When it comes to the term ‘photo template’, there are two different things that may come to one’s mind. First, it could mean a template of photography composition. Second, it could refer to a graphic design template in which one or many photographs can be inserted and create a new design piece like collages or photo albums.

Composition Template

The term ‘composition template’ refers to a pre-defined, well-known, and efficient set of photography composition that is relevant to the current era and conforms to the popular “good taste’ stereotypes. Discovering your own unique composition template will help you shoot more quickly. It could also become the ‘trademark’ of your photographs.

There is no definitive rule or guide on creating a composition template, as it is a subjective aspect and unique to each photographer. Encourage yourself to experiment with lighting, angles, frames, and objects. For starters, you can learn how professional photographers experiment on composition and ultimately create their own distinct template. You can replicate this template in photo editing programs to make other photos having that photographer’s aesthetics.

You can also apply the principles of a composition template to your graphic design projects, especially if you are working on 3D renders or images. Understanding how light interacts with the object, how different angles favors different parts of the object, or even how the object itself interacts with the background is a valuable skill. If you can successfully replicate that kind of photo template into your design, you’d go far with your career.

Collage Template

As the name suggests, ‘collage templates’ refers to a graphic design template in which a number of photographs can be assembled to create a collage. There are several tips you can try to make a perfect and memorable photo collage. Also, there are tons of collage tutorials you can experiment with.

Be Cohesive

What sets a random assemblage of photos apart from an artful collage is visual cohesion. This way, you’ll give your collage a unified feel. Usually, you can achieve this by grouping together pictures with similar characteristics, like having similar colors, outfits, or matching poses. Or you can apply the same filter to all the individual photographs within that collage.

Tell Your Story

A well-assembled collage is great, but a well-assembled collage that tells a story is even greater. This is another perk of applying cohesion to your collage, as cohesion goes beyond having the same colors or poses. Photographs preserve a certain moment, but that moment has a continuation, so why not group them together? Having a collage of a family trip or your college life isn’t just preserving a moment—it preserves your journey in time.

Black + White + Colorful Memories

Today’s photography is able to capture colorful moments in an instant, producing equally colorful memories in the form of photographs. In order to highlight those colorful moments and make them the centerpiece in a collage, black and white backgrounds work wonders. They are incredibly potent for collages of landscapes or outdoor activities, as the contrast gives a bold-yet-subtle attitude to the finished piece.

Add Some Texts

Adding a text to your collage is optional, but when done right it could elevate your collage’s look and could also give some context. However, when it comes to incorporating textual elements into collage designs, less is more. Grouping together colorful photographs alone are prone to feel overbearing, so don’t complicate things further. But if you do, just keep it simple and sleek.

Photo Album Template

The basic principle of a photo album is actually the same as a photo collage: grouping together photographs in a cohesive manner. The difference is that a photo album gathers a large number of photographs into a book rather than a single art piece. Because of that, arranging a photo album takes more time than designing a collage, not to mention they cost more.

However, with the larger medium, an album can offer, you obtain more freedom to design one. You can incorporate more accompanying text to tell the story better. Or you can experiment with various color schemes without being restricted.

Basically, you can let your creativity run free in utilizing photo templates for your design projects.