Tips and tricks from Renato Gerussi

Renato Gerussi won the Bookfactory photo book competition, so we asked him for a few tips and tricks. On his 8-month VW bus trip to India as a 20-year-old, he took over his friend's camera because he was completely lackadaisical about photography. The photo virus was injected and since then Renato has been a passionate photographer.

You created the book with the Bookfactory software. However, many visitors to Photo Münsingen thought that you created this book in a layout programme and ordered it with the PDF-to-Book configurator. You used our software very creatively. What do you think of the Bookfactory software?

I have tried several software but I like the software from Bookfactory the best. I have a lot of possibilities with this software.

How did the idea for the book come about?

I saw the Bookfactory competition and as I am very interested in photo books, I entered. I have never taken part in a competition before.

My book is called «Sichtweise». The boundless beauty around us fascinates and inspires me. Be it an enchanting landscape that reflects truthfulness to my soul or a gesture that conveys emotion.

The cover of the book is special. How did you create it?

Photography is geometry. The order of creation in number and geometry! I have inserted empty picture boxes here and placed them correctly and filled them with a colour. You can see exactly how I did it in this picture.

Which function of our software do you use most often? What do you find most helpful?

Definitely the eyedropper! With the eyedropper (color picker) I can adjust the background to my picture and so everything becomes harmonious. Here, for example, I used the colour of the leaf for the background of the other side.

I couldn't do without the grid and the magnet effect either!

What makes a good photo for you?

I think about:

1. Intention: What am I interested in? What is my vision of the photo?
2. Composition: Place the elements such as lines, shapes, foregrounds and backgrounds.
3. Intensity: Less is more, focus on the subject.

How can you make a photo look even better in a photo book?

Also: less is more! Not the same picture five times on one page. Select the best picture. If several pictures are to be on one page, they must fit together. Geometrically, in terms of colour, etc.

Do you have another tip?

Ralf Turtschi helped me a lot. I can recommend his Fotobuchbuch. He gives helpful tips on the software. For a photo book you first need a theme and then you should make a selection. To make the right choice, you have to train your eye.

Renato Gerussi
(Photo: Seraina Kurt)

Would you like to know more about Renato Gerussi? Find out more here.
www.gerussirenato.art