Seriously, you have changed my whole perspective on Albums! i was just throwing all photos in there. Your way of organizing the photos was en-lighting! 👍
Hi James, maybe you can solve a mystery for me? Why the huge white frames on every page? Everybody does that and I don't understand why. You are paying for the size of the book, not the amount of ink used. Use the whole page. You'll get a larger picture and it costs the same. Look at that shot at 11:17. It covers two entire pages without any frame and it works quite well. No need for artsy frames.
You always make me laugh. Education and entertainment in one 12 minute production. Thanks for all your hard work. That closing photo of your son is a treasure if there ever was one!
I think that every single photo is telling it‘s own story. Whether it's the people in the photos, or objects, they all have their place in a picture you've decided to take. I think it's nice when you look at your photos again later and maybe even go back to the place in your mind. Photos save moments, freeze them so to say, and so they automatically tell a story in my opinion :) A bit philosophical, but that's part of it I guess
I know you are a great photographer, but seen you use different apertures than F11 or plus, made me smile a lot. No news, as I was saying, you are great at what you do, but I just realized how good you really are!
Four main image types used to tell visual stories: Establishing Shots: Introduce the setting, characters, or context of the story, giving a sense of location or mood. Transition Shots: Move the narrative along, depicting movement or changes in location or time. Cutaway Shots: Focus on specific details or moments, offering respite from broader scenes and adding depth to the story. Hero Shots: Highlight impactful or climactic moments, serving as key focal points that the narrative builds toward.
That first scene is exactly my kind of photo too. Some people think I'm weird for taking pictures of these things but the end result always makes me happy
That’s a fantastic book. I love the cover photo most with the footsteps in the snow leading into the subject from the corner. And that shot at 11:00 is perfect. Very nice video.
Thank you for sharing your family adventures and it’s good to see how other people photograph their family while out and about, especially now that I have a 3 year old myself right now. 🇨🇦 😃
Timely. I was about to start selecting through my photos from our first family trip to Hawaii, so nice to see you insight on how to put it all together.
I always look forward to your videos James. Really enjoyed the format of this video and of course your images, as always! Absolutely nail the photos! Great work 🤙🏼
I like the video presentation isn’t discussed enough. My father would be impressed (please note the sarcasm) that making the family adventure a business trip and you put Noah to work already.
One of the most inspiring videos that I have watched in some time. I've been in a massive photographic rut, been holding onto the idea of starting a photo centered TH-cam channel and finally putting the courage together to do so. Thanks James.
Aww, what a wonderful book for Noah. Hope you get to take him back when he is older and make another book. I make lots of books and Saal look well worth a try.
Super helpful video. Was only today starting to look for videos on creating photo stories for a route 66 trip next year so this is timely and as always really helpful!
Good grief! Is Noah really 18 months old already?? That's flown!! I've had a few goes at putting photo books together with..some success, but by no means this level success. But that's because I now realise I didn't fully understand the principles of story telling in my photography. This video does really help, so cheers for that. I shall try and commit these things to memory!
Hi Emily and Noah! Long time no see. I hope you all had fun in Iceland. The video of Noah walking up to the beach holding Emily's hand @ 6:00 and the still image are just tremendous. Safe travels!
W O W! What a beautiful thing to do and amazing pictures! The topic is 👌🏻. You hide your genius behind your humour, I appreciate that very much and it makes the effect of the great pictures even bigger. Splendid work 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🤩
I've been wanting to make my own photo book but never really loved the way the story follows through. This has been a huge insight into how I can better structure a story driven photo book. Cheers James!
Okay, watched it. Fabulous explanation James of how to put a book together. I used Saal to put together a beautiful book in one of the presentation cases for an Aunt who couldn't make it to my father's funeral. She was overwhelmed by it. Highly recommended. B&W film would have worked out there you know 😁
Great video. I was really struggling for something to get my Dad for his 70th and I think this solves my problem. Good to hear about the different kind of shots you use. It's given me some ideas. Thanks
It's been very interesting! To me, videos like this one, unlike many others out there, feel like a really good art class. I don't know if that makes sense but I would definitely like to see more! I also love the fact that you speak like a real human being, not a salesman or a reality show host.
