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Designing
With Photos
 Designing with Photos is pure, guilty
pleasure. From the weight of the cover to the spiral binding to the
graphic design of the book, DWP brings joy to the simple act of turning
the page to discover what eye candy is next. However, being a wise
consumer, I want more from an idea book than just enjoyment. I want to
learn, enrich and expand my scrapbook design skills. Designing with Photos
claims to be an "all-in-one guide to photographing like a
professional and then using your photos in incredibly creative and
artistic ways." In this review I will try to provide the information
you need to determine whether this guide is the right fit for your needs
and goals in regards to improving your photography.
Early in my scrapbooking obsession, it quickly became apparent that the
quality of my photos was... well... poor. It's a wonderful thing to be
archivally safe and preserve memories for years to come but when you start
scrapping and realize that most of your pictures have a subject 2"
tall and lots and lots of background... it's impossible not to feel the
need to improve your photography. Personally, I've always had an interest
in photography but had never had any formal training. And although I've
now been scrapping for years (and bought 3 different cameras in that
time), Designing with Photos is the first photography how-to book I've
purchased.
Just looking at the book makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It's
probably the best physically designed idea book to date. The cover is made
of a thick durable paper and the inside pages are spiral bound to lay
flat. It's an unusual size -- more square than rectangular -- this book is
made to last. Crystal Folgmann designed the book and wonderfully creates a
graphic theme that reinforces the learning aspect of the book.
Authors Allison Tyler Jones and Donna Smylie get the reader inspired on
the Welcome page. "Photography doesn't have to be hard," they
promise. "You can be a good photographer." They've got me
believing; let's dive into the chapters.
"Think Like a Photographer" is the first chapter of the book.
Photography is not just documenting, it's interpreting. The authors
provide several wonderful examples that illustrate this point. For me,
these photos and the authors plentiful crib notes really helped my
learning process. This book is more than just a "hey, look at our
good photos" book. It's a "hey, this is a great photo and here's
why" book. Personally, I learn the best not from just looking, but
also from reviewing (or reading a review) and processing what makes a
design or photo special. I begin to think "hmmm... I can't take a
picture of a newborn baby, but I can apply that principle to the photos I
want to take this weekend." And that's what makes this book valuable.
At the end of each chapter is an "assignment" from the editors.
The assignments are not necessarily photography assignments but are
instead activities that will help you to develop your photography skills
in a variety of ways. The assignments help you to think outside the box
and expand your critical eye to your everyday life.
Chapter 2 "Toolbox" dives into the specifics of equipment --
cameras, settings, lenses and accessories. Although the authors claim that
the camera is just the tool and that the photographer provides the vision,
they go into such detail about focus, aperture, exposure and shutter speed
that the reader is bound to be aching for an SLR camera so that she can
apply all her new knowledge. The assignment for this chapter is to read
your camera's manual -- what an easy assignment that so few of us take the
time to do! I read mine a few weeks ago and discovered all kinds of new
settings. Of course, I have a digital point and shoot. One question I've
heard lobbed around the message boards is "Is 'Designing with Photos'
a good book for digital camera owners?" It is for this digital diva.
After reading this book, I finally took my camera off automatic mode and
began to use the manual settings. It's already made a difference in the
quality of my photography.
"Film File" is the third chapter of the book and provides so
much information about types of film that your head will spin. Color vs.
black and white, film speeds and individual brands of film are discussed.
The authors don't just tell you what they use, they tell you why. Your
ability to learn is increased because you can decide what you want your
film to do and then determine which film will meet your needs.
Chapter 4, "The Print", is the chapter I personally found least
valuable; cropping and printing are the least glamorous parts of
photography. Digitally, it's very easy to crop a photo before printing. If
you're a film photographer, this chapter provides many options for
cropping your photo beyond running to Wal-Mart and using a Picture Maker.
