glossary
1. coffee table album
Coffee table albums usually refer to larger, flush-mount albums with hardboard pages.
2. coffee table book
Coffee table books can be story-book albums. They may not lay completely flat when open, but usually have a traditional book binding that allows you to see images that span across the gutter.
3. flush-mount
Albums that lay flat when open and that minimize the gutter/seam between the left and right pages are called flush-mount albums.
4. rule of thirds
When taking photographs, imagine a "tic-tac-toe" grid across your images. Place your main subject along one of these lines. It's even better if you can place them at one of the corners made where the lines intersect. For landscape photography, align the horizon along the top "tic-tac-toe" line or the bottom one. You'll either get 2/3 sky and 1/3 land or 1/3 sky and 2/3 land. Our minds are not as literal as we might think. We actually prefer the off center images to those where the subject is squared in the middle. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule.
5. story-book album
Story book albums (sometimes called coffee table books) are usually a more casual product. Most have the images printed directly on the book paper, instead of hardboard. Some even have images printed directly on the cover.