I got a voucher from Saal digital a couple of years ago and used it to get a photo book. And the quality is awesome. A bit earlier this year my mum got remarried at a small intimate ceremony where each of the guests chipped in to help. I did the photography and for the wedding album, I went straight to Saal.
Thanks James, really enjoyed an inside view/perspective of your story telling. Particularly enjoyed seeing your shots in print, looked fantastic across two pages - better than seeing the digital image on the screen. 👍
Really loved this James. That is such a special book for Noah to look back on. Some beautiful photos for your wall at home too, the one of Emily & Noah, and Noah alone on the beach are amazing. Nice to see them both in your video.
Thanks for this video! I have hundreds of images from a five-day hiking trip a couple years back that I started working on to get into a book, but the project has been sitting idle for more than a year now. This got me excited about actually finishing the damn thing, and gave a lot of good ideas on how to approach it!
Love this video, love this style of photography. I think over the years, I have come appreciate good story telling photography more than epic, hero, perfectly composed and executed landscape shots (but you still have some of those too). Thanks for sharing this book and for the tips on how to do one for our own!
Such a valuable video!! Glad I saw this to help inform my perspective a little as I look back at travel photos... I believe photobooks are the best tool and great memento to capture our little escapes from life!
Great photos and nice explanation about workflow of taking and putting them together. I do print my photos, but never tried to put them in form of photobook, will need to try it once. Thanks :)
Great video. We leave for a family trip to Aruba in a few days and I will put your advice into practice in the hopes of creating a book when we get back.
Man, I love this! I just put together a book about my family from photos I took in 2022. About 260 pages... a couple thousand photos. So less of a storytelling and more of a contact sheet type of vibe but I love your story telling, one photo per page. And the type of photos you took are more artsy and less snapshots.
Thank you James for explaining the storytelling process so well through your words and images. There are some really beautiful shots in there that stand on their own too. Your favourite, the reflections of Noah in the water balanced with the reflection of the mountain, is an amazing shot.
Very cool. Love the thought that goes into it. Planning and story are definitely things I have a hard time with. Which then made it hard to come up with a theme for my first photo book. No central story or set up to work off of. Still a lot of fun though. Glad you guys had a good trip.
Love your videos, James. Fantastic work. As a musician I would say you created a visual 'crescendo' towards the photo with Noah at the beach, which is called the 'climax'. A 'crescendo' leads towards the climax of the phrase, usually then followed by a 'decrescendo' (which means the volume decreases) All the best to you and your family. Will keep my eyes open for more inspiring content 👍😍🙏
Wow that video is the best explanation on how to put a story based photobook together I've ever seen. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. ❤ Can't believe Noah is 18 months already. Time flys.
This was an extremely timely video as I've been wanting to create more of a story with my photos, rather than just individual images. The explanation of the different types of images you included was very informative and helpful. Thanks!
A great way to bring to life some family time. Love the explanation and use of various types of images to help tell a story. I found that a piece of gold!
I also got that Saal digital photo book for my last trip to ireland and I really do love it. As a recommendation I've got to say: Use the glossy paper otherwise some picture will look kind of dull in my opinion.
Really enjoyed this vid James, I’ve faffed around trying to put ‘projects’ together summarising photos with some assemblance of order over the years, without really a guide to follow. Oddly though the two things that stood out the most, were the fact that I found it very refreshing that someone with your talent and experience gets the final article back … only to realise that the visual-crescendo image, you didn’t get it as you wanted … and secondly, children, especially other peoples are an incredible barometer of time (which turns out to be as similar a comparison to watching time pass as a sound reference is to a visual ending, but the sentiment remains 👍
I'm sure Noah will look back on these photos when he's older and thank you for the effort you put in. Great work, mate.
Wholesome ❤ usually go on a shoot too with my daughter and wife - trying to get the awesome looking knes
This might be the most informative and inspirational 20 minutes of photography content on TH-cam.
