Project Life: Tips for Making Yearlong Documentation Less Daunting

Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

I picked a weekends approach for my family's 2011 book because I wanted it be manageable given how much I already have going on. It is important to remember that Project Life does not necessarily equal Project 365.

Take Time

To avoid feeling overwhelmed by the large number of photos (my camera is on "burst" most of the time), I set aside Project Life time each week (30 minutes) to select my favorites and create a spread. This is also the time to record notes about the week(end) while they are still fresh in your mind.

Stay Inspired
 
Inspiration is all around us! I was flipping through some of my favorite magazines like Vogue, ELLE Decor, Martha Stewart, and I loved how they use blank areas on photos to create a place for the text of the article.  It was practical, creative and had a modern feel.  I immediately wanted to incorporate that in my 2011 book. I did this two ways. I intentionally took photos with the blank space in mind and I used the "picture as a background" and "fade" features that Shutterfly offers to "ghost back" images and overlay text and photos.

See the Story

Whether you choose to capture the everyday, monthly highlights or weekend life, try to envision the story as you are clicking away. What is beautiful or challenging, normal or special about your subject/day/experience? What feeling do you want to convey? What are the details that will help you tell your story later? 

Let Go of Perfection

This is an important part of the plan! Don’t worry about whether or not you’re making the right decision about your page layout, which Project Life edition to use or which book size you want. You can always change size or style at any point before ordering your book. And the customize mode allows you to easily move or resize any photo space, embellishment or text box. Just get your faves on the page, and if you choose, write a blurb about the day.
(Below: On the left is my ‘starting’ page, on the right the ‘finished’ page re-done several weeks later.)