Much of the information in this chapter -- getting true black and white
prints, glossy vs. matte, etc. -- have been discussed enough on message
boards to be nauseating. This chapter provides a nice resource for anyone
still debating these questions.
Getting closer is one of the biggest differences between a good photo and
a great photo --making chapter 5 critical to the book. Even though there's
not much more to say than "Get closer" the authors provide many
examples and inspire the reader to try new things. This chapter should be
required reading for every non-scrapping person who has ever been handed a
camera to take a picture of a scrapbooker. Don't you hate it when you get
back a picture that someone else has taken and you're only 2" tall?
Zoom, folks. It's there for a reason.
I certainly hope that "Let There Be Light" becomes a guiding
principal in scrapbook photography. I hate to look at layouts that would
have been perfect... except for a shadow across a little darling's face.
Photo editing software can do wonders but if a picture was taken in bad
lighting conditions, there's not much hope. Looking at the light, changing
the light and creating light before I take the shot is the number one
factor that has improved my photography. According to the authors,
"Flash is evil." Hmmm... Anyone want a bumper sticker of this? I
hate to see pictures that use flash. That's why I hate Christmas pictures.
There's just no way to avoid using a flash at 7 am on Christmas morning
when we're opening gifts in a basement family room. I'll let you read the
book to discover why "flash off" has become my preferred setting
on my camera. This chapter is just full of yummy sticky notes from the
authors to help you improve your light-related abilities.
Ah, and now we're at the meat of the book. Chapter 7 introduces "The
Photo Shoot." Although there are some "snapshot" type
photos in this book, the majority of the photos are "photo
shoot" poses. And the majority of scrapbookers are taking pictures of
birthdays and field trips and sports. Does this mean that "Designing
with Photos" is not a book for your everyday scrapper? No, it just
means that you may have to challenge yourself to apply the principles
you've learned beyond the studio-type setting. And what scrapper doesn't
want to take roll upon roll of pictures of their adorable child, pet or
significant other? This chapter not only gives you permission to do
exactly that, it covers every detail necessary to make the shoot a
success. Full of lists, do's and don'ts and gorgeous pictures, this
chapter packs into six pages what other authors take entire books to
cover. And makes it look easy enough that even a beginning photographer
can learn to be triumphant.
Chapter 8, "Creative Composition," advances the photographer's
photo shoot skills by adding the aspects of posing and composition to the
shoot. What? You mean it's not enough to think about the physical set-up,
the lighting, the camera settings, and the prints? I have to think about
the shot? The authors provide so many ideas and examples that a person
could go into debt buying the film to try each technique. But I'd sure
have fun trying.
Persistence, Patience and Personality are the emphasis of "The Big
Picture" (chapter 9). I'm not sure that's not a bad motto for life.
Here the authors let you see the not-so-perfect pictures -- the ones with
crying children and goofy faces. They also help you to see those pictures
not as failures but as part of capturing a person on film. A nice reminder
for us all not to only scrap the good stuff but to also scrap the real
stuff.
"A Moment in Time" ends the first, how-to, half of the book.
Here's where you find the snapshots in the book, the moments that were
captured and preserved. Next to each snapshot are the words of the
photographer. This is why we scrapbook, folks -- to preserve a moment in
time that will never happen again.
In my opinion, the tips, techniques and philosophies of the first half of
the book are more than enough to justify the price. However, the authors
aren't satisfied with simply providing a how-to book, they want us to take
it a step further and create fun, new ways to display our photos. Although
the second half of the book is not my usual style, I am able to appreciate
the beautiful projects in this section. It's impossible not to think
outside the box when the authors and contributors are providing such
amazingly detailed examples and step by step instructions for creating
them.
As I turn to Chapter 11 "It's all in the Presentation..." I'm
already itching to try something new. Portfolios are the subject of this
chapter; many of us have already started a "My favorite photos"
album -- hey, that's called a photographer's portfolio now. Sounds much
classier. My favorite portfolio here is Janelle Smith's gated portfolio
(and I didn't ever think I'd say I liked 7 Gypsies!). A total of 4
portfolios are featured and detailed instructions are provided for
creating similar portfolios on your own.
