Shutterfly and CK Media have recently released two new scrapbook styled photo books that can support your summer storytelling.

Kerri Bradford designed “Play Hard”, a book to tell the story of a sports season of one player or for the entire team. It can also be used to tell the story of multiple seasons at once as the page headlines and color palette are versatile enough to support a season played on the grass or in the gym or even in the pool. There are a bunch of examples in Gallery that illustrate the book’s versatility.

I’ve seen many year in review photo books in Gallery, but none with just 10 photos. Mplusmequalsl’s “2007 Favorites” is a must see for anyone who wants to tackle this effort.

She tells her family’s year in review story in just 10 photos (not counting the collaged cover) and relies heavily on journaling a caption for each photo that explains the memory and significance of the selected pictures. I was so impressed, I MOLT’d her book for my story of a 4th of July weekend camping trip.

Whether you’re planning a ‘staycation’ or a trip of a lifetime, Shutterfly is your summer storytelling partner.

In our Gallery you’ll find photo books from a simple day-long hike to a short beach trip and a weeks-long vacation through Egypt.

I was struck in looking at Gallery recently, how many new photo bookers there are and how many of them are crediting our community with inspiring them to take the plunge. I am so proud of the contributions of many, many Shutterfly photo book creators that have been willing to share their stories and ideas with others. Take a look at some ‘newbies’ and their fabulous work.

Linda is a seasoned traveller, who has spent the last ten years exploring Europe and capturing its beauty in photographs. She’s also member of our Shutterfly Gallery Guru team, dedicated to supporting your photo book and storytelling creativity. You’ve probably seen Linda’s helpful comments throughout the Gallery - maybe even on your own photo book.

In this interview, Linda tells about her love of landscape photographers like Ansel Adams, and about how she uses images to tell her stories. Linda also imparts some sage advice for us fellow storytellers - take time to browse the Shutterfly Gallery, because it’s always inspiring to see other peoples’ work and ideas.

I always start with good intentions, promising myself I will journal every day during my travels; but I never get past day one. This Spring in Mexico however, I kept my journaling promise, by making each entry really short! Every night I jotted down a couple of lines about the day’s activities, and a couple of thoughts about the day. That’s it. 5 minutes or less.