A number of great quality books have been published recently  and we have picked one book from each category as a fovourite. Check them out below:

1. A great Family year photo book by Tracey Clayton. Tracey designs photo books for people who are too busy to do so themselves so contact her if you want her to design a book for you.

2. A memory book by Julie: This book is a compilation of photos taken over a period of 10 years and Julie gave this to her husband as a birthday gift.

3. An art portfolio by Sophie Anne: Artwork from a truly talented lady displayed in a photobook.

4. An illustration book by Christopher Chong: This is a refreshing book which is a good representation of colour illustrations in a KoodibooK.

5.  A wedding book by John: A great example of a book which can be given to the newlyweds to mark the day.

6. A travel photobook : A book created by Gordon Plews with breathtaking views of Paris!

7. A baby first year book: A simple but great album to mark the first year of a baby’s life.

8. And finally a poetry book by Newton Park Poets: We love this book for it’s unique layouts!

So there you are! 8 of our favourite books. Have you created your photobook yet?

KoodibooK is about preserving and sharing your memories in a unique way. KoodibooK’s free photo book software allows you to access your photos at amazing speed from wherever they are stored and use them to create photobooks that can be previewed in 3-D, published online for free and printed professionally.

A special book for Dad

Father’s day is fast approaching.  Have you got anything special for your dad yet?  If not then this is your chance to do so.  Download the free KoodibooK software , select your favourite photos of your Dad and within minutes you will be making your own personalised photo book for your Dad. It is very easy to make and affordable too. Create and order your special Father’s Day photo book by June 10 2011 in order to receive it on time for Father’s Day.

On 19th June, dont forget to let your father know how important he is to you.  Join our mailing list to receive our Father’s day offer.

KoodibooK is about preserving and sharing your memories in a unique way while giving you the best possible experience with photobook creation.  The KoodibooK software allows you to access your photos at amazing speed from wherever they are stored and use them to create photobooks that can be previewed in 3-D, published online for free and printed professionally.

Preview your book in 3D

We have had a number of questions about our photo books over the past few weeks so I thought a blog post to answer the top 5 of our customer queries would be useful.

1. How do i know how my book will look like when printed?

That’s the beauty of our 3D preview. You can see an almost accurate representation of your photobook before printing.

2. Do you offer photo albums as well as photo books?

Yes. KoodibooK products include several premium quality photo album options to choose from. We are also currently expanding our product line so watch this space!

3. Will everyone be able to view my book when i publish it?

That is entirely up to you. We currently allow private or public sharing so you can can choose to create and share your book with others in the library or keep it to yourself by publishing privately. The good news is We’re just starting to test a large update which allows sharing with selected people via email. Exciting times!

4. Is it expensive?

A 25 page A5 softcover book costs only £9.99. There are also many other options to choose from if you are on a budget without compromising on quality.

5. I have printed photo books before with other providers and the image quality was not as i expected.

Our software warns you anytime your images are overstretched or low resolution so you can fix these before printing. Don’t take our word for it though. See what others are saying about creating KoodibooK photo books.

More questions? Drop us a line on Twitter, Facebook or email or comment below!

KoodibooK is about preserving and sharing your memories in a unique way while giving you the best possible experience with photobook creation.  The free KoodibooK software allows you to access your digital photos at amazing speed from wherever they are stored and use them to create photobooks that can be previewed in 3-D, published online for free and printed professionally.

We have been blogging for a while now. Mainly on photography tips, news in the photography industry and tips on how to create your own photo book among others. This week’s blog is a selection of some of our favorite blog posts to date. Drop us a comment below if you like a particular post or not.

Top 10 Tips for Creating a Great Photobook

Inspired by the launch of KoodibooK, this is a great post which is especially useful for first time photobook creators and anyone looking for inspiration for photobook creation. This post is quite popular as it provides simple but useful tips.

A Year of Photos- Photo Book Ideas for Every Month of the Year

Running out of ideas for photobooks? Got a photobook deal which is expiring soon? There is a photobook for every month in the year and this post lists several photobook options for all year round photobook creation.

5 Tips for Photographing Children

If you have kids then you understand how important it is to document certain times/events in their life. You will probably also know how difficult it is to get good photos or any photo at all for that matter. This is a particularly useful post for parents who often have problems photographing their kids.

The A-Z of KoodibooK

We think this is a fun way of telling you all about KoodibooK. There is even a photobook about this post. Check it out here>>

5 Tips to Snap Those Photos with Confidence

Another popular post providing useful tips and tricks for capturing the best possible photos.

