On any holiday you meet some pretty interesting people …. I'm not talking about the folks on the bus with you that you end up posing with in front of a landmark. I'm talking about the smiling front desk person, your flight attendant, a tour guide you really enjoyed, or, as in these images, a wonderful woman who looked after my room, the guides setting up our evening drinks in the African bush, and the wonderful wild game tracker. It helps personalise your photo book and will bring back terrific memories of all the lovely people you encountered along the way!

Fonts are so often something people don't think about but can turn something ordinary into something special. There are two areas to address:
1. font used for captions and text
2. font used for title of book and any headers

First, addressing the inside of your book … if you use text, DON'T automatically use the default "Times New Roman". It's ordinary and boring. There are other fonts available within the software which are easier to read and much more interesting. As a rule, text should be 12 points and captions should be 9pt.

The title of your book is where font selection is critical. It should reflect the theme of the book. There are an incredible number of FREE fonts available on the web that you can search and find something to fit your theme. This, along with the design of the cover, is what makes your book really stand out!! I've included some samples of covers where the difference between a "stock" font (on the left) and a "custom' font (on the right) makes a world of difference!

I have access to hundreds of fonts which allow me to create an individual feel for each book, complementing the subject.

I talked about the importance of Font choice. Colour choice for your cover is just as important! Don't just choose black or white. Pick a colour out of your image and use that (many colour tools are available at no charge on the internet). You'll see a marked difference here…..even though I've used the "specialty" font with the black or white, it doesn't give the same feel to it at all.

You can find some wonderful and creative artwork on the web. A bit of extra work and you can have a truly unique way of titling your album!

Travelling with friends? There's an easy way to create a special photo book for each individual (or family) without totally re-doing each book. At a given landmark(s), take individual pictures of each traveller. That picture can easily be slotted in for their "personal" copy of the book. That picture can also be used as the front inside page with their name.

Visiting places where things are made? Okay, you took a picture of the person making the item. Did you remember to take a picture of the finished item or how it is displayed? That adds to the story. The first two images show a villager making scarves and then the finished result.

The second series was taken in an parasol factory in Myanmar showing the woman making one by hand, hanging up awaiting the finishing painting touches, shown in the last photo.

Sometimes your accommodation is particularly lovely; sometimes it's quirky …. did you get photos to be able to tell friends and remember? What about the special view from the room?

When putting your book together, have a good look at your photographs. Many are enhanced by cropping. It can be to get rid of extraneous objects or just to make the photo more dramatic. Don't worry about keeping a photo in a certain "shape". Sometimes interesting crops add a dramatic feel to the page!

Here are just a few examples of "before and after"

I cannot reiterate this Enough!!!!!

It's a VERY common problem …. photographs with a crooked horizon. It's SO easy to fix with no special photo editing software that it's amazing how many pictures are NOT straightened! It can be extremely distracting and really downgrades the look of your photo book! Take a few minutes and STRAIGHTEN THOSE PHOTOS!!!

Watching people is one of my favourite things to do in new places. And, I love to capture their essence. It will give your book vibrance.
Note of Caution: Do NOT take people pictures without their permission! You'll find most, especially in some countries, will love to pose and want to see the "finished product" on your camera! Of course, if you are a distance away, you can get some great candid shots. Just DO NOT invade people's space!

One thing EVERYONE has in common on holidays …. you eat food! Whether it's a unique dish to the area, something presented beautifully, or just that shot of where you ate … it all adds to your story!

Whenever you take a picture of something "famous", you find that there are thousands of similar images out there. Instead of taking that "stock" photograph, look for a different angle or different approach.

Here's an example. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most photographed structures in the world. And, it's fine to take that iconic shot.

The interesting thing to do is look for a different shot, something that stands out. In this first photograph, I found a bed of flowers to frame the Eiffel Tower. It adds more interest and dimension. (Of course, you don't have any control over the sky conditions as the "iconic" shot was taken on a gorgeous blue-sky day)

BE CREATIVE!!!!

But, I walked off the tourist walkways and stumbled on to this group of students having a picnic. Suddenly, I had local interest with the Tower in the background. As you can see, it also creates an interesting angle on the tower itself. The second photo is taken from a low angle in front of the carousel for another interesting view.