A bit of Planning before the Event!

I was traveling around the “ether” again last night and I came across this post.

Although the information is targeted at people making a gift album, it is actually relevant for all our scrapbooking layouts really. Goes back to “a little bit of planning goes a long way”! How many times have you said to yourself – “oh I wish I had taken a picture of …”. What’s more, it’s worth photographing what you might call “the ordinary things”. Because oddly it’s those things that will bring back the memories in years to come.

“… Planning a Gift Album Before the Event
by Nicole Humphrey

Gift albums are such a special item to give. They are also the easiest scrapbooks to make. Some people disagree, but they take less time to plan and complete than an entire album, and the memories and feelings that they can evoke in the recipient, are priceless and timeless.

There are no set of rules when planning, selecting or creating your gift album, however one thing is true, planning ahead can make a world of difference.

Perhaps you are planning on making a school year gift album for your child, or your child's teacher, or maybe you are planning a vacation gift album for a dear friend or relative that will accompany you. The ideas for gift albums are endless and will be discussed in another article, but for now, we are focusing on planning ahead.

Typically, the theme is the easiest part of creating the album. You might want to commemorate a friendship, or highlight certain special places you've been together. When setting out for these events, with camera in hand, having some idea of the types of photographs you wish to capture, can really help.

Let's pretend you are going on a special vacation with your friend. Before you leave, you might have an idea of some of the sites you plan to visit, or perhaps some of the activities you plan to participate in. Grab a piece of paper, a pencil and a quiet place and think about your destination. Will you be eating out for most of your meals? Will you be staying in a hotel room together? Perhaps you both enjoy red wine, and will have a glass before retiring for the evening.

All of these events are perfect for pictures. When you plan your vacation, try to plan a few pictures around what you will be doing. If you eat at restaurants, exclusive to the area, don't hesitate to ask the server to snap a photo of the two of you, enjoying your meal. In your mind, you might wish to remember special conversations, funny moments or just how you are feeling at that moment in time. When you return to your hotel room, jot those memories down while they are fresh. This will help when journaling in your gift album.

When you finally sit down to scrapbook, you will have a nice variety of photographs, many planned, and some great journaling to add to your pages. And if you planned ahead, you won't forget any of the pictures either, so everything you wanted, will be right there and ready. Oh, and don't forget to enjoy your vacation. …”

So… there you are – some great ideas. Although it all may sound a bit complicated, if you think about it at home and write notes beforehand, you should enjoy your holiday more because you don’t need to worry about not getting the right pictures!