In a world of digital media, images can lie forgotten on hard drives or in the cloud. However, a photo book not only gives your images the appreciation they deserve but it can also make your work stand out, especially with clients. 

When creating a photo book, it is important to prepare carefully. The wrong paper, layout or poor-quality images can all have a huge impact on the overall effect of your work. With the right plan and provider, these challenges can be overcome and you can create individual photo books with character that showcase your photographic achievements.

A photo book serves several purposes that will advance your photographic work. Firstly, it is great to be able to offer one to your clients, who will have a physical product in their hands. On top of that, it is an ideal tool to show potential clients your various photographic skills and technical qualities in a way they can easily visualise.

1. Create a plan

Choose a project that you want to bring to life and select images that illustrate the concept. When showcasing an event, it is best to tell the story chronologically. To create the sense of a flowing story, choose a combination of key images showing both the action and detail shots. This will provide the viewer with an overview and also evoke feelings. When making a photo book of an event or celebration, concentrate on photos showing key people or close family and friends to keep your clients happy.

2. Choose a provider

Pay attention to the materials you use. Select the cover and the type and thickness of the paper to maximize the overall look and feel of the book and give it a pro finish. To create a photo book with character, it is important to check how customisable the settings of the layout are, as this is where your work will stand out from the crowd. Providers such as Mixbook or CEWE are ideal, as they offer a selection of basic layouts that can be easily customized to your particular taste. See other options in our guide to the best photo books.

3. Design the layout

Decide on the format of the photo book to maximise the impact of your photos. Sometimes, this decision is obvious as some genres such as landscape photography are dominated by specific formats. Most online providers feature a drag-and-drop system so you can easily adjust the layout and add an individual touch. Be careful not to try and cram too many photos on a page and work with negative white space to keep the spread focused on certain aspects.

4. Highlight hero images

Hero images are the key to emphasising special moments. To make them stand out, place them so that they fill the whole page – the viewer can concentrate on one subject and also have a visual break when leafing through the book. If printed in landscape format, make sure the subject isn’t placed in the centre of the image as the gutter of the book will break it up. If this is the case, consider cropping the original image until it fits.

5. Add some text

Depending on the theme or event of your photo book, consider adding some text to the images. This could be on a professional level with, for example, technical information, or you could add a few words for an extra emotional layer. Wedding photographs, in particular, may benefit from a few sentences to add a personal touch. Classic fonts are timeless, and more creative typography can underline the mood of the book. Make sure to integrate the text in a meaningful way so that it does not distract from the photos.

The Phase One XC is an unusual camera, and not just because of its $62,490 asking price. It’s designed with a specific purpose in mind and it sports a fixed lens in front of a massive 150-megapixel medium format sensor.

I have heard of Phase One cameras, of course, and have even handled one or two in my lifetime. I’ve known them to be studio cameras primarily, that they are very expensive, and that they deliver excellent image quality as a rule. Like most people who have used Phase One products, it’s the Capture One editing software that I’m more familiar with. The XF and XT systems studio cameras are just outside the realm of the photography I normally shoot or the kind of products I normally review. And then, a brand new and very sleek Phase One XC comes across the desk and it seems, at least on paper, to be in my wheelhouse.

Phase One XC: How it Handles in the Field

The Phase One XC is a very simple camera touting some very serious hardware. It is a compact body design that seems much more suited to the field than the studio, although since it weighs in at around four pounds, the XC is a little bulky considering what its small design would suggest. 

Now simple is a good thing, but maybe this camera is a little too simple. At the business end of the XC is a fixed, manually focusing Rodenstock Digaron 23mm f/5.6 providing a 14mm full-frame equivalent field of view.

There is a very advanced carbon fiber leaf shutter in the XC providing a maximum flash sync of around 1/1600 second. However, flash photography does not seem to be what the XC is designed for. I could certainly see the possibility of doing some environmental portraiture with Flashes using the PC sync port, but the shoe on top of the camera is cold.

At the rear of the camera sits the true heart of the system. The Phase One IQ4 150-megapixel back delivers the most dynamic range you’ll likely see out of a current sensor and tons of resolution to go along with it.

The IQ4 can be shared amongst the XF and XT cameras as it is removable but it provides a unique menu and touchscreen interface when mounted to the XC. The touchscreen interface uses easy-to-see icons and sub-menus come up when swiping the screen from the outside edges. I did find the touch screen to be quite slow to use and it didn’t always register finger presses on the first try. Going between live view and my main menus is also a little ponderous and the overall feeling of the interface is that it is far better suited to slow tripod work.

When using the main screen, it is very easy to press on an exposure control and quickly adjust it. However, when using live view the exposure buttons are very tiny, and right at the bottom edge of the screen making them quite difficult to press on the first try.

