by Stacey Wiseman | Jan 17, 2013 | Family Photographs, Q&A
January is the perfect time to get organized for the new year. This includes backing up all of your photos from 2012, as well as, creating an organizational system for your 2013 photos.
I hope you have found – or will find – a way to block out time in your busy schedule to back up and get ready for all of your 2013 photos.
Q: How do you organize your photos?
A: Oh how I love to organize! Of course, if you ask my husband, he will ask how my organizational systems are helping the mess in our basement. 😉 Hmmmmm…no answer for that one! But creating an organizational system is key for your photos on your hard drive…and is the one I’m more excited about tackling! It’s great to know where they are in your computer and how to reference certain pictures you may be looking for.
You may already have your own specific system…If so, perfect! But if you don’t, I thought I would share with you some tips for organizing your photos.
1. Import by date.
All of my photos are imported and organized by Lightroom with the file name set up as the date. I love it because it is all automatic. You can select this in Lightroom and you can establish it on most cameras.
At the start of every year, I create a new Lightroom catalog to organize my annual photos.
2. Delete, Delete, Delete!
Delete photos right away that you don’t need. The key to this is to do it immediately, otherwise you forget and photos pile up on your hard drive. I often take several photos to get the 1 or 2 I really want. If I don’t delete the practice pics upon import, they sit and take up unnecessary space on my hard drive.
3. Rank your photos.
Star photos that you love and want to come back to – either to edit, put on facebook, or export to go into a photo book. I start with 3 stars for the photos I want to edit or upload. When I go back though all of my 3 stars
4. Keywords.
Create keywords, either in Lightroom, iPhoto, or on the folder on your desktop. If your photos were taken during a vacation, you can label the folder, “2013-01-16_Vacation”. This is helpful when you may be looking for a particular photo a couple months from now. With keywords, you can be as specific as you like but I recommend to keep things short and sweet!
5. Smart Collections/Albums.
Create a Smart Collection for photos that I want to be in consideration for my photo book. I love Smart Collections! This can be done in Lightroom but also in iPhoto!
So here is my summary:
1 – Import with date.
2 – Delete unwanted photos.
3 – Star photos I really like.
4 – Edit or upload photos I really like.
5 – Revise rating. If I really love the photo/edit, I change it to a 5. Not so much, goes to a 1.
6 – Mark it with a keyword.
7 – Upload it to my blog or smugmug.
8 – Ensure photos I want for my photo book are marked to go in my Smart Collection.
9 – Export all photos at the end of the month for my photo book.
10 – Back-up.
What keeps you organized? Leave a tip for us in the comments below.
Do you have a question you want answered? Let me know!
by Stacey Wiseman | Nov 8, 2012 | Photo Book Design Layout, Q&A
What if I don’t take photos every month? Can I still design a book or have you design a book for me?
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Of course! Not everyone takes photos every day, every week or every month. But if you document big events and a couple of small events throughout the year, you should put your photos into a photo book. It is a fantastic and actually quite economical way to have actual prints of your favorite moments.
Organizing your year, or several years, into events is a simple way to select photos and design your pages. What exactly do I mean by events? These are family activities you do throughout the year. Usually, for these activities you have your camera with you…so photo books are an ideal way to document these moments.
Obvious events are birthdays, vacations, and holidays. But here are some additional events or ways to capture your family life:
- Trips to the zoo, pool, park, museum, etc.
- Family picnics either at home or some other location
- School events, plays, performances, graduations, etc.
- Visits with grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, family friends
- Playgroups with friends
- Art projects – coloring, painting, building
- Afternoon play – inside or outside
- Sporting events
Right now, we are finishing up the first round of the photo book design workshop and one of the students is designing a book of photos from 2011 and 2012, separated by events.
Below are sample layouts for a book organized by events. The table of contents are divided into two sections, one for each year. Color blocks at the bottom highlight the page numbers. There are different colors for each of the two years. This is a way-finding device. You know what year you are looking at by the color box at the page numbers. Simple pages with a full spread photo separate the sections.
[hr] Table of Contents:
Sample Page for 2011:
Sample Page for 2012:
Page Sample Layouts for an event:
[divider] I want to hear from you. What are the 3-5 events that define your year (besides birthdays, holidays or vacations)? What do you do throughout the year that you document? Tell me in the comments below!
by Stacey Wiseman | Oct 18, 2012 | Description, Q&A
Q: How long does it take to design a book?
[divider] A: Approximately 7-8 weeks (depending on your review time). Here is the breakdown. The design process takes about 3 weeks and the printing and shipping takes 4 weeks. This time is required for complete and custom design.
