What came first - the Layout or the picture?

I've been wondering about this for a while. I don't see it as much on this group, but on other scrapping websites and in magazines, it sometimes appear as if the picture was taken specifically with a certain LO in mind. For example, the other day I saw a LO with the title "In my fathers shoes" and the photo was taken of the feet of a little boy with his dad's oversized shoes on. It was a beautiful LO, and a great idea - but I could not help thinking that you would never take that picture in every day life. It just seemed a bit unnatural.

I have not really made my mind up about this. I don't have a problem with editing pictures, like making it b&w, enlarging, cropping etc and then reprinting, so why does pictures like I mentioned above appear a bit strange to me? Would love to hear the groups thoughts on this.

Judy, SA

Reply to
Judy SA
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HI Judy,

Most of the times the photo came first. Then again I take so many pictures of Sarah, for example, that I have layouts in mind based on the accessories I have on hand.

It is a 50/50 split for me. Truly I take pictures for the fun of it and then if they speak to me (based on the papers, die cuts, stickers, etc on hand) then the layout occurs.

Only one layout was done specifically without pictures then I added pictures later.

It was this one:

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However the pictures that came first then the layout was this one:
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The one that had the pictures first but not the perfect layout in mind (until I was RAK'ed by Dave) had to be this one:
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Based on a layout in a magazine had to be this one as I copied the format exactly but using my own embellishments:
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But then again my favorite 50/50 split has to be this layout as the journalling spoke to me first and the photos just worked:
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So it really depends on what is working in the back of my brain. Kate

PS great question by the way, made me really really think. I'm really a 50/50 kind of girl.

Reply to
a-scrapbooking-diva

I think 90% of the time the picture comes first...but..when I know I'm going to be doing a Wedding scrapbook for someone, I do pay a little more attention to how I take the picture and make sure that I get as many people in my pictures as possible. In other words, I try to think in terms of what the couple would want to have in their album. I usually leave the posed pictures for the pros and try to get the candids, but after the first album I made, I realized that if I wanted a picture of my DH with his mom and siblings, I had to ask for a moment of their time to get the picture.

So my pictures aren't really taken with a specific layout in mind as much as hoping to captur moments that will make me smile when they are scrapped, and later when I look back.

Umm, hope this makes sense, LOL

Reply to
M-C

Reply to
grumpy

Reply to
grumpy

Dear Grumpy,

Welcome to our little piece of the cyberspace. We are a helpful bunch and a bunch of enablers in our mutual addiction.

To learn more about us go to our master site

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that our Queen mother M-C has so lovingly put to gether.

Happy posting, Kate

Reply to
a-scrapbooking-diva

Hi Judy!!

I totally get what you are saying! I (and most people I know) take pictures of life happening...even when they are groups posed, to catch who all was whereever what was happening. I think that is how things SHOULD go. But, I have this discussion with my sister who will specifically stage pictures to fit what she wants to go in her layout. I am a "scrapbook your life" person, not "live to scrapbook" (subtle, but different approaches).

Professional photographers all have their "standard shots" they take for the event they are working, and then they work with the environment. Yes, they occasionally move things around so as to get a better shot (move a chair, stand on a chair) but it's different because s/he is going after what makes the subject look best, not what will look best in a book.

It probably sounds like I am nit-picky...but I have been pressured into toooooo many staged photoes that I thought were overkill because she wanted them that way to fit her book. NOT because it was a true representation of the events. Example: Four siblings and spouses go to dinner...you take the obligatory pictures around the dinner table. The couples are sitting husband, wife, husband, wife, husband, wife, husband, wife comfortably. She decides that we need to sit for a picture as the earlier ones, with the siblings in the middle (in age order), with the spouses to the outside (in height order, not corresponding to their spouse in anyway)........which made NO sense to me (or anyone else), but that is how she had a "siblings" page created in her head and that's what she wanted.

And as for the little boy in his dad's shoes... we have a picture of my son in my brother's cowboy boots. It wasn't planned or staged, it just happened.

Sorry for the rant...

Theresa

Reply to
<t.rozman

Hi grumpy...welcome to RCS :o) Looks like you are another UKer.....I have been posting here for around 18 mths...but lurked for a looooong time before that! Seems that we have a few regular UK posters now...probably more that read and don't post. They should all come out and play.....apart from a very odd troll this is the friendliest group I have come across :o)

Reply to
Marilyn

One of the first LO's a friend and I did was a posed LO. We saw it at the State Fair and knew we were going to Disneyland in a couple weeks and we posed each one of us in front of these giant letters that spell out California in front of Californialand that is a part of Disneyland. We get compliments on that LO ALL the time and people wonder how we got "those people" to pose for us. They we point out it was us.

Although like you I don't think about altering, blowing up, printing in black and white, but I'm thinking that we should now and then. Earlier this year I did my first b&w experiment with 2 baby pictures and the LO's turned out really sweet.

So, I'm thinking we should think out side the box sometimes for posed LO's now and then.

