The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

Mini Albums. Australian wedding photographer Martin
Schembri creates what he calls a mini-magazine book,
a miniature version of the main album that is small enough
for brides to pop in their handbags to show all of their
friends. Being so portable, the mini albums get far more
exposure than a large, precious album. It also works as a
great promotion for the photographer.
Digital Output. Digital output allows the photographer
or album designer to create backgrounds, inset photos,
and output the pages as complete entities. Sizing the
photos does not depend on what size mats you have available,
as you can size the photo infinitely on the computer.
Once the page files are finalized, any number of pages can
be output simply and inexpensively. Albums can be completely
designed on the computer in Photoshop using
plug-ins that feature drag and drop templates.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Visual design has one and only one purpose: to keep the
viewer’s eye and concentration on the page(s) for longer
than it takes to digest the basic information. Design elements
exist to coax the imagination of the eye/brain to
play along with the designer’s master plan. Most of what
happens when you view a page is subliminal—you don’t
realize you are being manipulated in a sensory way. Some
of the techniques are bold and demand your attention,
some are more subtle and create a pleasing response in the
viewer. But make no mistake about it, like any page-layout
designer, the wedding album designer faces the same
challenges—to keep the viewer amused and involved in the
content.
Design Elements. Left- and Right-Hand Pages. Look
at any well-designed book or magazine and study the images
on the left- and right-hand pages. They are decidedly
different but have one thing in common. They lead the
eye into the center of the book, commonly referred to as
the “gutter.” These layouts use the same design elements
photographers use in creating effective images—lead-in
lines, curves, shapes, and patterns. If a line or pattern
forms a C shape, it is ideal for the left-hand page, since it
draws the eye into the gutter and across to the right-hand
page. If an image is a backwards C shape, it is ideal for the
right-hand page. Familiar shapes like hooks or loops, triangles
or circles are used in the same manner to guide the
eye into the center of the two-page spread and across to
the right-hand page.
There is infinite variety in laying out images, text, and
graphic elements to create this left-to-right orientation. A
series of photos can be stacked diagonally, forming a line
that leads from the lower left-hand corner of the left page
to the gutter. That pattern can be mimicked on the righthand
page, or it can be contrasted for variety. The idea is
Sequences can be an effective means of telling a secondary story within the story in the wedding album. This beautiful triptych was made by Becky
Bergin.
WEDDING ALBUMS 111