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The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

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Mini Albums. Australian wedding photographer Martin<br />

Schembri creates what he calls a mini-magazine book,<br />

a miniature version <strong>of</strong> the main album that is small enough<br />

for brides to pop in their handbags to show all <strong>of</strong> their<br />

friends. Being so portable, the mini albums get far more<br />

exposure than a large, precious album. It also works as a<br />

great promotion for the photographer.<br />

Digital Output. Digital output allows the photographer<br />

or album designer to create backgrounds, inset photos,<br />

and output the pages as complete entities. Sizing the<br />

photos does not depend on what size mats you have available,<br />

as you can size the photo infinitely on the computer.<br />

Once the page files are finalized, any number <strong>of</strong> pages can<br />

be output simply and inexpensively. Albums can be completely<br />

designed on the computer in Photoshop using<br />

plug-ins that feature drag and drop templates.<br />

DESIGN PRINCIPLES<br />

Visual design has one and only one purpose: to keep the<br />

viewer’s eye and concentration on the page(s) for longer<br />

than it takes to digest the basic information. Design elements<br />

exist to coax the imagination <strong>of</strong> the eye/brain to<br />

play along with the designer’s master plan. Most <strong>of</strong> what<br />

happens when you view a page is subliminal—you don’t<br />

realize you are being manipulated in a sensory way. Some<br />

<strong>of</strong> the techniques are bold and demand your attention,<br />

some are more subtle and create a pleasing response in the<br />

viewer. But make no mistake about it, like any page-layout<br />

designer, the wedding album designer faces the same<br />

challenges—to keep the viewer amused and involved in the<br />

content.<br />

Design Elements. Left- and Right-Hand Pages. Look<br />

at any well-designed book or magazine and study the images<br />

on the left- and right-hand pages. <strong>The</strong>y are decidedly<br />

different but have one thing in common. <strong>The</strong>y lead the<br />

eye into the center <strong>of</strong> the book, commonly referred to as<br />

the “gutter.” <strong>The</strong>se layouts use the same design elements<br />

photographers use in creating effective images—lead-in<br />

lines, curves, shapes, and patterns. If a line or pattern<br />

forms a C shape, it is ideal for the left-hand page, since it<br />

draws the eye into the gutter and across to the right-hand<br />

page. If an image is a backwards C shape, it is ideal for the<br />

right-hand page. Familiar shapes like hooks or loops, triangles<br />

or circles are used in the same manner to guide the<br />

eye into the center <strong>of</strong> the two-page spread and across to<br />

the right-hand page.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is infinite variety in laying out images, text, and<br />

graphic elements to create this left-to-right orientation. A<br />

series <strong>of</strong> photos can be stacked diagonally, forming a line<br />

that leads from the lower left-hand corner <strong>of</strong> the left page<br />

to the gutter. That pattern can be mimicked on the righthand<br />

page, or it can be contrasted for variety. <strong>The</strong> idea is<br />

Sequences can be an effective means <strong>of</strong> telling a secondary story within the story in the wedding album. This beautiful triptych was made by Becky<br />

Bergin.<br />

WEDDING ALBUMS 111

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