Making A Photobook: Sequencing Your Photographs

Printing your photo books or large prints can be a challenging ordeal. So in this multi-part series, we're gonna talk about the things that I’ve learned with my process.

Right now I'm in the process of assembling and printing my first photo book, and that might feel like a great achievement today, or whenever the photo book is released, but I'm sure later down the road when I'm printing my 10th photo book, I will look back and see the glaring flaws, but also perhaps see my growth as an artist.

This post will be about pre-production, sequencing and choosing your photographs, and other things to keep in mind when getting ready for this project.

Sequencing Your Photographs

I have talked about my street photography before, what my goal is when I’m out and about taking photographs and what is that I'm trying to achieve. You can read this post to go deeper into that topic and hear what I have to say about it.

My Street Photography Philosophy

Your camera is just a tool, it’s not sentient, it does not know what you want to achieve or capture. Let’s talk about my philosophy & style.

Jorge Perez

I worked in the film industry for several years, working on sets for larger-budget films, and also making my own short films whenever I had the chance. So cinema really informs my decisions regarding art, creativity, and my street photography style.

But long story short, I'm always trying to block a scene and craft a little story with every photograph I take, focusing on both the characters and the environment. And you can see it reflected in the way that my photos are presented or laid out.

I like to physical print them, lay them out and organize them this way, but you can organize your photos in Adobe Lightroom or any other photo editing software.

At its core, it’s about understanding. Ask yourself what is it that you’re trying to say, what is it that you’re trying to show, and think about your sequencing and how you’re organizing your photos, long before you start the actual photobook process.

So, ask yourself why are you organizing photos this way, is there a story to tell?

Is there a reason why a black-and-white photograph sits right next to a colour photograph?

Is there a reason why you are using or contrasting a wide establishing shot right next to a close-up of the same scene or location?

Or is it all just random? there’s no right or wrong answer here, the point is for you to really know and understand why are you doing things the way you are. The point is to get you to think about it.

YouTube Video

Here's the full video, including a full step-by-step guide on how to calibrate your display here: