!! Choose different standpoints from which to photograph your subject.

Many people overtake photos of friends and family from the front and do not try to take more creative shots of them by shooting them during not-still activities from a different angle.

Use props. Props can add personality to a picture as well as professionalism. Never be afraid to make use of different props when you are taking photos yourself.

Good use of props gives you more classic, natural pictures then do still life photos, especially with younger children.

Portrait versus landscape. Portrait pictures are the straight up and down photos that appear long and tall.

Landscape pictures are the wide pictures that span further across long ways then up and down. There is plenty of use for and room for both of these picture types.

I happen to like portraits because they seem to balance a page well if they are used in combinations with other portrait pictures. This is only a personal preference.

Take plenty of both types of photo and determine the type of photo that you prefer to work with.

When taking photos on a special trip or occasion or any photos for that matter that you intend on including in your book, you should plan how you will use that photo in order to take advantage of your amount of film.

Many times, we shoot photographs on impulse. This type of picture can lead to a really great accidental shot or a really bad one.

Some of these spontaneous photos will exceed the quality of other photos that were planned while others will end up staying the photo case that they come in from the developer’s.

Taking great pictures of people and terrific backgrounds is an art form.

Beware of the habit of trying to squeeze all of a certain background in with a subject in front of it.

This will lead to a muddy picture of your subject and a crowded photo of your background. Instead, take several shots.

Focusing some of them onto the close-up subject and others that focus primarily on the background.

There is a way to implement these photos in a way that both focal points are represented in an appealing way.

Photos are the makeup of truly wonderful scrapbooks.

It is very much worth your time as a scrap booker to familiarize yourself with photography and the little tips and secrets of the trade so that you can have access to better-taken, more interesting photos with which to fill up your scrapbook.

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