Article Courtesy Scrapjazz.com: by Denise Gormish
The classic 4" x 6" photographs abound on scrapbook pages. Since it is the classic size for printing, it is also the size we see the most often on scrapbook pages. Sometimes, though, another size can be really effective. I like to crop my photographs vertically or horizontally into narrow photographs. Here are a few examples of how to effectively use narrow photographs.
Highlight A Single Photo. A single photo highlights a story and instantly becomes the focus of the layout. By cropping it into a narrow photograph, the photograph will be even more the focus of the layout. In my layout about Chicago, I used a long and narrow photograph of a building to put the focus of the layout on that building

Make a Statement. A narrow photograph can stretch the whole length of a page either vertically or horizontally. It will need to be enlarged to fit the whole width of the page and then cropped to the necessary narrow dimensions. In my layout about my vacation, I placed a full-length vertical photograph to the edge of the layout and cropped it to create a narrow photograph.

Make it Close Up. Close-up photographs are good for emphasizing the details of the subject. If only a portion of your photograph is close-up, you can crop it narrowly to get the details to show more prominently in the photograph. In my layout about my daughter's favorite cookies, I cropped the photograph narrowly to just focus on the cookies.

Make a Striking Photo Cluster. Instead of squares or 4" x 6" photographs for a photo cluster, consider using narrow photographs. The narrow photographs can be linear or angled for a jumbled feel. In my parade layout I used narrow photographs to highlight participants in the parade.

Remove Extraneous Background. Sometimes a 4" x 6" photograph can have an unnecessary background. To focus on the subject of the photograph, crop off that background and create a narrow photograph. In my layout about my daughter's horseback riding lessons, I cropped off much of the stable in the background to keep the focus on her.

Leave Room for Journaling. When you have lots of journaling, a narrow photograph can leave more space for that journaling. In my layout about my dog, I used a narrow photograph at the top that related to the journaling, and then added the journaling.

Remember to crop your photographs into narrow photographs for a different look on your scrapbook pages.
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