Now that you can shoot photos every day, photographs have become a commodity. People are getting used to viewing photos on digital devices, without ever printing them out. The retina display of the new iPad will further discourage printing since it makes photos look sharper than ever. Despite all this, I decided to make a physical photo book.
There are plenty of online printing services available. They let you make a photo book in a few hours if not minutes. This time I tested Apple's service. It works inside iPhoto, which makes it an easy choice for Mac users.
I guess most people make photo books of memorable moments. My book became a haphazard collection of photos that I thought looked good. I took the shots in Finland, Germany and Italy, and the targets vary. Back in my mind I had the idea that I would make a book that could serve as a business gift. So, memorable moments from school plays or family portraits where excluded this time.
I don't have high-end gear; I mostly use a point-and-shoot camera or the one on my phone. However, I pay attention to the post-production of photos. I almost routinely adjust saturation and contrast. In addition I use special software, like Analog and Flare, to play with subtle special effects. When I got the book I noticed that photos with moderately boosted colors looked best on the printed pages.
I transferred all the book photos into iPhoto and started working on the book. Apple has made the process really easy. You can either let iPhoto do the job automatically or you can change page layouts, photo positions and scaling manually. When you are ready, all you have to do is to press "Buy Book" and pay. The cost of the 36-page book, with delivery and sales tax, was 56.85 euros.
I made the book last Saturday and it was at my door on Wednesday. The book, like other Apple products, was nicely packaged in a cardboard folder, which could have been the wrapping for a new gadget (see the attached photos). The book has a dust sleeve with images. They are the same photos that have been printed on the hard covers of the book.
I like the look and feel of the end result. The paper quality is good and the photos have been nicely reproduced. I would certainly be able to give this book as a gift. I would imagine that this format would be great for the portfolio of a designer, architect or artist. You can add text to the pages, so why not make a hardcover visual resume next time?