We also blogged on fun and random stuff including posts like Can you Guess a Person’s Personality From Their Facebook Profile Photo? and Its Nature Photography Day Today! which was an interesting activity we took part in. And we wont forget the useful i-phone photo apps suggested by Vicki Knights in this post Top 3 Iphone Photography Apps Recommended by a Pro.

So there you are! A round-up of our favorite blog posts so far. We would love to know what you think and what you would like to read on the KoodibooK blog. If you like a particular post then don’t forget to share it with others.

KoodibooK is about preserving and sharing your memories in a unique way while giving you the best possible experience with photobook creation.  The free KoodibooK software allows you to access your digital photos at amazing speed from wherever they are stored and use them to create photobooks that can be previewed in 3-D, published online for free and printed professionally.

I was always pretty disappointed with the images that my iPhone captured. That was until I discovered the following 3 apps! Now don’t get me wrong, you will never be able to capture images with your iPhone that will win any awards, or even be good enough to frame on your walls. But you will be able to take really cool, interesting photos that you’ll be proud to share on Facebook! And all in seconds too.

The first app I’m going to recommend is CameraBag. I am suggesting this one first as you can use it on photos you’ve already taken. So you don’t even have to take any new photos to have a play around with it. CameraBag emulates some of the cameras from the past and in just one swipe you can change your image with really fun results. 

Here is one example. On the left is the original image, then in the middle is the result of the Colourcross camera and on the right is the Magazine camera (my personal favourite!) These effects literally take one click to achieve.

And here is an iPhone shot I took and processed using the Magazine camera.

What is great about this app is that you don’t need to think about it before you shoot then you can just play around with your images afterwards when you are sat on a train or waiting for the kettle to boil! 

The next app is Hipstamatic. This already has a huge following as it’s a great way to take really cool looking images. It brings back the look and feel of the plastic toy camera and is great fun to use. You literally turn your iPhone into a retro plastic camera. It reminds me of the joy of shooting with Polaroid cameras. You choose the lens and film you want to use before you shoot (easier than it sounds) or just shake your phone and it will randomly pick them for you. You can also use a flash if necessary too….all for just over £1! 

Here are a couple of shots I’ve taken using this app. This one is using the John S lens and the Kodot film (that will all make sense when you start using it!) 

It’s World Heritage Day today. We were reminded when a photographer Henry Stradford shared some world heritage sites visited by Ramesh Lalwani  here. KoodibooK is located in Bath which happens to be a world heritage city. There is a great compilation of photos of Bath here! Have you visited any world heritage cities? Tell us about them. If you have photos then do post them on our Facebook page.

At KoodibooK we are passionate about photography. We provide an easy and quick way to organise photos into high quality photo books at great value.

There are many photos we like to look at from time to time to reminisce and most of these are ones we have been tagged in on facebook. Being ‘unfriended’ may be a bit dramatic but what if for some strange reason the album owner decides to delete these photos? Will you be absolutely gutted if your friend deleted an album you loved and you couldn’t get copies of these photos as they did not have any back up? There are so many reasons why you may want printed copies of your favorite photos although you may not necessarily want to print them individually and insert into plastic sleeves (boring!)

1. It is a fantastic way of organising lots of photos: If you have lots of photos stored on your computer or on a pendrive etc, create photobooks. It is a great way to group and organise them. 
2. Photobooks are cheap and a unique gift to give: Tired of buying expensive gifts that are never appreciated? You should see people’s reactions when they receive photobooks as gifts.
3. They are easy and fun to create: They are certainly more easier to make than scrapbooks and so much more fun.
4. Great to display on your coffee table: This will be an added personal touch to your decor
5. A fantastic way of sharing photos sans facebook: Believe it or not, not everyone has a facebook account! Most people do but you may want to spare your grandma from creating a facebook account. Let’s face it even if she had a facebook account, you may not want her to view some of your photos on there.

There you are! 5 good reasons why you should create a photobook. Start creating your KoodibooK but be careful, it’s quite addictive!

KoodibooK is about preserving and sharing your memories in a unique way while giving you the best possible experience with photobook creation.  The KoodibooK software allows you to access your photos at amazing speed from wherever they are stored and use them to create photobooks that can be previewed in 3-D, published online for free and printed professionally.

Many people consider their wedding day one of if not the most important day of their life and as such hire a professional wedding photographer for this special occasion. This article however is for the guests at weddings (Royal wedding or otherwise) who may want to remember this occasion by looking at photos, and giving some of their shots as gifts to the married couple. If you are a guest or relative wanting to capture a happy couple’s special day in a unique way then here are some tips and tricks.

