SANTA SUSANA HIGH SCHOOL

Senior Project Research

Paper
How to Make a Photo Book

Allison Henton
English 12
Mrs. Bradley
November 20th, 2015

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Personally I am doing my senior project because it has to do with a career that I am

interested in pursuing after high school and it is currently my main hobby. The actual physical
end product of my project is going to be a photo book that can double as a portfolio. To do this
project I will use my prior knowledge in photography such as lighting, shutter speeds, mood
portraying, and timing. I will also be able to tap into my Photoshop knowledge so that I may
perfect and edit my photos. My project is going to be a learning stretch because although I have
knowledge on photography and its inner workings, book designing and article writing are not my
strong suits. In addition I dont have a lot of practice with the main program I plan on using,
Adobe InDesign, and even though I have heard it is not the hardest program to learn, I definitely
think I will benefit from learning the ins and outs of it. Learning how to use Adobe InDesign will
be different from learning about photography because I already have knowledge in that area and
at this point I am just learning different techniques or tricks and tips to improve what I am
already doing. As opposed to InDesign which is a program that I have only briefly used in my
AP Photography class to submit my pictures to be critiqued. I have never used InDesign to
actually design something to look pleasing to the eye or to have a wow factor to it. In the
following paper I will be discussing the uses of Adobe InDesign in the amateur and professional
photography industry.
First, one of my sources is straight from Adobes website and is introduction to the
program. In the video it states how the program is used for many types of media in the industry
(Seeley). It also talks about how Adobe InDesign can work hand in hand with other Adobe
programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator. Such flexibility in a program is a big plus for
someone in my position as a photography and technology student. By having the programs be
able to intermingle it helps photographers fix anything they might not like without having to go

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through a lengthy process. This video helped explain that while Adobe InDesign may seem like a
daunting program it is actually quite user friendly and has a broad variety of possibilities.
In addition, my next source is probably one of the most helpful and again comes from the
Adobe website. This site has organized sections that target a possible problem or weak area you
might have such as Layout and design, Styles, Interactivity, etc. Under each title are
multiple links that are specific to a common problem in that topic. This source is very beneficial
because it helps to navigate and understand the program, for beginners and experts alike.
Beginners can start to get a feel for the website and learn a lot about each section by clicking all
of the resourceful links on each topic. On the other hand experts can sue this site to refresh their
memory on some technique that slipped their mind or help them build on the skills theyve
already developed. As this project progresses it will rely heavily on this website to get off the
ground and start taking shape.
Equally important was my third source, which was a YouTube video. Despite this source
being on a not so credible site, it proved to be one of the best sources for this essay. The source
was very informational and was easy to follow along with. The teacher in the video states that
The book choice is really not for a photo book necessarily (Adobe InDesign for
Photographers) which was very helpful and not a well known fact. This video seemed very help,
probably because it was filmed and taught in a way much like a classroom which might appeal to
a younger audience seeing how theyve spent most of their lives in school environments. Videos
like this are great because they are easily accessible to people seeking help but are unsure of
where to start looking. Other perks to this source are it is on a popular website where a lot of
people can access it and it is a high quality video so it is very easy to see and is not grainy.

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Corresponding to the third source, the fourth source is also a YouTube video. This one
right off the bat was really educational because it taught the viewer how to change units to
something easier to comprehend. The man also elaborated on why using the book function in
Adobe InDesign is not recommended even if you are planning on making a full length chaptered
book. The book feature is really designed for combining multiple InDesign documents together
as one. (How To Get Started With Adobe InDesign CC). The last source very briefly touched
on the fact that the book feature was not ideal for actually making a book, but this source was
more insightful and explained it a little further. He stated that for people making books that you
might want to make multiple InDesign documents and once you had all of them together, then
you would click to make a book. This source is targeted at beginners and shows ten simple
techniques that while they are not very challenging, they will be used all the time in this
program.
Seeing that the last few sources were videos, it can be inferred what type of source my
fifth and final source is. Unlike the sources above though, this one is not a YouTube video.
Instead it is located on a website dedicated to explaining Adobe programs and how to use them.
This video is targeted directly towards how to design, make, and export a photo book in Adobe
InDesign. The speaker, A.J. Woods, begins by saying I can create one document that holds the
layout for the entire book (A.J. Woods) and from there begins the process that is making a
photo book. The first technique he touched on was explaining how to fix your page preferences
which a different source mentioned, but is still a key detail to creating a document. After that
Woods goes on to show how to create presets that can come in handy for creating multiple
documents that are meant to have the same lay out. Woods also stated I can very quickly and
easily export out the pages I want to upload to a service like Mpix. (A.J. Wood) which could be

