Page Design and Layout.
While design is a critical component of any well com-
posed photograph, good design is even more essential
when laying out a book featuring photos, text, and other
visual elements.
Left- and Right-Hand Pages.Look at any well-
designed book or magazine and study the differences
between the images on left- and right-hand pages. They
have one thing in common: they lead the eye toward
the center of the book, commonly referred to as the
“gutter.”
These photos use the same design elements photogra-
phers use in creating effective images: lead-in lines,
curves, shapes, and patterns. If a line or pattern forms a
C shape, it is an ideal left-hand page, since it draws the
eye into the gutter and across to the right-hand page. If
an image is a backward C shape, it is an ideal right-hand
page, leading the eye back toward the gutter and the left-
hand page. Familiar shapes like hooks or loops, triangles,
and circles are used in the same manner to guide the eye
into the center of the two-page spread and across to the
right-hand page.
There is infinite variety in laying out images, text and
graphic elements to create this left and right orientation.
For example, an image or a series of photos can produce
a strong diagonal line that leads from the lower left-hand
corner of the left page to the gutter. That pattern can be
duplicated on the right-hand page, or it can be contrasted
for variety. The effect is visual motion.
Even greater visual interest can be attained when a line
or shape, which is started on the left-hand page, contin-
ues through the gutter, into the right-hand page, and
back again to the left-hand page. This is the height of vi-
sual movement in page design.
Variety.When you lay out your book images, think in
terms of variety of size. Some images should be small,
some big. Some should extend across the spread. No
matter how good the individual photographs are, the ef-
fect of a book in which all the images are the same size is
static.
Variety can also be introduced by combining black &
white and color—even on the same pages. Try combin-
ing detail shots and wide-angle panoramas. How about a
series of close-up portraits of the child on the left-hand
page contrasted with a wide-angle shot of the child’s fa-
vorite pet, toy, or even his bedroom? Do not settle for
the one-picture-per-page theory. It’s static and boring.
Left to Right.Remember a simple concept: in West-
ern civilization we read from left to right. We start on the
left page and finish on the right. Good page design leads
the eye from left to right and it does so differently on
every page.Sequences.
If story albums are similar to a novel, then a sequence is
more like a short story. Sequences are appropriate when
a single photograph just doesn’t convey the many won-
derful things that happened in a photo session, or when
you want to portray the different sides of an event or spe-
cial day, such as a first birthday party.
Often, sequences are shot rapid-fire with motor drives,
documenting some action. They can also be a series of
varied expressions taken from the same angle, depicting
the many sides and moods of the child. These images are
often displayed on mount boards or in folders and should
follow the principles of good page design and layout; you
should be able to trace line, form, direction, movement,
tension and balance within the assembled images.114 CHILDREN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK
Sequences are fun for both albums and as interesting presentations for parents. Here, Stacy Bratton has recorded some priceless expres-
sions as a sequence of this delightful one-year-old.