Ever struggled with album layout and design? Here are 5 tips to help you create more interesting album layouts. The key point is that a photo can be cropped several ways to focus the viewer’s attention on a specific area.

Zoom In For Impact

Say you have 2 similarly composed photos that you want to use in an album layout. You can crop one of them very tight, while letting the other one have plenty of breathing space.
The result? 2 photos that look sufficiently different, on the same album spread.

Shifting Edges

A photo does not need to be shown in its entirety, in fact it can benefit from shifting its edges to crop off the left part, or the right part. For a portrait session, I usually shoot with enough margin to allow for creative cropping. This makes a change in layout possible, if required.

Changing Orientation

Just because a photo was shot in landscape orientation doesn’t mean that you must use it that way in an album layout.

Using Elements within the Photo as a Layout Element

Certain types of photos lend themselves to this technique. In the example below, the wooden window panels form a separator within the layout. The original photo was shot in portrait orientation.

Extending Beyond the Spine

Another way to create variety in album layouts is to have your image extend past the spine onto the other page. The spine is the center part of the album. Depending on the album type, the spine may have a curvature, so do be careful of placing photo elements on the spine if it curves inwards, otherwise the curvature may swallow up your photo.

These are just the tip of the iceberg of what’s possible in album design and layout. Rob and Lauren of Photography Concentrate have compiled an extensive resource on album design skills that covers all these and much, much more. Do check it out.