Good photos are mostly about seeing, not about settings. Before you lift the phone, notice where the light is coming from and what sits behind your subject. Those two things decide most pictures.
Before you start: make sure your phone is backed up. Deleting is easier when nothing can be lost.
My mum reads the captions more than she looks at the pictures.
Leila, who writes every caption by hand
A few small rules
Try this at home first, where you can take your time. It soon becomes a habit you use without thinking.
Small changes in where you stand make big changes in the picture. Move a step before you change anything else.
- Delete the obvious misses: blurs, pockets and thumbs.
- Star one photo per day, even on dull days.
- Pick the cover last, once the month has a shape.
What we got wrong
Make a cup of tea, sit somewhere comfortable and put the phone on do-not-disturb. The job goes faster when it does not compete with messages.
Think about how the photos sit next to each other. Two busy pictures side by side can fight; a busy one beside a quiet one usually works.
| Print size | Smallest file | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Square page | 1800 × 1800 px | Single photos |
| Full spread | 3600 × 1800 px | Landscapes and groups |
| Quarter page | 900 × 900 px | Small moments |
Try it this month
If two photos are nearly the same, keep the one where someone is doing something. A raised hand, a turned head or a half-finished sentence gives a picture life that a perfectly still pose rarely has, even when the still one is technically better.
This is exactly the nudge I needed. My camera roll has four thousand photos from this year alone.
We have the same problem. Starring photos as we go helped a lot.
Lovely post. The bit about keeping the blurry photos made me go back and rescue a few.
Does this work for older kids too? Mine are 11 and 14 and hide from the camera.
I never thought about the light from the window. Moved the high chair and the difference is huge.
I never thought about the light from the window. Moved the high chair and the difference is huge.
I printed our first book after reading this and my daughter has not put it down since.
Does this work for older kids too? Mine are 11 and 14 and hide from the camera.