Lynne

Reply to
King's Crown

Lynne, I expressed myself a bit vaguely about the altering of the pictures. I think it's fine to enlarge, fade, or even make your photo's sepia or b&w. Sometimes you have a picture where the person looks great on, but unfortunately something is wrong on the background. To crop that out for instance, I see no problem with. I also find that you get wonderful results when turning childrens pictures to black and white. However - those pictures are still the "natural" pictures that have been enhanced - not an unnatural pose that would never have occurred in everyday life. I see these techniques of enhancing almost as an extension of scrapbooking.

It's just these LO's you sometimes get where you can clearly see that the photos were taken specifically with a certain LO in mind. Sometimes you see LO's with only body parts on them for instance - those are the kind I'm talking about. Like I said, I'm still making my mind up about this - but they just make me feel a bit uncomfortable sometimes - as if it's to "planned out" - can't really put into words, but I hope you can understand what I mean - LOL!

Judy, SA

Reply to
Judy SA

Yes, that is exactly what I am talking about, but could not express so clearly! Thanks for putting it in a more understandable way :)))

You know, I too have pictures of myself where I played dress-up in my Mom's clothers as a 4 year old - but those were truly natural pictures! Heck, I don't even think scrapbooking was a thought in anyones mind at the time :)

Judy, SA

Reply to
Judy SA

M-C, I must admit, that since I've been scrapbooking, I also think twice about the composition of a photo I'm about to take. I guess that's why I'm in two minds about this topic. However, I've always been a fan of a natural shot - it just seem to have more personality and warmth. I even told my photographer at my own wedding to steer clear of "posy" pictures and to try and capture everything as natural as possible, but of course with a professional touch.

Judy, SA

Reply to
Judy SA

Welcome Grumpy! At the moment I feel little like Sneezy! LOL It's winter here in SA and I've got a bit of a cold. I hear what you say about those stacks of pictures. Got a lot to work through myself aswell, and I've been scrapping for two years now! They just seem to get more and more....

Judy, SA

Reply to
Judy SA

Kate, all those LO's look wonderful and captures the essence of the moments beautifully. I'm still deciding what my "percentage" is, because if I have to be brutally honest with myself - I do think twice about taking a picture, since I've been scrapbooking. I think digital photo's also makes a difference these days - it's so easy to discard those that are not just "perfect" by simply deleting them. I think a lot of charm gets lost in the process. Just my 5 sent! ;)))

Judy, SA

Reply to
Judy SA

Judy...I think there is really two types of scrapbookers. Those that see scrapbooking purely from the art perspective and those that are scrapping their cherished family memories. Sure, I think that once you start to scrap it changes the way you think about taking photographs....but I still think it is primarily about capturing the essence of the moment or event. The arty scrapbooker will probably be more likely to pose or plan a photo shoot around a preconceived LO idea. While the example you gave may create a cute/nice/stunning LO it often feels a little contrived to me.

Reply to
Marilyn

My DD and I were talking about this last night. She had packed her SB supplies and drove to town for the monthly crop, but it was last weekend. So we used the work room at the county museum and scrapped all evening - no kids, no tv in the backgraound, no distractions, etc. It was great. She actually took pictures last week with a specific LO in mind. She had bought some real cute embellishments and stickers with a watermelon theme and then fed her kids watermelon for the shots. Not posed perfect ones, but photos to go with the supplies she had. I told her "I think I've created a SB monster." She's only been scrappin for about a year. I introduced her to the Lettering Delights fonts program last night and she was in heaven.

I think some of the LO's you are talking about are nice to look at in the magazines, but I also ofter wonder 'Why did they take a photo like that?' - no reason other than to make a LO like that.

Sandy

Reply to
Sandy

The only thing I really do differently when I take pictures is remember to turn the camera every few shots so all of my photos are not horizontal. Sandy

Reply to
Sandy

Marilyn - you're spot on! Thanks, I think I'm starting to figure out how I feel about this. I think I lean towards the "cherished scrapping", but can appreciate the "arty" style of scrapping too, as long as it's not taken too far! LOL

Judy, SA

Reply to
Judy SA

I love to read everyones perspective on this, as it helps me form my own opinion. Maybe some of the beautiful papers and embelishments we see, DO influence the pictures we take, even if it's not on a concious level. I don't think I would specifically create a situation to take pictures that will fit my scrapping supplies or to do a LO I saw somewhere- but while I'm taking pictures anyway - I might think of papers/embelishments/LO's I could use with the shot! LOL

Judy, SA

Reply to
Judy SA

I was thinking on my drive up to get the kids from Grandma and Grandpa's.... and I did get off track with a reply to your question of "what came first the LO or the picture."

I thought that I didn't do it very much...it being taking a picture with a layout in mind before hand in essence staging the photo. I do ... do it more often than I thought. 2 summers ago the kids caught some fish and we fried them up and we had a good tasty time. I had naturally taken a photo of them holding their fish, but then I got to thinking I should take a picture of the fish frying and title the LO "Old Fashioned fish fry." I did that and included the impromptu recipe for tarter sauce that I sort of made up with what ingredients I had on hand.

I know I see a lot of LO's that had to be thought of before... the picture taking that is and I'm trying to do more of that myself. Taking pictures of things just because they'll look good in a LO.

Lynne

Reply to
King's Crown

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