When designing my photo book, I had the option to choose a flashy design, add embellishments, put multiple photos on a page in an overlapping manner… etc. But I chose to keep the book incredibly simple and crisp. I felt that adding embellishments, colored backgrounds, or flashier themes did not mesh well with the nature of my photos. My photo book is titled "A Day In The Life" and is meant to portray the more negative, everyday feelings that we all have. Some photos are spooky, others are sad, some are simple and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Because of the nature of my photos, the best option when designing my photo book was to choose a very simple design that complimented the photos. The pages of my photo book are black and white. I wanted the focus to be on the photos and so I thought that black and white pages would provide that focus to the photographs rather than distract from them.
When choosing the sequence of the photographs, I placed photos next to each other that were either similar in subject matter or feeling. For example, I placed both of the hallway photos side-by-side as well as the photos of the artificial/decaying plants.
I have never worked with Snapfish before and had to experiment multiple times with how I wanted my photo book to look. Marshall McLuhan refers to amateurs in his book, The Medium is the Massage, and he states, "Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of the individual and critical awareness of the groundrules of society. The amateur can afford to lose. The professional tends to classify and to specialize, to accept uncritically the groundrules of the environment… The 'expert' is the man who stays put" (93). I identify as an amateur according to McLuhan's definition in terms of this project. I did not know the ins and outs of the Snapfish webpage and had to play around in order to know what works best with my photographs. And it was through this process that I did not "stay put" but rather expand my knowledge and discover what works and what does not.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI thought that your choice to keep the book simple and crisp was awesome and very effective. Your shots are so wholesome and neat and I agree that anything else would not have added to the effect. I loved your book design and cannot wait to see it in person.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI really like your choice to keep your photo book simple and not use any flashy backgrounds. Your photos are so powerful and attempt to transmit strong emotions on their own. Your decision to use a simple design really complements the emotions you are portraying. I personally love the page with the "artificiality" and "decay" photos. I think those two pictures juxtaposed with each other on the contrasting black and white backgrounds are stronger than they would be if they stood alone. Overall, great choices in composition!