Scrapbook My Life

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’m afraid my photography skills are nothing exceptional. While I do occasionally manage to get photos I love, I have a lot of images that are personally meaningful but lack the “pizzazz” needed for a great scrapbook layout.

A few tricks I’ve found to make ordinary photos seem more appealing:

• Experiment with the various filters available in Photoshop Elements and other image editing software.
• Have photos developed in sepia tones to create a warm, vintage feel for your pages.
• If the bright colors in a photo are distracting, consider having the photo reprinted in black and white.
• Create an interesting image by cutting a photo into strips and piercing it back together, leaving thin margins between the strips.
• Create a photo mosaic by cutting the photo into a random pattern and piercing it back together in the same manner.
• Accent photos by adhering letter stickers directly to the prints to create simple photo captions.
• If you love the look of torn photos but hesitate at the thought of tearing your prints, tear a hole in your background paper and mount the photo behind the hole. Use patterned paper or cardstock with a white core to mimic the photo paper. Fold or curl the torn edges, then chalk them for added texture.
• Print a photo on canvas or textured cardstock to lend a “portrait” quality to an informal snapshot.

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