Seriously, you have changed my whole perspective on Albums! i was just throwing all photos in there. Your way of organizing the photos was en-lighting! 👍
This is my favourite video that you’ve done in a while…not taking away from your other videos but this one hit a bit better for me.
That’s a lovely heirloom for Noah and his future family…thanks for sharing the early years of his life….🎉❤🎉
Hi James, maybe you can solve a mystery for me?
Why the huge white frames on every page? Everybody does that and I don't understand why.
You are paying for the size of the book, not the amount of ink used. Use the whole page. You'll get a larger picture and it costs the same.
Look at that shot at 11:17. It covers two entire pages without any frame and it works quite well. No need for artsy frames.
Love the shot of the trucks lined up under the mountains. And I think denouement was the word you were looking for.
15:00 defently my favorite shot
I've watched many of your videos the past few months, and this one is probably my favorite.
You always make me laugh. Education and entertainment in one 12 minute production. Thanks for all your hard work. That closing photo of your son is a treasure if there ever was one!
Possibly my favourite video you have made, really interesting and stunning photos. Loved it.
I think that every single photo is telling it‘s own story. Whether it's the people in the photos, or objects, they all have their place in a picture you've decided to take. I think it's nice when you look at your photos again later and maybe even go back to the place in your mind. Photos save moments, freeze them so to say, and so they automatically tell a story in my opinion :) A bit philosophical, but that's part of it I guess
Yes, but it’s great and very artistic to be able to tell a global story, with a serie of shoots. It’s much more difficult also.
I know you are a great photographer, but seen you use different apertures than F11 or plus, made me smile a lot. No news, as I was saying, you are great at what you do, but I just realized how good you really are!
Thank you James, very educational :) For me the shot of Noah walking by himself towards the sea (10.09) was the absolute hero shot ❤❤❤
Very nice food for thought and background processing for the next trip! Makes for a more cohesive photo book!
Four main image types used to tell visual stories:
Establishing Shots: Introduce the setting, characters, or context of the story, giving a sense of location or mood.
Transition Shots: Move the narrative along, depicting movement or changes in location or time.
Cutaway Shots: Focus on specific details or moments, offering respite from broader scenes and adding depth to the story.
Hero Shots: Highlight impactful or climactic moments, serving as key focal points that the narrative builds toward.
That first scene is exactly my kind of photo too. Some people think I'm weird for taking pictures of these things but the end result always makes me happy
That’s a fantastic book. I love the cover photo most with the footsteps in the snow leading into the subject from the corner. And that shot at 11:00 is perfect. Very nice video.
Thank you for sharing your family adventures and it’s good to see how other people photograph their family while out and about, especially now that I have a 3 year old myself right now. 🇨🇦 😃
James, thanks so much for great content as always! I love the book and the pictures, awesome shots! Thanks for the info on Saal Digital 😊
Timely. I was about to start selecting through my photos from our first family trip to Hawaii, so nice to see you insight on how to put it all together.
Beautiful book! Crescendo by the way means getting louder. It is the build up in acoustical terms, so to speak.
Funny I JUST ordered my own sample book from Saal via promo they shared. Pretty fun and easy process!
This is probably your best work to date, and your work is always good 😊 Great job, man.
I always look forward to your videos James. Really enjoyed the format of this video and of course your images, as always! Absolutely nail the photos! Great work 🤙🏼
I like the video presentation isn’t discussed enough. My father would be impressed (please note the sarcasm) that making the family adventure a business trip and you put Noah to work already.
Super video. Very personal, yet very educational. Thank you.
Great vlog and lovely to see your book and the thought process behind it. Some treasured memories there 👌
Lovely images, James! And the book looks gorgeous. I really enjoyed how you presented the concept of storytelling😀 Ciao
One of the most inspiring videos that I have watched in some time. I've been in a massive photographic rut, been holding onto the idea of starting a photo centered TH-cam channel and finally putting the courage together to do so. Thanks James.
I love the idea of a book. Great execution.
Aww, what a wonderful book for Noah. Hope you get to take him back when he is older and make another book. I make lots of books and Saal look well worth a try.
