Why Photographers Should Embrace InDesign

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A couple of weeks ago, my oldest son started kindergarten. Obviously, a big step in his young life. A new school, new friends, new routine, new everything.

Change and getting used to new places and routines happen all the time in life. It happens in some monumental and not-so-monumental ways – from moving to a new home or starting a new job to learning manual with your camera or even purchasing new gear.

While change always feels a little exciting and makes you a little anxious (even uncomfortable), in the end, it’s amazing how quickly we adapt.

For my son, in just three short days, he already got it. He knew how to find his way to his classroom, the cafeteria and the library. He understood the new structure to the day. He learned the various rules: when to raise his hand, where to sit, and how to line up.

As photographers, we all have our well-understood tools of the trade. We’ve worked our routine into something so familiar, it becomes muscle memory. But all of these tools started as something brand new. A task to learn, a program to master, or new equipment to get used to.

If you’re like most photographers, you’ve probably talked yourself out of new tools because you’re afraid they will take too much time to learn. But in actuality, some of these tools could introduce new levels of productivity and efficiency within your business. While it may not be right for all, InDesign is one of those programs.

It may seem too complicated to learn – but getting the basics – requires very little. Plus there are so many amazingly powerful tools that can actually dramatically save you time and keep you organized.

InDesign may be right if you:

• create your own pricing pdf;
• create your own business marketing material;
• design albums for your clients;
• design an informational or product magazine for your clients;
• use photos and narrative together on a document; or
• design a pdf with more than one page.

 
If that sounds anything like you, here’s why InDesign is awesome:

1-      Multiple pages in one Document. You can simply view the pages as pages – not layers. You can easily add, delete and move pages as needed.

2-      Align between Pages. Smart guides are built into the program so you can line up boxes (photos and text) and maintain consistent spacing.

3-      Styles and Options. With InDesign, you create color, text and object styles that are consistent across every page. And yes, can be transferred to new projects as well.

4-      Master Pages. You can easily set up repeatable items (such as your business name) or guides that can be visible on some or all of the pages.

5-      Easy to Export. In a click of a button, you can export a document as a pdf or jpeg and customize which pages you want to include.

Hopefully I’ve piqued your interest to learn more about InDesign. Here’s a quick peek into the program and my preferred workspace set up.

Love this and want to learn more? I’m offering a mentorship to show you the basics and advanced features of InDesign for your photo book or business. Check The Photographer Within Forum for more information.

Stacey Wiseman

Stacey Wiseman is a happily married momma with two kids living in a small bungalow in central Kentucky. She loves the challenge of capturing her kids’ antics and documents her family adventures in a variety of photo books. She’s the photo book workshop instructor at The Photographer Within, spreading the message about how to transform thousands of photos into a book that’s purposeful, organized, and beautiful.

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