Custom Storybook Memories – Create a Treasured Family Heirloom

As an adolescent, did you have a dream? Were you a 13-year old girl in love with her horse? Were you a young man dreaming of being the star goalie on the Agoura Hills AYSO soccer team? Perhaps you have been working to earn your black belt in Karate? We all have dreams that play out in our heads. Wouldn’t it be magical to capture those images as they happened and used them to create a beautifully designed custom press printed photo album? How about the mom who takes her child to Reyes Adobe Park, they blows bubbles and spends time pushing her child on the swings, or watching your son play with his new puppy? Snapshots tend to sit in a shoebox; a custom storybook album offers a life long memory, not to mention a great gift for grandma.

As a professional portrait photographer, one of my favorite products that I offer in my Agoura Hills studio is the custom storybook album. I spend 2 hours in the park, or at your home, photographing  special moments – perhaps gardening with your grandmother, or playing chess with your son, even something as simple as washing the car together. Mostly I focus on capturing the expressions and the relationships of how you and your family interact. Catching the moment when your son sprays you with water while washing the car, capturing the reaction and the look on Dad’s soggy face is priceless. It is often the little moments that count the most, baking a cake with grandma on a Sunday morning and catching  your daughter’s little chocolately fingers and gooey chocolate lips while licking the spoon. I capture these moments and then document them in a beautifully custom designed, artistically retouched album. Most of the families who come to me and order one, leave hugging them as a true family heirloom, moments captured to be treasured forever.

How to Photograph Your Own Story

Do you want to make your own album? Here are things to consider before picking up your camera.

1. Plan Your Story -Telling a story in photographs takes preplanning. Thinking through the story from beginning to end being sure to capture the transition moments, so as the pages turn, the story unfolds. Keep it simple only one or perhaps two story lines.
2. Wardrobe – select clothing for your family that makes sense – casual, formal, solid, bright or muted colors. Think through the setting and carefully examine the background. Choose clothing that will draw attention to the subject and away from the background (perhaps a bright color making it easier to track your subjects as the pages turn.)
3. Hair– the subjects of the story should wear their hair neatly and away from the eyes, so when capturing the images in a photojournalistic style, you can keep your position as a fly on the wall without interrupting the event to adjust hair – which will alter their natural expressions.
4. Makeup- I recommend wearing age appropriate makeup a little more heavily than normal, as to outline the eyes and lips. The whites of the eyes show more clearly with eyeliner – reducing retouch time in the computer. This time can add up in a 30 page album.
5. Expression – Focus on capturing expressions as you family interacts. Ultimately that will be the most meaningful illustrating their relationships with each other.
6. Colorful Elements – brightly colored elements that coordinate with wardrobe make for a more interesting album pages. For instance if your child is wearing a yellow skirt, adding brightly colored sunflowers into the scene will be eye-catching. Or if your son wears a red shirt with overalls, add a red ball to play with. Keeping the colors in mind will certainly make your pages bright and more interesting.
7. Camera and Lens Choice – A DSLR would be preferrable but using a point and shoot will work too. Keep in mind, that a longer lens will give you more separation of your subject from the background and will allow you to capture more natural expressions if you are farther from the action.
8. Creating Your Own Album – Creating your own album can be done by searching for online companies that offer this service, such as Snapfish. Most of these companies offer square simple templates and designs that you can drop your photos into square shapes to place the order. If you would like more custom album with varied shapes, photographs on angles and blends and double page spreads, UV coated pages, texturized pages or custom photo covers - as well as professional retouching, you may want to contact a professional photographer in your area for help.

Creating a treasured memory can be a fun challenge. With a little thought, creativity and the cooperation of your subjects – you can create a storybook memory to keep for a lifetime. Have fun with it!

KAREN VAISMAN – Karen Vaisman Photography located in Agoura Hills, California

           Professional Photographic Portrait Artist specializing in the Art of Retouching

                          Agoura Hills - Photography & Adobe Photoshop Trainer

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WEBSITE – http://www.karenvaismanphotography.com

EMAIL – Memories@portraitsbykaren.net

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ARTISTIC RETOUCHING - BEFORE & AFTER -- http://ht.ly/562fU

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