Super helpful video. Was only today starting to look for videos on creating photo stories for a route 66 trip next year so this is timely and as always really helpful!
Good grief! Is Noah really 18 months old already?? That's flown!!
I've had a few goes at putting photo books together with..some success, but by no means this level success. But that's because I now realise I didn't fully understand the principles of story telling in my photography. This video does really help, so cheers for that. I shall try and commit these things to memory!
Wonderful work. First time I see someone explain this process clearly. Thank you.
Hi Emily and Noah! Long time no see. I hope you all had fun in Iceland. The video of Noah walking up to the beach holding Emily's hand @ 6:00 and the still image are just tremendous. Safe travels!
Loved this. About to head off on holiday. Will document the trip using this story method.
W O W! What a beautiful thing to do and amazing pictures! The topic is 👌🏻. You hide your genius behind your humour, I appreciate that very much and it makes the effect of the great pictures even bigger. Splendid work 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🤩
I've been wanting to make my own photo book but never really loved the way the story follows through. This has been a huge insight into how I can better structure a story driven photo book. Cheers James!
Seems like it makes a trip more real, when there is a documentation of it. Thanks.
One of my favourites James. Lovely story and great explanation of your theory and approach 😊 Super interesting.
This is the best ad for that company haha, loved the content and it makes me really want to create a photo book
Okay, watched it. Fabulous explanation James of how to put a book together.
I used Saal to put together a beautiful book in one of the presentation cases for an Aunt who couldn't make it to my father's funeral. She was overwhelmed by it. Highly recommended.
B&W film would have worked out there you know 😁
Great video. I was really struggling for something to get my Dad for his 70th and I think this solves my problem. Good to hear about the different kind of shots you use. It's given me some ideas. Thanks
Thank you James! Beautiful images. Excellent in-depth tutorial on storytelling. Thanks for including Emily and Noah.
It's been very interesting!
To me, videos like this one, unlike many others out there, feel like a really good art class. I don't know if that makes sense but I would definitely like to see more!
I also love the fact that you speak like a real human being, not a salesman or a reality show host.
the @13:22 spread really looks amazing, and 14:22 is absolutely amazing
I really struggle with picking photos as a set, whether its for social media, books, whatever - this was really helpful - what a great book!
Great vlog! Loved the storytelling and all the amazing tones in the book.
Excellent info on how to structure a photo book. Thanks
Such a great book! Very well done. Would love more of these types of videos!
You are a fantastic story teller. Lovely.
Exceptional work, James!
I got a voucher from Saal digital a couple of years ago and used it to get a photo book. And the quality is awesome.
A bit earlier this year my mum got remarried at a small intimate ceremony where each of the guests chipped in to help. I did the photography and for the wedding album, I went straight to Saal.
I learned a lot from this! My next vacation book will be a lot better!
Tremendous work! great story told in beautiful photos, as always, and wonderfully told, too. Love your videos and can't wait for the next one!
Thanks James, really enjoyed an inside view/perspective of your story telling. Particularly enjoyed seeing your shots in print, looked fantastic across two pages - better than seeing the digital image on the screen. 👍
Fantastic photos, fantastic book.
Really loved this James. That is such a special book for Noah to look back on. Some beautiful photos for your wall at home too, the one of Emily & Noah, and Noah alone on the beach are amazing. Nice to see them both in your video.
This was incredible' can’t believe you gave away all this knowledge
That last image of the little fella on the beach is absolute class 👌👌
Thanks for this video! I have hundreds of images from a five-day hiking trip a couple years back that I started working on to get into a book, but the project has been sitting idle for more than a year now. This got me excited about actually finishing the damn thing, and gave a lot of good ideas on how to approach it!
One word - beautiful!
Thanks, James! a very inspirational and accessible idea for a creative outlet!
Love this video, love this style of photography. I think over the years, I have come appreciate good story telling photography more than epic, hero, perfectly composed and executed landscape shots (but you still have some of those too). Thanks for sharing this book and for the tips on how to do one for our own!
Really nice photos and brilliant description of using them for storytelling. Interesting, enjoyable, educational and inspiring.
