First finished designed album

emeraldrose · January 25, 2010

Qarik · January 25, 2010

the shots themselves look nice enough but I am not digging the design really. It's just too busy for my taste. I don't like all the different kinds of picture borders..squared, rounded, vines, brush strokes, oval, circles hearts, etc. The text boxes aren't doing it for me either heh

Agnieszka · January 25, 2010

Welcome back

I'm more of an advocate for "simple" designs, so keep this in mind when you're reading my reply, but ... I'll go first (edit: ok, I guess Quarik beat me, haha) ... here are my first thoughts when I saw your layout:

- There is a LOT going on, many different styles; the first 2 layouts don't really match the others. Especially 4-5
- You got a lLOT of different borders. I'd keep it simpler

- Watch out, some of the photos aren't aligned
- Some photos / text are VERY close to the border. Keep in mind that the album crafters have a "safe zone". I'd try to stay away from it

Just my 2 cents

emeraldrose · January 25, 2010

thanks guys this is my first I have so much to learn. I wanted the first 2 spreads to be different than the rest. these also were just spreads I through together from the individual pages since whcc does only single designs to be made into spreads, which really annoys me lol. Had so many images I wanted to include lol I've got to get better at saying no and doing more simple designs.

l.k.madison · January 25, 2010

I agree with the others, but something did stand out for me.

Were their engagement photos taken in Sept 2009 or was that when he proposed? If so, that's a CRAZY short engagement, I thought my five month engagement was really short. Wow.

emeraldrose · January 25, 2010

l.k.madison wrote:

I agree with the others, but something did stand out for me.

Were their engagement photos taken in Sept 2009 or was that when he proposed? If so, that's a CRAZY short engagement, I thought my five month engagement was really short. Wow.

that's when he proposed!!! I know right! he's navy and a student at nuke school so i guess they just did it when they knew he'd have leave.

l.k.madison · January 25, 2010

emeraldrose wrote:

that's when he proposed!!! I know right! he's navy and a student at nuke school so i guess they just did it when they knew he'd have leave.

Wow, I thought my husband and I moved fast: Met August 5, 2006, proposed March 5, 2007 and married on August 5, 2007.

Kudos to her for doing a wedding in 2 1/2 months, that's CRAZY!!!

heatherfeather · January 26, 2010

l.k.madison wrote:

Wow, I thought my husband and I moved fast: Met August 5, 2006, proposed March 5, 2007 and married on August 5, 2007.

Kudos to her for doing a wedding in 2 1/2 months, that's CRAZY!!!

Me and my DH were only engaged for a month before our wedding. My brother and sister in law/ best friend were going back to college and would not be able to come if we didn't just hurry up and get er done. It was one whirlwind month to get ready. But we had a beautiful wedding with all the trimmings, so it can be done.

As to the album (back on topic) I have to agree with pretty much everything Angie said. I used to make many more photos on a page, but I have found that less is more when it comes down to albums. Some of your really gorgeous shots are hidden behind other photos, when they should be center stage and celebrated. The viewer can not decide which photo is the subject of the page and to be loved. If you have just a few pages, then use just a few photos.

urbanaries · January 26, 2010

this is what your photos say to me...classic, beautiful, happy, elegant.

this is what the design says to me...trendy, busy, crowded, scrapbook-y.

no matter what the design........let the photos shine!!!

Jeremy Winterberg · January 26, 2010

agree with the rest. I don't care for the fancy borders, crowded images on each page, etc...

The thing that matters most is if the bride likes it. If she doesn't LOVE it now, she wont LOVE it in 20 years. That's another thing you have to keep in mind when designing. Think simple. Think to the future. Ask yourself, "Will they appreciate this album in 25-60 years from now?"

I think you have a great start to an album. I know you said you're finished, but to me its not. If you go back through, narrow it down to 3-5 images per page. Having too much makes it hard to follow the story trying to be told on that spread.

hnjngo · January 30, 2010

I like page 19-20, but i think that the others could look better if you didn't turn the contrast down, and set them as your main photos for the page.

VayCayMom · January 30, 2010

I have never shot a wedding nor made a wedding album, so my comments don't count too much, and I am just a grandma that picked up a camera 2 years ago...but there are a few things that jumped out at me.

Your photos are very nice but the embellishments make them harder to really see. What pops out is the red and black,it is very bold and a little can go a long way. I think you could make your photos/bride more the center of attention. I think the bold colors and all the different trimmings are over powering your work. Some of your loveliest photos are being used as a faded background , and the overlying ones to me are not the ones I would bring attention to, in fact you should just leave them out. If you have 10 A+ images, don't bother with the Cs! Stick to the top best 20 %

Page 2.. the square corners really bugged me, is there a way to just soften that page somehow, it seems so stark. I'd do rounded corners.

Page 4 .. the mesh effects inside the border of the 3 B&Ws took all my attention away from everything else. I would love to see more of the beautiful background photo, it is the best part of the 2 pages.

Pages 6 & 7... the ragged borders are too jarring for the theme. background is a bit busy, but I LOVE that you put the time in the corner !!

Pages 8 & 9 Nicely done, these pages harmonize. Very nice. The photos stand out and you can really enjoy the details of the photos instead of the pages.

Pages 10 & 11 The curly red inside the photos is distracting. your photos are good enough to stand on their own without all the fancy trim.

12 & 13... Very nice except for the B&W on top of the color photos. I want to see more of the color photo but that one on top is in the way and not nearly as nice as the ones beneath.

14 & 15,,, 15 is my FAVORITE!!

Love it. LOVE it! Light and somewhat airy like a wedding. Nice break from the red too. 14, the borders a bit much.

16 - end just the borders.

In a nutshell, your photos don't need all the window dressing it just gets in the way of the beauty of your work and the special day. And there is a lot of black and red, perhaps too much. Less would make it the accent that it was that day.
And think of this.. in 20 or 30 years what will this style look like to someone looking at it for the first time. Hope this was not too harsh, I just think you are selling your self short by not showcasing your work in the best light possible.

First finished designed album

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