Common mistakes to watch out for when making a Photo Book

Making a photo book is easier than ever. Making a good photo book still takes a little thought. The gap between the two is usually explained by a few consistent mistakes – things that are easy to avoid once you know to look for them.

Including too many photos 

This is the most common problem and the one with the biggest impact on the finished product. More photos doesn’t mean a better photo book, as when every moment is documented, nothing stands out. The book loses the ability to breathe. A useful rule of thumb: if you’re unsure whether a photo should be in the book, it probably shouldn’t. Edit until it hurts a little. The books people love tend to be tighter than they initially expected.

Using low-resolution images

This one is painful when it happens but totally avoidable. A photo that looks great on a phone screen can print blurry or pixelated if the resolution is too low. Most modern smartphone photos are fine for standard photo book sizes, but screenshots, images downloaded from social media or heavily cropped photos can fall below the threshold. Pay attention to any resolution warnings in the Popsa app before you order. They exist for a reason.

Overcrowding pages 

The temptation to fit in as many photos as possible leads to layouts where images are competing for attention rather than complementing each other. Some pages should have one photo, others should have two or three. Occasionally a full-bleed image across both pages. Variety in layout makes a book interesting to flip through. White space is not wasted space – it gives photos room to land.

Leaving captions too vague – or skipping them entirely

A photo of a place with no caption can become mysterious within a surprisingly short time. Future you (and definitely future family members) will want to know where it was. “Beach holiday” is not enough. “Pembrokeshire, August 2024 – the day it rained and we didn’t care” is the kind of caption that makes a book worth keeping. On the other hand, don’t over-caption either. Long paragraphs of text compete with the photos – short, specific notes are almost always better.

Striving for perfection

The perfect photo book that never gets ordered is worth exactly nothing. At some point you have to commit to the version in front of you and press the button. Done is better than perfect, every time, and if you want to make another one next year, you can.