How to Make a Street Photography Sketchbook

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How to Make a Street Photography Sketchbook

Yo, what’s poppin’ people? It’s Dante. This morning, I want to share with you how and why I make street photography sketchbooks using the Canon Selphy CP 1500 printer. As you can see, I have a variety of small thumbnail-sized prints on my wall.

I find that by printing my work in a very small format with thumbnails, I can study my work and live with it in a much more intimate way. And one of my favorite ways to go about this is by creating a sketchbook.

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The Sketchbooks I Use

The books I typically use are Muji books. They’re about 40 pages, and this particular one is the passport-size book. It’s a slim notebook, very small, and the thumbnails are accompanied by some notes.

  • Maybe I’ll write about the photo
  • Give the date
  • List the place where it was taken

I also have another thumbnail-sized sketchbook printed out right here. This is something I pretty much carry everywhere.

“Just by living with the work and pairing together these small thumbnail-sized prints, I have a much better way of looking through my photographs.”

The Printer: Canon Selphy CP 1500

Here we have the Canon Selphy CP 1500 printer. It’s about the size of my palm—small, portable, and easy to use. It comes with:

  • A tray to load your paper
  • A side slot for ink cartridges

It’s sitting on top of my Canon Pro 1000, which is a heavy-duty professional printer, but I actually find that making small thumbnail prints is an elegant solution for reviewing my work.

Framing Small Prints

Even a 4×6 print can become an elegant format. You can print on Canon Selphy CP 1500 4×6 paper and frame it with MCS 4×6 frames. These are:

  • Cheap and plastic
  • Have a clear cover (not real glass)
  • Flimsy, but a good option for quick prints

The Printing Process

The Canon Selphy CP 1500 uses Canon paper packs, like the KP108 set, which includes 108 sheets plus ink. They even sell sticker paper if you want to make photo stickers—pretty cool!

I’ve always used sketchbooks to study my work. This is my first one—made when I was in university studying in Baltimore. Since the beginning, I’ve been laying out my earliest photographs in small thumbnails to study my progress.

“This is something that has genuinely benefited me, and I highly encourage you to do the same.”

How to Make Your Own Photography Sketchbook

The process is extremely simple:

  1. Print a 4×6 collage on the Canon Selphy CP 1500.
  2. Use double-sided tape (picked up at the local art store).
  3. Cut out the thumbnails using scissors.
  4. Paste them into a Muji passport-size sketchbook.
  5. Write notes, dates, places, or observations next to the images.

When making 4×6 prints, the printer adds small tabs on the sides, and you can choose between:

  • Bordered images (which I prefer)
  • Borderless images

For frames, I use MCS 4×6 frames, which say “Original Format Frame by MCS Industries” on the back.

The Canon Selphy App

The printer connects seamlessly with my iPhone using Bluetooth. The Canon Selphy app allows you to:

  • Browse through your photo albums
  • Select photos to print as single images or collages

I typically select eight photos per sheet for my sketchbooks. Here’s how I format them:

  1. Open the Canon Selphy app
  2. Choose collage mode
  3. Select eight images
  4. Click on each image and format it properly by:
  • Clicking Crop & Rotate
  • Hitting Fill
  • Rotating the image 90 degrees
  1. Once formatted, hit Print

The print process is fast. It prepares the image, sends it to the printer, and within seconds, you get a high-quality glossy print.

“Just hit print, and in seconds, you have your photographs in hand. It’s so simple.”

Cutting and Pasting Thumbnails

Once printed, I cut out the images using simple kitchen scissors (yes, the same ones I use to cut my meat for dinner).

I typically make two sizes of thumbnails:

  • Four images per 4×6 → Medium thumbnails
  • Eight images per 4×6 → Small thumbnails (for sketchbooks)

This allows flexibility depending on the format of my book.

Organizing My Sketchbooks

Once the thumbnails are cut, I paste them into my sketchbook in different ways:

  • Pair two similar images per row
  • Write notes and observations
  • Shuffle and rearrange my images like a card game
  • Sort by location (for example, all my images from Israel and Palestine)

This process allows me to determine the “keeper photos” and refine my vision over time.

“Having physical prints allows you to live with the work, sequence it, and truly understand your photography.”

Why Every Photographer Should Try This

  • It’s physical → You’re no longer just looking at a screen.
  • It helps with sequencing → You can shuffle images and find patterns.
  • It’s portable → Carry your best work in your pocket.
  • It’s easy → The Canon Selphy CP 1500 is fast, simple, and effective.

I also bring 4×6 framed prints to local photography meetups. With command strips, I can set up a small pop-up gallery wherever I go.

“I’ve always taken notes. I’ve always used my sketchbook to learn about my work. It has helped me a lot.”

Final Thoughts

I’ve been doing this since the beginning. Every photographer should consider picking up a Canon Selphy CP 1500 to print their work, create sketchbooks, and live with their images.

“Pick one up. I suggest it. Every photographer should have it. That way, you can live with the work, put it on your wall, and be in control of it all.”

Thanks for reading. Hope this helps! See you in the next post. Peace.

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