1. Plan and Prep: Planning and preparing yourself before the wedding can help you perform better on the day.

(2 months before)

• Ask the bride if she wouldn’t mind you photographing her wedding.
• Does she have a professional photographer? if yes, you need to make sure not to interfere.
• Show her a list of potential shots and ask her which she would allow you to take.

(1 week or so before the wedding)

• Ask for an itenary of the days events.
• Find out if you can take photos at the location and if you can use flash.
• Check that your camera and equipment is in good working order.  

(On the day)

• Make sure you have: extra film, extra batteries, extra camera(s), a helping hand, a tripod,  a watch, directions and the schedule.
• Have a list of potential shots handy to make sure you don’t miss any.
• Arrive early to photograph things like the empty venue or the flowers arriving etc.

 2. Divide and Conquer: There are more shots to take than one person can usually manage alone.  Sharing the task means you can relax a little and will be more likely to capture every moment.

• A friend can take notes, hold stuff like extra cameras, shoot along side you or from another vantage point, and help find and organize group shots for you.
• If you don’t have a friend with you, buy disposable cameras to place on reception tables for guests to take photos then collect them at the end of the day.
• Write down e-mail addresses of people also taking photos to swap pictures. 

3. Placement and Direction: Most times as long as you’re giving clear and polite instructions people will happily ablige.

• Anticipate spots where things will happen and position yourself before a crowd forms.
• If necessary call out specific people and give specific instructions (something like a crooked tie or piece of spinach in the brides teeth can and will steal the show in a group shot)
• For formal shots make sure you let them know when you’re about to snap the shot.
• Move around.  Later you will be glad you took several similar shots but from slightly different angles.

4. The Perfect Shots: Perfect shots are the ones that look both beautiful and natural.  They capture key moments in the day like the couple’s vows or first dance.  Consider all the elements to increase your chances of taking lots of these.

• If you think you’ve missed something important like the perfect shot of the cake cutting, you could ask the couple if they’ll do it again.
• If you know the guests and families personally, you will have a special advantage as a photographer.  Try and capture people in their natural looks, if they are goofy and outgoing make sure to get those pictures of them dancing! 
• Take lots of pictures or use bursts.  This will give you several photos of the same thing taken fractions of a second apart.  This could be the difference between a blinking bride and the perfect shot.

 5. The Special and Artistic Extras:  After the perfect shots come the special extra shots that capture the feel of the day without being completely necessary.  These include artistic shots and fun candid shots.  Some of the most beautiful pictures from weddings are of things, places, and people who have some sentimental significance to the couple.  Everything from the flowers to the vicar should be thought of as potential material.

• Think about the bride and groom and consider setting up shots that show off their personalities.
• Keep an eye out for cute children and good lighting as both usually perform well in wedding photography.
• Consider the opposite shot to the obvious shots (if you shoot a photo of the bride and groom from behind the vicar, consider having your friend shoot one from the organ loft). 

Here a few examples for shots that will help.  Create your own list depending on the type of wedding you’re photographing and of course how close you are to the couple.

Shots before the Ceremony

• Wedding gown lying over a chair or hanging on a door
• A close up of the bride’s shoes peeking out from under the dress
• Bridesmaids shoes in a row
• Grooms men dressed and posing

At the ceremony:

• Guests walking into the venue
• Groom seeing bride for first time
• Close up of  couples hands
• Guests throwing confetti/rose petals/birdseed

During the Reception

• Outside the reception venue
• Arrival of the Bride & Groom
• Table centrepieces
• Musicians or DJ

Have fun photographing at your next wedding! View some great examples of wedding photobooks at the KoodibooK Library

When talking about getting the right colours in your photos the best place to start is to talk about White Balance. If you don’t know what white balance is, how to adjust it on your camera or why you would want to in the first place, have no fear, we’re here to help.

Adjusting the white balance in photos can actually make a huge difference in the visual experience of looking at the photo. The correct white balance in a photo means that what you saw with your naked eye matches what is represented in the photo.

You may ask why the camera doesn’t automatically capture the same colours that you see? After all, you are looking at the same thing your camera is looking at right? Wrong!

The human eye actually processes then adjusts the colours you see to take into account the type of light and conditions under which it is working. While some cameras have an auto feature that makes a guess as to the type of light, these cameras are yet to replicate the level of adjustment to light that the human eye is capable of. This simply means, different light sources produce different “colours” or “temperatures” of light. This is due to the different ways or extents to which they bend or make light (a lesson for another day perhaps!). What you need to know is how to correct some of the most frequently used types of light.