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helpful because it informs the viewer of a possible website to print your photo book through.
That quote also mentions how easy it is to export your documents in InDesign.
As a result of my research, I then had to apply it to my project. Taking my prior and
newly found knowledge I started to piece together how my project was going to work. I plan on
using the video from the adobe website as the very base of my project. The source very briefly
went through the many possibilities of Adobe InDesign, but to be honest it just scratched the
surface of what I need. The video starts off by deeming the program as the industry standard
publishing application for print publications, interactive PDF documents, digital magazines, and
epubs. (Seeley). From there it continues explaining more about the program which helped me
understand the program and I think it was a nice introduction video.
However my second source was much more beneficial. Similar to my last source its
straight from the Adobe help website. This source helped me by digging deeper and explaining
all the nooks and crannies of Adobe InDesign. This source will definitely help me throughout
this entire project contrary to my last source. Whenever I need to be reminded of specific
function of the program I can reference InDesign Help and quickly find what I am looking for.
From Layout and Design to Exporting and publishing this source has it all and then in each
topic it is broken up further. The set up of this site is very user friendly and is bound to help me
when I forget a procedure or technique.
Similarly to my second source, my third source was very insightful. This source is a
video like my first source, but it goes into more detail. I found this source to be very helpful
because it was recording of a class instead of a lengthy article explaining the process. Personally
I learn better when there is not a huge block of text staring back at me. It also helps that I spend a

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good portion of my time at school, so a school like environment is comfortable for me. Also,
having a visual while somebody shows me the process seems to be the best teaching method for
me. In the video the teacher takes us step by step, from open the document and setting your
preferences, to sending your complete product off to a printer. Seeing as I plan on printing my
photo book, this video is very useful to me.
While looking at my previous source I happened to find my fourth source. I was skeptical
of whether or not this source would really help me seeing as I have a little experience with the
program and it was titled 10 Things Beginners Want To Know How To Do. When I actually
watched the video I realized it was just as relevant to my project as my project as my other
sources. This source will help me improve the simple skills I thought I had mastered in Adobe
InDesign and from there I can start to learn trickier tasks to do. A task as simple as resizing an
image in the program turned out to have more to it than I had originally thought. Another area
that this video might help me with is page layout. If I wanted to put text next to my pictures but
was unsure of a way to do it this video is what I would consult. The man shows how to place,
move, and manipulate text so it does not interfere with your pictures but it does not look
awkward and blocky.
Provided that my last few sources were very informative I decided to stick with the trend
of videos for my last source. This last source was the most focused on what my actual project is
though that does not mean it was any more helpful than my other sources. This video will help
me when I have taken all my pictures, chosen the best pictures, and decided on the layout of the
book. Again just like my other sources this one informs me of little tricks that I can use to help

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move the process along This is simply going to save me time because I wont have to resize the
images (A.J. Woods).
Ultimately, I learned more than I thought I was going to, which is the point of this project
I suppose. All of the research, though difficult to find, was definitely worth the digging. I now
have a much better grasp on how to go about creating my project and clearer idea of how to wrap
it up. I will definitely have to reference back to my sources to ensure that my project will turn out
the best it can.

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Works Cited
"InDesign Help." InDesign Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
Seeley, Justin. "Adobe InDesign CC." What Is InDesign? N.p., 17 June 2013. Web. 19 Nov.
2015.
Graber, Andy. "Adobe InDesign for Photographers." YouTube. YouTube, 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 19
Nov. 2015.
White, Terry. "How To Get Started With Adobe InDesign CC." YouTube. YouTube, 17 Dec.
2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
Cross, Dave. "InDesign for Photographers." InDesign for Photographers. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov.
2015.
Woods, A.J. "Share & Enjoy." Layers Magazine RSS. N.p., 17 Dec. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

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Bibliography
"Beginners Guides to InDesign." Design & Illustration Tuts. N.p., 5 Nov. 2010. Web. 17 Sept.
2015.
The main purpose of this work is to teach people how to use the program. The content is multiple
tutorials for beginners to start to understand the program. The audience for this work would be
absolute beginners to using adobe products. This work is highly relevant considering that I dont
know much about this program. In the tutorials there were easy to follow pictures and
instructions. The only weakness I see is if you are an auditory learner this wouldnt help you.

Jones, Justin. "Celebrity Photographer Tyler Shields Exposes The Dirty Side of Glamour." The
Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
This works purpose is to tell this photographers experience with making his book. It is an
interview with a well known photographer, Tyler Shields. The audience for this work could be
anyone because it is on a popular website, but is mostly likely fans of Shields. This is moderately
relevant because it informs me of another photographers experience in making his book. This
interview includes some specific experiences of his that were entertaining. The downside to this
work is that it is on a well known site so there are ads and that it doesnt focus on the actual
making of the photo book.

Groat, Jon. "Photographing the Humans of New York." Storyboard. N.p., 01 Aug. 2012. Web. 17
Sept. 2015.
The purpose is to get a better understanding of how the photographer works and how he thinks.
This content is an interview with Brandon Stanton, who created the popular blog Humans of
New York. The audience would be fellow photographers and fans of Brandon Stanton. This is
less relevant to my project, but I decided to include it because it has tips for young artists and I
think could help someone see photography from a different angle. Like I said this work has some
pointers for young artists which I think was a special feature. This work is not going to help you
understand how to make a photography book, but it might inspire you to consider street
photography.
"InDesign Help." InDesign Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

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Seeley, Justin. "Adobe InDesign CC." What Is InDesign? N.p., 17 June 2013. Web. 19 Nov.
2015.
Graber, Andy. "Adobe InDesign for Photographers." YouTube. YouTube, 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 19
Nov. 2015.
White, Terry. "How To Get Started With Adobe InDesign CC." YouTube. YouTube, 17 Dec.
2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
Cross, Dave. "InDesign for Photographers." InDesign for Photographers. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov.
2015.
Woods, A.J. "Share & Enjoy." Layers Magazine RSS. N.p., 17 Dec. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.