How To Make A Vacation Photo Book
Winter is coming and the urge to jump onto the internet and book a vacation is growing strong.
It’s good to listen to that urge every now and then. You only live once and sometimes standing in front of the heater with socks for gloves is just not enough to kick away the cold. Or, at least, it’s not as romantic as a sunny beach in Puerto Rico!
With this in mind, if you’ve given into the temptation to get away somewhere sunny for a few weeks, make sure you enjoy it. Whilst the journey there can feel like you’ve been placed in the movie Interstellar – with greying hair and a few extra wrinkles when you get to the other side – the actual vacation itself can fly by in a heartbeat.
They always do. It’s a vacation thing. As soon as you’re having fun and enjoying life away from work and responsibilities, the clock decides to tick 100x quicker. This is why you should not only savour every moment, but make sure that you find a way to cherish the whole thing.
Photo books are the best way to do this. If you’re advertising your holiday on Instagram and Facebook, it’s a great idea to get a photo book maker to place those photos into their very own physical home.
But how do you curate a perfect vacation photo book which captures everything that was enjoyable about the vacation? Here’s a few options which can help you out:
The Prologue
Although your photo book is likely to have a title which tells you exactly what it is about, it’s a great idea to kick things off with a picture which brings you right into it. Try to find a picture that perfectly encapsulates the beauty of where you’ve been to. A showstopper kind of picture.
If you’re planning on going to a beach – because, let’s be honest, why wouldn’t you? - maybe take the time to grab a few shells and spell out your destination and the year, for example: COSTA RICA 2023. This is a great way to preface your story and really get things off to a professional start.
Make Packing Fun
Once your story has its prologue, you can start right at the beginning. Make packing fun by snapping a few pictures to include in your photo book. This can include the actual packing process, a few excited selfies, and then the suitcases already beside the door.
Preparing for your vacation can be tedious, but there is always a vivid excitement underlining everything, and this will definitely come across in the photographs you take.
Don’t Take Too Many In-Flight Pics!
How many times have you looked through someone’s vacation album on Facebook, only to see a healthy number of in-flight pics that show exciting things such as queues, seating, and windows with blurry views? Let’s be honest, the journey to your destination is boring and for some reason everyone wants to document it.
While it's okay to snap away and photo dump on social media, try to eliminate these photographs when you come to make your Facebook and Instagram photo book. They’re always the boring interlude and you would much sooner just get to the vacation itself!
Include New Friends
When you’re into the vacation side of things, try to include a healthy dose of everything, but especially people. Of course, the landscapes of your vacation are likely to be beautiful, but you don’t want a book full of leaves, hills, and water.
One of the best things about vacations is the people you meet, so try to take selfies with your new friends and make sure to include them in the book to even things out.
Try To Get A Good Mix Of Urban And Country
When it comes to vacation photographs, always try to have a good mix of urban and country – providing, of course, that you have chosen a place to visit which has towns as well as beaches.
This is purely to amplify the aesthetics of the photo book itself. You want it to be as pretty and eclectic as possible, so make sure to get the right mix of ingredients to create a book that is visually appealing.
Hone Your Night Photography
The nightlife often holds the best moments of our vacation - considering, of course, that we remember them - but sadly, this is where a lot of photo books get a little iffy.
Night photography is not easy, and the pictures taken at night can be some of the worst of all your vacation photographs. This is why you should make sure to hone your night photography ahead of time and ensure that your photo book doesn’t get too amateur when you’re including those moments.
The Afterglow
Lastly, it is important to take and include photographs that document your journey back to the real world – no matter how painful it might be! A photo book should tell a story, and every story has an ending.
Try to take pictures on your last day and include a few photographs when you land back home; this will tie everything together and allow things to go full circle. Don’t worry, you can always finish with one last vacation picture. Perhaps an image of your destination with the caption: see you soon… After all, it’s only 365 days until next winter!
