What came first - the Layout or the picture?

Interesting topic, and I like reading all the replies. I for one like to see different layouts in mags, because it captures things we want to remember. My sister's kids play "elevator" using their front hall closet-she would have never thought to take a picture of it had I not mentioned it would be a cute layout. They yell "ding" and everything-its so darn cute!

I also find I not only take more pictures, but I'm taking them of different things. We did a very long hike last year, around Mount Rainier, and I have literally 200 shots of the mountain, but only 5 of the trail. The next hike we do, I definitely will be taking different pictures-with my scrapbooking in mind. Not staged, mind you, just with a different eye for things that I might think I want to remember. And some point soon, I do plan to take some shots of the bike trail I run on-because I want to document that for my running scrapbook. I just saw a walking layout in the Sept/October issue of Simple Scrapbooks and I think its a good idea. So I guess in that regards, its the page that is coming first-but honestly, I wouldn't have even thought to take the photo without seeing a similar layout.

My 2 cents Kathy

I have to confess that sometimes I dress my son and grandson in certain colors because I want them to match the paper that I want to use.

When the older kids were younger I just took regular pictures but with my youngest I find myself taking pictures of things that I wouldn't have dreamed of before. I saw a soccer layout that had a picture of the childs beat up soccer shoes on the layout. From that point forward I started taking pictures of silly things....baseball gloves, footballs, paint sets, etc to use on my layouts. The great thing about using a digital camera is you can snap a hundred pics and it doesn't cost you anything unless you decide to print it out.

The picture comes first when I scrapbook ... because my husband is usually the photographer. Sometimes I'm not even there when he takes a series of photographs. I have made loose suggestions like "we need a picture of the outside of the house", but he's the one shooting. I'll go through hundreds of digital images and then pick out a few that I print that capture a concept. The layout (paper, colors, embellishment, journaling) is then based on the picture(s).

I tried designing a layout first, and then choose pictures afterwards, but that just didn't work for me. I have to let the colors in the photo and the "message" in the photo dictate the layout.

Gina

Judy SA wrote:

For me, the photo comes before the LO. But there's still times or events where I take pics for a specific LO, but rarely. I like what Theresa said "I am a 'scrapbook your life' person, not 'live to scrapbook'" person. I have to admit though, I am getting better about just taking pictures of everyday things. Having a digital camera makes that a lot easier, because I can delete the ones that just don't do it. I have some really cute and fun pics of DH and the kids wrestling around on the floor in 2004. Don't ask if I've scrapped them, but that's the plan. LOL I think the everyday things are just as important as the big events, but I don't run around with the camera trying to capture every little thing. There's just some times when you just "had to be there"...like DS and the duct tape yesterday, or DS making up songs yesterday during rest time. Of course, I did miss a great blackmail opportunity. But I digress....I do love scrapping, but I think most of the time, the photo comes before the LO.

Great tip Sandy! I'll have to remember to do that.

Welcome to RCS grumpy!

LOL I think you did create a SB monster! But isn't it great to spend that time together? I love stamping with my friends. (None of them here but Kenda scraps.) I'm looking forward to the day when I turn them into SB monsters! Muwahahahahaha!!!!! But I look forward to the times when DD actually wants to do something crafty with me. Most of the time, she wants to do it herself.

Judy, I think the pictures come first for me most of the time. I know what you mean about some of the LO's in magazines and other websites. I see these fantastic pictures, and I do notice how great the LO looks, but then again I think that some of them do look staged and unnatural, and not everyday kind of memories to scrapbook. I think an exception I have seen is for baby pictures for an album. I have seen the hands and feet pics, and real close up shots of their faces. Those are adorable! I take mostly candid pictures when I have my camera. I do occasionally ask for a pose, or "hold still!" from one of my kids, (who are getting tired of me taking pictures of them!) But when I do scrapbook them, they like looking at the pages I did. I usually match papers to the photos that I took first. For my DS prom pictures,I had him and his date pose for me, and I made sure I got some shots of his friends as they arrived to the dance, that way he could remember how everyone looked for years to come. I bought the paper for those LO's right after I took the pictures, so I could match his tie and her dress colors. LOL In all I would say photos first, with some occasional special shots options..:-)

Linda

Judy SA wrote:

Good question Judy. It's made me think. I think for me the pictures usually come first, in oart because my DH is the primary photographer in our family. I do some staged photos, though they are usually to represent milestones such as first day of school and even then I don't think I usually have the LO preplanned. When on Vacation we take pictures of signs to use as titles so in that case the picture is prompted by the scrapbook. A friend of mine took pics of my 2nd DD's feet when she was a baby. I didn't even think about it but now kinda wish I had done it for my first as well cause they grow so fast. I have plenty of material without staging events. My DH has taken over

7000 pics in the last 2 years. i can't possibly scrap them all and just have to suggest ideas and he watches and takes shots without posing the people as often as possible.

It's funny I was cleaning out the old magazines from the sitting room (a.k.a. bathroom) and was flipping through an old Memory Makers magazine and after awhile a few of the layouts looked so professional it wasn't natural.

It seems that the only ones that get published are the ones that now seem so obviously staged. Although beautiful to look at I like the impromptu pictures that others can smile and say my kid does that too.

So in my world the picture comes first. In the layout of Sarah's photography attempt it was purely by mistake that the layout occurred. I was just entertaining her with the camera as I'm constantly or Larry is constantly behind it.

It was/is a great question to pose and the variety of answers were/are interesting. Maybe M-C could cull the most interesting of answers and put them on our website for future use.

kate

With me the picture, though sometimes now I will see a layout opportunity I can't miss.

Teresa in MD