Thinking of the light as temperature may help you understand how to adjust the white balance. Like a room, if the photo is “cooler” (everything seems to have tints of blues, greens, or grays) then you are going to need to “heat up” the photo by adjusting the settings to warmer. The opposite is true if the photo is “warmer” (everything seems to have a tint of reds, pinks, oranges, or yellows).

Here are some of the basic types of light you may encounter. Most cameras have some or all of these settings. It may be worth checking your camera’s manual to find out more.

Tungsten- These are lights and lamps that use bulbs or incandescent light. If you’ve ever looked extra pink or maybe even orange in a photo, you probably took them with a few lamps on or next to bulb lights. The tungsten setting on your camera is usually identified with a light bulb. Using this will cool down this “warm” lighting.

Fluorescent- Fluorescent lights are lights that use the chemical fluorine or other similar chemicals to produce a light. Fluorescent lights are what are usually used in industrial buildings such as schools or offices. The Fluorescent setting on your camera is usually identified with a rectangular light source with rays coming off the top and bottom. Much like the lights sometimes used in changing rooms fluorescent lights can make your skin appear gray, green or bluish. Using the Fluorescent setting will warm up this “cool” lighting.

Daylight/Sunny- Daylight is not always a setting on every camera but if you have it the conditions can best be described as your normal setting. It is self-explanatory so we won’t waste time telling you anything other than, if you’re an adamant auto-setting user and find yourself standing in nice pleasant midday sun, give it a try. It’s always good to try it and see the difference between the two.

Cloudy- Cloudy settings are usually cooler. The setting for cloudy days is very similar to the setting for fluorescent lights except cloudy days can require even more “warming up” than fluorescent lights.

Flash-The Flash setting for white balance is symbolized by a bolt of lightening. It takes the cooler temperature of the burst of flash from your camera or an attached flash and warms it up. The flash setting warms up a cool situation and is somewhere between the daylight cool and the cooler cloudy day situation.

Shade-the shade setting for white balance is symbolized by a house with diagonal lines from the side to the ground next to it. This setting is typically the coolest of the setting and provides the most warming up of all the normal settings.

Manual Adjustments:

Most cameras have preset white balance controls that will do the trick of making your whites whiter but if you have a super fancy camera such as a DSLR or high end point and shoot you may have a manual adjustment for making your whites precisely white. Simply take a photo then select which part of the photo is supposed to be true white then the camera will make an adjustment. If you are shooting something like a wedding and want to make sure the whites look their whitest you can spend a little cash on some white (or grey) cards that you can photograph to make sure you’re actually photographing something that is true white. A cheaper option is to photograph a piece of white computer paper.

Exceptions to the rules: Sometimes you may not want your whites to be exactly as you saw them. There is no rule that says you cannot use any of the settings for a different condition than it was intended. Using the opposite settings as recommended can intensify the colours making whites redder or bluer depending on which way you take them. Feel free to try it out!

Websites with some good tables for the icons and temperature differences can be found  here.

KoodibooK is about preserving and sharing your memories in a unique way while giving you the best possible experience with photobook creation.  The KoodibooK software allows you to access your photos at amazing speed from wherever they are stored and use them to create photobooks that can be previewed in 3-D, published online for free and printed professionally. Create a photo book today!

One of the most well known rules of photography is The Rule of Thirds. This rule is used in all forms of art to explain how to create a visually pleasing image.  The rule of thirds was around in art before photography even existed. This technique can be traced as far back as 1797 and some believe it goes back even further.  It was believed that for a composition to seem more pleasing and interesting, an imaginary grid of nine equal parts should be drawn and the most important information should be placed in the outer thirds and along the four intersections. This is illustrated below.

Do

Place  the main point of interest and other important elements near the intersections of vertical and horizontal lines at 1/3 points of the frame.

Don’t

A simpler explanation of the rule of thirds is, “Don’t put your most important information right in the middle of the shot.”

Try and avoid “floating”parts of your image or not anchoring some point of the information to one of the lines in the frame.  Avoid putting visual information in the 5th square (dead centre).

Questions to ask when thinking about the rule of thirds:

• What are the most important areas of visual information in my shot?
• Where am I going to put those?

The Rule of Thirds: Take it? Or Leave it?

Like most rules, breaking the rule of thirds can be just as satisfactory or interesting as upholding it.  It is best to play around and experiment to find a shot that best suits what you’re aiming to do with the photo and your particular subject matter. Remember, the rule of thirds became a rule because people agreed it just looked good.

KoodibooK is about preserving and sharing your memories in a unique way while giving you the best possible when you create a photo book.  The KoodibooK software allows you to access your photos at amazing speed from wherever they are stored and use them to create photobooks that can be previewed in 3-D, published online for free and printed professionally. Create a photo book here!