Recommendations for lots of pictures

[MarkB]

I've got q question, I'm finally getting around to doing last years Christmas pictures and we took a trip the in-laws and have about 100 pictures. I was thinking of a multi-page spread with sections, cookies; presents; sno-fun, etc.

Would it be better to have a different theme for each section or use the same essential page layout for 10 pages of pictures or what would work best?

Mark

[Kristen]

Welcome to DSP!

I'd go with a basic page layout for the entire spread - choose background(s), font(s), a basic sketch of where photos, journaling, & title go. And then make some variations for each section. Maybe change the color of the title and journaling blocks for each section? Or a different border? You'll end up with other variations when you realize you have 12 photos for one section and 2 for another.

A major advantage I've found to this scheme is that I get the tough decisions made once and for all and I can play with ideas and variations without having to plan each page individually. You'll get a batch of pages that are obviously "together" but the variations of section and other adjustments keep it from looking too much alike.

I look forward to seeing your holiday photos! We have too many other holiday traditions to make it up to the Sierras for Christmas snow. (Maybe I need to talk to my sister about a road trip soon - her kids are 9 and 11... bet I'm still better with a snowball, though...)

[Tina]

Mark, welcome to DSP!

I think either idea would work well!

You can stick with the same basic look throughout all the pics if you'd like them all to look the same. If you want variety tho, you could change the pages up with the themes.

You could always use the same look throughout (as in the layout of the pics), but change the colors and embellishments as they fit with the pics.

[Lauren]

Hi Mark - I think its all a matter of personal preference - If you plan to make one album for all the photos its nice to have a theme that follows through - you could choose 2 or 3 backgrounds and a few elements from a kit or 2 and use them to tie all the pages together (I have to say that this also makes putting the album together much quicker ) Or you could use a variety of kits and choose a sketch so that the actual page layout is the same thoughout the album. - Do show us what you decide - I'd love to see your layouts in the gallery.

[mekstamper]

Hi Mark,

I agree with Lauren that it is a matter of personal preference. I have done it both ways and for me I have found that my tastes change as time evolves. That doesn't really help you does it! LOL What I've done is choose one method and use it. Then another time I try a different approach. This helps me figure out what I personally prefer. I tend to be very eclectic and so I like an eclectic look. If you are very orderly you might prefer something that has more rhyme and reason to it.
I think a good starting place though is to pick one kit (or two that compliment each other) and work with those alone. I like to get layout ideas from Becky Higgins Sketch book when I'm working with many photos. If you use FotoFusion you can get some great auto generated layouts with their auto collage feature. That is increasingly my approach when working with large quantities of photos. But either way I get the basic layout and then embellish with backgrounds, elements, titles and so forth.

Let us know what you end up doing and how you like it!

Mary Ellen

[Timmysmum]

Hi Mark,
If you don't want to do a whole album and put as many photos as you can on a page what about 2 double layouts.

I saw an absolutely stunning double 12 12 layout in Creating Keepsakes that had 60 photos on it. Called Paris I can't remember the issue.

They were all about 2inches by 2 inches squares (maybe bit bigger ) and the scrapper had gradiented them from black and white at bottom left through to colour top right.
The photos took up about 75% of the layout starting at the bottom and then a plain top so it didn't look too busy.

It was just on a plain white/grey background with faint Paris (Christmas in pale Burgundy ?)written on velum like paper and the title Paris.


I plan to scrap lift it for a Vienna one I had and also my hundreds of family shots.

i agree with everyone and suggest you check out the creating keepsakes website and look under becky higgins sketches.

Good luck can't wait to see what you come up with
Sue

[Emma]

My fave approach to this is to choose a coordinated set of papers, elements, etc, adding a few for each section

The papers can be background, border, strip, or mat. You can use all of them on one page, or just one. That way, you have a "pot" of things to choose from that all coordinate, and you just pull things out as strikes you for each page.

Another thing to do is mark which photos will go on which page. In paper scrapping, you'd do this by setting out 10 background papers that coordinate, then placing the photos and arranging them on the backgrounds, adding more pages or subtracting/combining as needed.

Then the mats/borders of paper, lace, fabric, whatever

Journaling strips/blocks

Embellisments

So just imagine the paper process in digital. You'll have a stack of things that are "allowed" and you choose which you want for each page. Doing them as a set, rather than consecutively, is usually much faster. You work in stages digitally because having that many images open at once would get really bogged down.

have fun, and let us know what you come up with!