The wooden hand grip is molded nicely and can be switched to the other side of the camera for left-handed shooters. There is an Arca-Swiss style mounting plate which seemed very secure. This camera can be used handheld but with a complete lack of IBIS and fairly clunky controls, the XC would not be my first choice as a walk-around travel or street camera.

Phase One XC: Proof is in the Image Quality

So if we are limited to one lens and a camera which should largely live on a tripod, how did the XC do? The IQ4 back is certainly capable of some stunning image quality. I stuck to shooting landscapes at 50 ISO with the extended image quality RAW files to get the most dynamic range. There is an extreme ability to push and pull shadows and highlights, and the colors look pleasing.

The Rodenstock lens gives good sharpness across the frame and was easy to manually focus thanks to a handy ability to pinch the screen and zoom in or out of the composition. There is some vignetting in the corners even when stopping the aperture down but this is easily fixed in post.

150-megapixels does provide a significant improvement over other contemporary medium format cameras. In fact, the IQ4 sensor is not just giving more megapixels but is also a physically larger sensor that matches closely to the size of classic 645 film.

That being said, shooting at a 14mm equivalent field of view is rarely the go-to for landscape shots and I found myself cropping heavily to mimic more common focal lengths. There are plenty of megapixels to sacrifice but this also gives up some of the advantages inherent in the IQ4 sensor. What’s the point in having 150 megapixels if I’m rarely going to use all of them?

I wanted to take some classic long-exposure water shots and found that when attaching even just one standard 72mm filter I could see the corners blocked by said filter. Again, I would have to crop this shot tighter. Luckily, there is a silver lining.

Phase One has an option it calls Frame Averaging which effectively mimics a strong ND filter for long exposures. It takes multiple images at faster shutter speeds and stacks them on top of each other to replicate a longer exposure time. The Frame Averaging interface was super easy to use and all the processing is done quickly in camera. I was very pleased with the results and would happily leave the ND filters at home.

Phase One XC: Who is this Camera Even For?

In the context of landscape shooting, the XC performed fine. It stayed on a tripod all day, handled high-contrast scenes handily, and forced me to slow down and compose with care. But I can’t see myself using it off of a tripod very often and, frankly, I don’t think it would work all that well anyways.

There could be some limited shooting from-the-hip street shots with the wide 23mm lens and hyperfocal focusing but I can think of many other cameras that would do similarly. I was also concerned about the overall cost of such a camera out in nature, especially with icy winter conditions all around. I would not be comfortable using the camera in any sort of snow or rain which limits how and where I would use it.

Although it was a fascinating and quirky experience using the camera, I just can’t think of any scenarios where I would prefer it over say a Fujifilm GFX, or even an Hasselblad X2D. A GFX 100 II with a lens would still weigh roughly 25% less than the Phase One XC, and I would have excellent auto-focus, interchangeable lenses, and a rugged body design. I’d also have a lot more money in my bank account afterward.

There is no option at the time of publication to purchase only the XC body and lens, so I can’t see many existing XF or XT users jumping on board either since they wouldn’t be able to use their existing backs and would be forced to double down on equipment. This is the most expensive and niche product I’ve ever used, and while I’m grateful for the opportunity, the results just don’t justify the costs.

Are There Alternatives?

The $7,499 Fujifilm GFX 100 II or even the $4,399 GFX 100S will deliver far more versatility for far less money. A $8,199 Hasselblad X2D has an even nicer touchscreen interface and gives the prestigious experience of owning a luxurious camera just as well. Both cameras sacrifice relatively little in terms of megapixels or dynamic range and make way more sense for almost anybody.

Should You Buy It?

No. Limitations are fine if the shooting experience is enjoyable enough to be worth the headaches. The XC just doesn’t deliver the fun factor to go with the price.

A long-time friend stopped by my shop today and we talked about his plans for a December pre-Christmas trip. He and his wife will be visiting family in Ottawa and he said he hopes he will find the time to walk around that beautiful city to take a few photos.

I won’t be doing anything so exotic as that. I am planning my yearly pre-Christmas trip and will be making the two-hour drive to Kelowna in the first weeks of December to photograph the 120-foot Tree of Hope and the bright city lights along the Okanagan lakefront.

Yes, his plane flight across the country to the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Canada is a lot more exotic, but I get to spend two days doing nothing but photography and the brightly decorated lakefront city is always so much fun to photograph.

I like short excursions and I really enjoy having something special to photograph during the Christmas season.

Before moving here from Los Angeles in 1975 I would always go to the desert to spend Christmas. That holiday outing required a four-wheel drive vehicle, the willingness to cross a couple rivers and traverse some very steep hills to get to my favourite camping spot.

As we traveled I would continually stop my bright yellow 1963 International Scout and jump out to run around taking pictures while my friends would be forced to patiently wait and always grumbled that I made the trip slower.