Chapter 12 presents all manner of fun and funky frames and displays for
your photos. Since I'm given to matching frames from the dollar store,
these ideas are a bit beyond my comfort zone. They do make me smile,
however, and the instructions are wonderfully detailed for those of you
who are inspired by new ways to display your photos. I won't tell you my
favorite of these frame techniques because I want you to be surprised by
them and find your own favorite.... there's so many to inspire you!
Contact prints are the focus of the next chapter. For those of you with
APS cameras, you're familiar with index prints but anyone can get a
contact print printed. The ideas in this chapter are inspiring for every
scrapper; we can think beyond 4x6 or 5x7 pictures to incorporating many
smaller pictures (or even just a few) to make a statement on our pages.
The "Ornaments" project by Allison Tyler Jones and Janelle Smith
is one that I can see already being used by many scrappers with the Making
Memories frames; how fun it would be to actually hang them on a tree!
Covered in several recent industry magazines, image transfers are the
projects for Chapter 14. Lots of detail, several different methods and
appropriate warnings make this chapter a nice resource for those wanting
to try this project. "Soft Book" by Debbie Crouse is a great
idea that even non-scrappers can use. Glancing ahead, Chapter 17 provides
additional information on Polaroid Transfer.
"Scanner Art" (Chapter 15) has five examples of how you can use
your scanner to do something besides post layouts. Fun and funky, the
examples make you want to learn more about photo editing software and how
to go beyond retouching and make your photos the embellishment.
Wanting to make personalized invitations or cards? Chapter 16 is for you.
Make the photos the focus using the provided examples for inspiration. My
personal favorite is Debbie Crouse's "Graduation Announcement."
What a great way to share a part of the graduate with those close to you.
If Chapter 19 is titled "Out There" these ladies obviously
haven't seen my books. For me Chapter 18's "Mixed Media" is
pretty out there. I love to look at Allison Strine's work and her
"Connor" on this page is making my eyes sigh in appreciation.
Such detail on only 2 pages! "Janie Brainy" by author Allison
Tyler Jones is such a fun idea I think I may have to borrow it. Between
the two chapters, there are 10 projects guaranteed to make you appreciate
the way these artists enhance their photos.
Although Chapter 20 is "Leftovers," the projects in this section
are by no means of lesser quality. "French Vacation" by 7
Gypsies designer Stephen Smylie makes me smile, while Donna Smylie's
"Grace Quilt" captures the newborn qualities that make me ache
to hold a baby in my hands.
To conclude, "Designing with Photos" is one of the few idea
books that I feel will have a profound impact on the quality of my
scrapping. It joins a very short list but is the only photography related
book on the list. Aren't photos the very heart of our scrapping? Without
them, we'd have nothing. To me, photography is valuable enough that I'm
willing to spend a few hours of my time learning to improve my skills.
Allison Tyler Jones and Donna Smylie have provided such a wonderful
package for this knowledge that I am enthralled every time I pick up my
book.
For those of you who have already taken photography classes, this book may
not provide any new information. It is, however, written for scrapbookers
by scrapbookers -- a rather unique perspective on photography. For many,
the Photo Art ideas will be inspiring and help you to expand the horizons
of your scrapbook artistry. For others, the photo tips in the how-to
section will be something you reference again and again. Others still may
look at the book and decide it's not for them. And that's OK. My intention
with this review isn't to convince you to buy a book. I hope that I've
provided the information you need to decide for yourself if this book is
what you need to improve your photography skills and/or help enhance and
display those photos. Scrap Mentor
Please feel free to email me with questions and comments at ScrapMentor@hotmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you!
--TeacherKim
copyright 2003 ScrapVillage.com
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