With each book I design, I go through every single photograph, determine which ones will be right for the book and decide the perfect size, crop, proportion, and location. I ensure the book flows as entire collection but also that each page highlights the photographs and tells a story.
I create an organization for your book and structure the section pages and table of contents. The cover is custom designed. I perform checks and double checks for accuracy and inspect the printed book for quality before it is sent to you. Custom service is provided throughout the process.
Do you realize if you spent 15 minutes per page to achieve this level of quality and design, it would take you 25 hours!!! And that is if you are extremely efficient and in tune with the program. Ordering an annual family photo book will preserve your memories in absolute style without spending the crazy time and stress to get it completed in time.
For this reason, if you are looking for an absolutely gorgeous book for the Holidays (either to give as a gift or to share with family and friends as they gather this season), make sure you order today.
To receive your photo book by December 21, 2012, here are the final cut-off dates you should be aware of:
Place order by November 5, 2012.
Upload your January through October photos by November 12, 2012.
Upload your November and December photos by December 4, 2012.
This design service is limited to 10 people.
I will make sure you have a draft to review with plenty of time to receive your order before the Holidays.
Do you have a question about photo books, photo book design, or my design services? Leave a comment below!
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by Stacey Wiseman | Jul 19, 2012 | Description, Q&A
How do you define your photo book design style?
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Simply put: To showcase each photograph and to reflect your family.
I believe in clean, refined layouts and love to inspire the everyday moments that make your family unique. I love to focus on the photographs themselves. That means, I try to make as many photographs full page or full spread as possible while keeping in mind the total number of pages and photographs you want for your book.
As you saw in my most recent podcast, organization and having a structured book is really important to me. Every book I design and deliver has an organizing principle behind it. This is what pulls it all together! My goal is to make sure each page makes perfect sense for the photographs and the entire books makes sense to define your year.
And if I had to chose three words to describe what I strive for with each design: modern, sophisticated, and refined.
[divider]Do you have a question about photography, photo books, or Book This Project? Leave a comment below with your question!
by Stacey Wiseman | Jun 26, 2012 | Q&A
Q: Can BOOK THIS PROJECT create a photo book from my blog?
A: Yes!
Every book order includes page titles either indicating the date of the
photographs and/or the activity presented on the page.
If you wish to include longer captions, narrative descriptions or text from your blog,
all you have to do is send us an email with your text requirements. We will provide
an estimate to incorporate the text you provide to us or the text from your blog.
This includes the position of the text associated with the photographs to accurately
reflect your blog post.
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by Stacey Wiseman | Jun 5, 2012 | Q&A
Question:
Should I wait until my photographs are ready before I place my order?
Answer:
No. It is recommended to place your order as soon as possible.
Once you purchase your book, a questionnaire will be emailed to you. The questions are designed to customize your book. You can fill this out at your convenience and return it before you have uploaded your photos. This will initiate the design process.
We will notify you when photographs are due for a timely delivery of your book.
One reason to place your order before you have assembled your photographs is to take advantage of a sale! Right now, receive $50 off when you place your 2012 Family Photo Book order by July 31, 2012. Make sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter and join our facebook page for special announcements!
Did you find this helpful? Do you have a question about the books or process? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!!!
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by Stacey Wiseman | Nov 11, 2011 | Q&A
Q:
Why should I purchase a BOOK THIS PROJECT custom photo book?
A:
If you are looking for a small (20 page) photo book, perhaps documenting a single event such as vacation, a book from BOOK THIS PROJECT is not for you.
But…if you are anything like me, and fit at least one of the categories below, a BOOK THIS PROJECT custom designed photo book is perfect for you and your family.
. You take hundreds or thousands of photographs of your family each year. (I must confess, I have been known to take almost two hundred photographs in one day!)
. You are extremely busy and can never find the time to sit down and create your own photo book…especially at the end of the year.
. You want a sophisticated and modern design, but have no idea where to begin.
. You are looking for motivation and inspiration for photographing your family.
. You desire an easier way to compile and print your photographs.
. You love the idea of starting a tradition; documenting each year as your kids grow up.
. You have family members who live far away and want them to stay connected to your everyday lives through a photo book.
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Q: How do you organize your photos?
A: Oh how I love to organize! Of course, if you ask my husband, he will ask how my organizational systems are helping the mess in our basement. 😉 Hmmmmm…no answer for that one! But creating an organizational system is key for your photos on your hard drive…and is the one I’m more excited about tackling! It’s great to know where they are in your computer and how to reference certain pictures you may be looking for.