When we reached our destination we would set up our camp and while everyone else sat eating around the fire I would go for a walk with my camera and return when I lost the light. (There were no cellphone cameras in those days – the only photo memories were in my camera)

Christmas Eve would be spent around the fire until about 8 p.m. Then we would all pile in my 4×4 (today I would say “SUV,” but in the 1970’s that wasn’t even a word) with our thermoses of hot chocolate to listen to a radio show called “The Firesign Theatre.” The Firesign Theater was a live radio program from Los Angeles and on Christmas Eve the reading for years was, “A Christmas Carol.”

The next morning I would be up with the sun while the others slept to walk around with my camera. Those were good times for this 26-year-old photographer.

Nowadays I am quite satisfied with the pre-Christmas trip to Kelowna. It is more comfortable than the desert was 50 years ago and I now I prefer to go to restaurants and stay in a hotel that include breakfast instead of sitting around open fires and sleeping on the hard ground in a pup tent.

I have invited my photo pal Jo to come with me. It’s good to have a friend that is as excited about wandering the cold, decorated streets at night and getting up before sunrise to make photographs of a big tree as I am.

Stay safe and be creative. These are my thoughts for this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or emcam@telus.net.

Assateague Island off the coast of Maryland draws visitors to its shores from both near and far. Whether it be to enjoy the soft sand beaches, or take in the sights with the famous wild ponies, guests enjoy the island’s magic for a myriad of reasons.

Local nature photographer Tyler Smiley is no different, and now he shares some of his experiences with the world in his first photo book, “Assateague Island’s Wild Horses.”

“I initially wasn’t planning on doing a photo book for Assateague as my first book,” Smiley said. “It sort of came up out of nowhere after a trip to the island in September when I realized how many photos of the horses I had taken over the last year.”

In one year, Smiley estimates he’s gone to Assateague more than 20 times, drawn by its stunning coastlines, wild marshes, and of course, the wild horses. His first visit as a photographer, spurred on by friend and fellow local photographer Kevin Lynam, came in November 2022. That visit inspired Smiley to work on capturing the beauty of the island every chance he could.

“Part of what makes Assateague Island so special is that you never know what you’re going to see or experience from one visit to the next. There have been some visits where I didn’t see anything – be it horses or other wildlife – and then others I’ve left with several hundred images to comb through,” Smiley said.

By his last count, Tyler said he has photographed approximately half of the current 80-plus-member herd of horses living on the Maryland side of the island. Though he hopes to in the future, he hasn’t yet gone to the Virginia side.

“I’ve already been asked if there will be a book like this one for the Virginia herd, but all I can say is time will tell,” he said.

“Assateague Island’s Wild Horses” is available through Smiley’s website as a limited-edition printing with only 24 copies available. Each copy is $45, and they are signed and numbered. For each copy sold, Smiley has committed to donate 15% of profits to the Assateague Island Alliance to assist its conservation and education programs. To purchase the book, go to tylersmileyphotography.com/shop.

For more information, contact Tyler Smiley at tyler@tylersmileyphotography.com, and go to the Assateague Island Alliance website at assateagueislandalliance.org.

WILLMAR

and

HUTCHINSON

— In a remarkable milestone marking five decades of artistic excellence, the photography department at

Ridgewater College

celebrated its 50th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 28, at its Willmar campus.

The anniversary festivities brought together alumni, current students, faculty, staff and the community for an afternoon of reminiscing, trivia, prizes. and more. Alumni — spanning from the class of 1975 to the most recent 2023 graduates — shared memories, insights and experiences, creating an atmosphere of nostalgia and camaraderie.

“It was fun to see so many alumni running for hugs, laughing, and having fun,” said Wade McDonald, one of Ridgewater’s photography instructors.

Over the course of 50 years, the department has undergone significant positive transformations. First, it adapted to student needs by removing most course prerequisites, allowing tailored course selection.

“Then we shifted to an online format during the

COVID pandemic,

and it ended up enhancing student satisfaction,” said instructor Amy Pawelk. “Students from near and far have appreciated increased availability of equipment through semester-long checkouts of state-of-the-art digital and mirrorless cameras and lenses as well as studio lighting.”

Video lectures have offered course flexibility, attracting diverse student demographics, including more part-time and full-time nontraditional students by age and working professionals. This transition has expanded the program’s accessibility and nationwide reach.

Another significant improvement in the program has been educational collaborations with other programs to better prepare students for broader career opportunities. Students can now earn an online photography and design degree, as well as an agriculture marketing and communications certificate that includes digital photography and editing through Adobe Lightroom.

“One of the trends we’ve seen over the years is the expectation that more than just professional photographers can benefit from having photography skills,” McDonald explained. Many people working in industry will confirm that.

“We are so grateful to all anniversary attendees who made our celebration a success,” Pawelk said. “We look forward to shaping the next generation of visionary photographers and pushing the boundaries of creative expression.”

For more information on the Photography department, visit

www.ridgewater.edu/photography

.