How I make photo books

Lots of you have sent me questions about photo books after seeing them in my bucket list posts, so I thought maybe this warranted a separate post.

What’s your favorite photo book company?

I used to scrapbook, but I kind of lost interest in it/lost time for it when I started blogging.

So I switched to making photo books, using Groupon for MyPublisher.

I made at least 15 books with them, but then they got acquired and eventually closed their doors.

I’ve tried a couple of photo book companies, but the one I’m happiest with is AdoramaPix.

I’m kind of picky about print quality, and AdoramaPix delivers amazingly crisp and sharp photos.

I thought My Publisher was fairly good, but once I tried Adorama, I was blown away.

Not only are their prints great, their book design is very sturdy and built to last.

AdoramaPix isn’t nearly as inexpensive as, say, Shutterfly, but to me, it’s worth it to spend a little more for a better product.

Also, Adorama often runs sales on their books, so I just make mine and then wait to order it until I see a good sale.

Anyway, if you aren’t as picky as me, services like Shutterfly will work just fine and you’ll save money.

Also, I’ve seen my friend Beth’s photo books from Blurb, and they looked great.   So, that’s another option to consider.

How do you organize your photos?

I use Lightroom for organizing and editing, and I import my SLR photos into a new folder each month.

This makes it very easy for me to find photos and also ensures that I only have twelve new photo folders each year (June 2018, July 2018, and so on).

If you have folders labeled things like, “Justin’s birthday” and “camping trip”, you are going to have so much more trouble when it comes time to put your photos in a book.

Use month folders, people!

The ones on my phone are automatically organized into months and years, so I don’t do anything special with those.

How do you go about choosing photos?

I look at one month at a time, or if it’s a month with oodles of photos, half a month.

I go through first and delete any photos that are unusable (eyes closed, blurry).

Then I pick my favorites of the ones that are left and edit them (crop, color correct, and adjust exposure).

I usually pick a few more than I think I’ll need, and I export them from Lightroom and import them to AdoramaPix.

Any other tips?

Don’t shoot for perfection.

I often remind myself that a finished photo book is way better than one that’s just a draft.

I don’t have to include every photo, every photo doesn’t have to be perfect, and I don’t have to produce a book that Adorama would use in their marketing materials.

I just need to get it done!

It’s not like I’m making a photo book for clients; I’m recording our family’s history. Some spreads will be really beautiful, and others will be rather random collages of photos.

Practice makes perfect.

Or at least progress! My first photo books aren’t nearly as good as my more recent ones because I learned a lot of things along the way through trial and error.   You’ll get better at this the more you do it!

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I think that covers all the questions you guys have asked so far! If you’ve still got questions, leave a comment, and I’ll do my best to respond.

Also, if you have a photo book publisher that you really love, share in the comments and help your fellow readers out.

P.S. My Publisher is no longer around, but this post I wrote has some helpful tips that can be applied to any photo books.   I really wish I’d read tip #3 when I made my first book.

P.P.S. You can get free shipping on all AdoramaPix orders $49+   so I try to make sure my book is large enough to meet the $49 minimum.   Might as well make one big book and not pay shipping!   Also, there are sometimes Groupons available for AdoramaPix, so check there.

P.P.P.S. You are still a good mom if you don’t make photo books.   It’s ok if it’s not your thing!