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