Take These Types of Photos To Improve Your Creative Memories Scrapbook

by Tiffany Mueller – Tiffany Mueller is a professional photographer based in Hawaii. When she’s not taking photos, she’s using her skills to help other budding photographers reach their full potential. You can see her work at www.TiffanyMueller.com

Arguably, one of the trickiest parts of creating a professional looking scrapbook is taking great looking photos that help you show your story. And the keyword here is story. Afterall, that’s ultimately what your Creative Memories scrapbook is–a visual story!

So just how do you go about taking better, more cohesive photos that spark interest and adoration? Luckily, it’s not as difficult as it seems. Let’s go over a few pro tips you can use when taking photos with scrapbooking in mind. Before you know it, you’ll notice your scrapbooks transforming into something magical!

Plan Your Scrapbook Photography Shots Ahead Of Time

This is probably one of the most important–and easy–ways to level up your scrapbook photography, so I’m going to mention it right off the bat.

Coming back around to the storytelling aspect I opened this article up with, we need to keep in mind that all stories have one thing in common: they have multiple parts (think the chapters in a book). If you’re planning a big family vacation or event, you have a major advantage when it comes to taking photos for your scrapbook.

More than likely, you have an itinerary in mind for your big trip or event already. Before the big day comes, take a couple minutes to sit down and make a quick a checklist of photos you want to use to help tell the story of your event. You’ll want to be sure to include a variety of shots to mix things up and add interest to your story.

Here are few suggestions I recommend:

Posed

You’re probably familiar with this type of shot already. Gather the person or people you want to include in your photo and have them pose for a shot. You might want to take several variations of your posed shots using different poses, locations, and people.

Another thing to keep in mind when you’re shooting is to try alternate framing. It seems obvious that when you’re photographing people you’d want to include their face, but as you can see in the photo below, it’s possible to capture incredible photos when you’re thinking outside the box too!

Depending on the type of event you’re photographing, you can even set up a staged area to take photos of people. Think of it as a modern twist on the photo booth! All you have to do is collect a few props and nice, bright location to take photos in. Ask your friends take a quick second posing in front of the camera for some truly one of a kind shots!

Here’s an example of what your photobooth setup could look like:

Candid

Candid shots are my favorite style of shot because they tend to be the most authentic. When you’re taking your candid shots, do your best to go unnoticed so your subject isn’t influenced by the presence of the camera. Aim to be a “fly on the wall”, grabbing pictures as you quietly watch the event unfold.

Get creative when you’re taking candid shots. Look for different angles to capture the shots from. And, with all the photos you take, try to always be aware of your surroundings! A lot of otherwise great photos were ruined because the photographer didn’t take the initiative to look beyond their subject matter to see if there was anything in the background (like some unsightly trash on the ground) that would take away from the overall photo.

Check out some of these shots for some inspiration!

Environmental Shots

These shots typically don’t include people, or if they do have people in them, they shouldn’t necessarily be the subject matter. Instead, they focus on your surroundings and help viewers establish a sense of place. The idea with these shots is to mentally and visually transport whoever is looking at them into the story you’re sharing in your Creative Memories scrapbook.

Don’t Miss Out On The Important Moments

Using a combination of the types of shots listed above, do your best to think ahead of time about the important moments you know you’ll want to document. For example, if you’re photographing a birthday party, you’ll want some candid shots of the guest of honor in addition to the friends and family celebrating with them. Mix these up between candid shots and posed shots.

Will other important moments happen at the event? Perhaps a cake cutting, games, opening presents, and so on. For environmental shots, think about taking photos of the party decorations, some creative shots of wrapped gifts, the cake and other treats, and so forth.

Having an idea in mind of what photos you’ll need to tell your story will help keep your shooting on track and ensure you don’t miss out on any “must have” shots.

Lastly, Get In On The Action!

If you were there taking photos, that means you were part of the experience. Why should you be left out of all the photos? Don’t be bashful, get in on the action!

Use That Self Timer

Most cameras have a self-timer mode that will allow you plenty of time to set up your shot and get in front of the lens. If you’re unsure if your camera has a self-timer, you can do a quick check of the manual that came with it to find out and score some instructions on how to set it up as well. More often than not, it’s just a simple push of a button or flip of a switch.

Once activated, all you’ll need to do is press the shutter release on your camera just as you normally would. The camera will delay taking the photo for a set amount of time, giving you a chance to get in front of the camera.

To take advantage of this handy little feature, you’re going to need something to hold your camera. Ideally a tripod, but since these aren’t always convenient, you might need to put your imagination to work. However, getting a little imaginative should be a simple task for a Creative Memories scrapbooker.

Is there a table or stable surface nearby you can perch your camera on? Just make sure it’s steady so your camera doesn’t fall. And double check to make sure there’s nothing protruding up in front of the lens that could potentially ruin your photo.

Enlist A Second Shooter

If you don’t have a self-timer, or aren’t comfortable using it, grab a friend or trustworthy stander-by to take the shot for you. If you have a specific vision in mind for the photo, do your best to communicate it effectively with whoever you enlist to take the shot.

Alternatively, if you had other friends and family taking photos of the same occasion, ask if you can browse their photos for shots. Look for some shots that you’re in and ask them for a copy to use in your scrapbook!

Stay Tuned!

Now that you have an idea of what types of photos you should be taking, in my next article, we’ll go over some easy tips and tricks you can use to improve the quality of your photos. If you have grandchildren you enjoy taking photos of, you’ll especially enjoy this read. I’ll dedicate an entire section on how to photograph children–even when they’re being, let’s say…less than cooperative.

Be on the lookout and in the meantime, start planning your checklist for your next big event!