I just finished designing my first album ever. I have my thoughts about it but I'd love to hear yours! Hopefully it's one of those things that the more practice I get the better I become. Some of the images used were from a second shooter, but I wanted to use mostly my own images. He took the shots of the groom and groomsmen before the ceremony and I asked him to specifically get the groom's reaction to seeing the bride walk down the aisle.

I appreciate anyone who takes the time to check it out an leave some feedback:

http://www.amandapappas.com/samplealbum

Thanks!

-Amanda

Hey Amanda! Great job for a first album design. Very clean and very elegant Overall, I like it!

A few critiques:
Spread #12 is good, but I think it would be stronger if more of the images lined up instead of being all different sizes. It just seems a little scattered.
Spread #15 is completely out of place with that random background. I think it would look better if it was just clean white or clean black.

Other than that, fabulous Congrats on having your first one out of the way!

Overall, I like it quite a bit, I like all the large pictures. I am a bit tired or I'd give individual critique. I just wanted to say that the shot on page 12 of the bridesmaids holding the groom really emphasizes his height. I know he's a smaller guy but the angle and all just really makes him look super tiny.

Overall I like!

I think this is mostly a very well designed first album. Three things in paticular stood out.
1) Page 8 - Too much! I think the load of pics needs to be lightened here.
2)Page 12 - The different sized photos and so many
3) Page 15 - Commit to either black or white, that stripe messed with my eyes and made some of the photos appear warped.

That's what stood out the most to me.

One more thing, though I like the layout on page 9, the top panaramic whould look so nice on a page alone, it's a really nice shot!

T

i love most of it! I would like spread 8 if you kept with the white borders between the photos like alot of the rest of the book... also not a huge fan of the b&w gradient on the background of a couple pages... but the photos are beautiful!!!

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far! I didn't want to say what I thought about 12 and 15, but you said pretty much the same thing. I just fussed with those 2 spreads for so long I threw in the towel and said the heck with it. If it turns out yucky I'll know never to do that again when designing an album. I really don't know what I was thinking with that gradient. Live and learn.

I guess I kind of thought about how that one image on 12 makes the groom look like even more of a peanut when I took the shot. But he really got a kick out of and I loved their expressions so I wasn't too concerned about the vertical challenge. If he seemed ashamed of his height I guess it would be different.

I agree I should think about making images that stand alone as panoramas. I will try to shoot more of the wide angles as I have a tendency to shoot somewhat tight.

Thanks again!
-Amanda