Such a valuable video!! Glad I saw this to help inform my perspective a little as I look back at travel photos... I believe photobooks are the best tool and great memento to capture our little escapes from life!
Firstly , lovely shots and good info on sequencing, one of my nightmares . Noah will love this book when he's older
Great photos and nice explanation about workflow of taking and putting them together. I do print my photos, but never tried to put them in form of photobook, will need to try it once. Thanks :)
Thank you! Great topic and awesome shots.
Thanks for the info. I'm working on books in the Book Module in LRC. I like your thought processes.
Great video. We leave for a family trip to Aruba in a few days and I will put your advice into practice in the hopes of creating a book when we get back.
Your kid will absolutely love this book in some years time.
Great step bu step of you storytelling , I relly enjoyed the content and thanks for all the tips!
Man, I love this! I just put together a book about my family from photos I took in 2022. About 260 pages... a couple thousand photos. So less of a storytelling and more of a contact sheet type of vibe but I love your story telling, one photo per page. And the type of photos you took are more artsy and less snapshots.
Good stuff - inspiring even! The location doesn’t hurt, but the principles apply anywhere. Loved it. Thanks.
Thank you James for explaining the storytelling process so well through your words and images. There are some really beautiful shots in there that stand on their own too. Your favourite, the reflections of Noah in the water balanced with the reflection of the mountain, is an amazing shot.
Very cool. Love the thought that goes into it. Planning and story are definitely things I have a hard time with. Which then made it hard to come up with a theme for my first photo book. No central story or set up to work off of. Still a lot of fun though. Glad you guys had a good trip.
Love your videos, James. Fantastic work. As a musician I would say you created a visual 'crescendo' towards the photo with Noah at the beach, which is called the 'climax'. A 'crescendo' leads towards the climax of the phrase, usually then followed by a 'decrescendo' (which means the volume decreases) All the best to you and your family. Will keep my eyes open for more inspiring content 👍😍🙏
Great book. Wonderful story. Fine commentary. Excellent all around. Cheers, James. And, best wishes to Emily and Noah.
Love this video, you are such an inspiration James, thankyou so very much, beautiful book and memories
Maybe your best video jet. Very helpful!
Fantastic stuff. Well done.
This is so interesting - and informative. Thank you very much. The images and book are truly beautiful.
Wow that video is the best explanation on how to put a story based photobook together I've ever seen. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. ❤ Can't believe Noah is 18 months already. Time flys.
This was an extremely timely video as I've been wanting to create more of a story with my photos, rather than just individual images. The explanation of the different types of images you included was very informative and helpful. Thanks!
Beautiful pictures!!
Lovely Shots in that Photo Book 👏
Nice work! Love the story and the presentation of this book. Just ordered your book collection off the website, and can't wait to receive them :)
These photos are wonderful! Such beautiful memories!
Great book James hope it gives you lots of fond memories. Love the photo of Noah exploring the beach with the mountains at 15.00
Si, Crescendo is the peak .. :) so that would qualify as your finale. Love the images.
A great way to bring to life some family time. Love the explanation and use of various types of images to help tell a story. I found that a piece of gold!
Beautiful storytelling, love how you put it together
I also got that Saal digital photo book for my last trip to ireland and I really do love it. As a recommendation I've got to say: Use the glossy paper otherwise some picture will look kind of dull in my opinion.
Great video! I’ll try this in a few days.
such a beautiful book man. great shots and wonderful tones and editing
Thinking back to your last gear and camera bag video I wonder which bag and which cameras you brought for this family trip.
Really enjoyed this vid James, I’ve faffed around trying to put ‘projects’ together summarising photos with some assemblance of order over the years, without really a guide to follow.
Oddly though the two things that stood out the most, were the fact that I found it very refreshing that someone with your talent and experience gets the final article back … only to realise that the visual-crescendo image, you didn’t get it as you wanted … and secondly, children, especially other peoples are an incredible barometer of time (which turns out to be as similar a comparison to watching time pass as a sound reference is to a visual ending, but the sentiment remains 👍