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Big, Bigger, Biggest! Using Enlarged Photos in your scrapbooks
Ramie Ahlstrom - Scrapping Design Team LeaderI’ve always enjoyed taking and looking at photos. As I’ve gotten better at taking photos, I’ve enjoyed blowing them up to larger sizes. Since we move a lot, (thanks to the Navy), we decided that we would blow up one photo from each place we live as a memento of that place. We frame these, and hang them on the wall, but they are starting to take over! And, there are so many other photos that I love, and want to see larger! To remedy this, I’ve recently started using enlarged photos in my scrapbooks.
The most common photo size is of course the 4”x6” prints you can get just about anywhere. In the last year or so, the one hour labs have started printing enlarged photos as well as the everyday 4”x6” prints. This has made enlarging photos a cinch! Enlargements can be made from the negatives (for 35mm users) or from digital media (for those who have gone digital). I go to a discount warehouse to have mine printed, and pick them up when I’m finished shopping. There’s no longer a need for dropping off the negatives and waiting a week. Enlarged photos are available within the hour!!
If you scrapbook in the 8.5”x11” size books, 5”x7” photos are about the largest you can easily use on a page. Matted once or twice, these photos really stand out, and are definitely a great focal point. An 8”x10” photo can be used on these pages, but there is very little space left. I’ve done a few layouts in the past like this, as title pages for albums, and have written my journaling around the edges. An 8”x10” photo would work well as a background for an 8.5”x11” page. A title and other embellishments (fibers, photos, or journaling) could be laid over the larger photo.
I’ve recently made the change from 8.5”x11” scrapbooks to the larger format 12”x12” size. Since I made the change, I’ve been able to use 8”x10” photos easily on my pages. I’ve also discovered that a few places will print photos in an 8”x12” size. This makes for a perfect fit across a 12”x12” page, and can easily be cut to use as border photos.
Using 5”x7” photos is also very easy in the 12”x12” scrapbook format. I’ve used several on the same layout, and they don’t look overly crowded. This size photo is my very favorite, as it can easily be framed, and is easy and fun to use in scrapbooking.
While I can’t get as many photos on a page when they are enlarged, the effect is stunning. I tend to use enlarged photos for my focal point, with a mat underneath. Double and triple matting makes them stand out even more.
As you can see, using enlarged photos in scrapbooking is easy to do, and results in fantastic looking pages in very little time. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using enlarged photos, and will continue to do so. I hope this article has sparked your interest in enlarged photos, and that you’ll try using some in your scrapbook pages!
Don’t forget to share your work with us! Submit a scan or photo, (100kb or less), of your layouts to editor@ssreflections.com. Watch the newsletter and readers gallery at S.S. Reflections.com for upcoming port calls and themes!
Happy Scrappin’,
Ramie Ahlstrom
ramieahlstrom@ssreflections.com
Scrapping Design Team Leader
S.S. Reflections, Inc.
