Are your photos sitting on your computer? When was the last time you made a photo book for your family to enjoy? If you find the process of doing something with your pictures overwhelming, you aren’t alone.
Organizing your photos into photo books doesn’t have to be difficult. Think about what is most important to you. What do you primarily take pictures of? Does your family live for vacations? Do they play a lot of sports? Is there a special activity your family likes to do? Keeping these things in mind will help you prioritize what type of album to start with!
The Family Yearbook This is a great option when you have kids and tend to have a lot of different activities. It’s a wonderful way to include everyday moments alongside milestone events.
A couple years back, I printed our family yearbook as 12 x 12 album, and purchased 8 x 8 copies of the album for each of my children. I gave these to them Christmas Eve. My oldest son took the book to bed with him that evening and read it cover to cover! As a mom, I don’t have to tell you how much that meant to me! Here’s a couple pages from when we got our kittens.
A Special Event Many times there are special events in our lives that are important enough to warrant having their own album. A family reunion, once-in-a-lifetime trip, a bar/bat mitzvah…these are all events that truly deserve to shine in the spotlight.
Two years ago my daughter had the opportunity to travel to Europe for a soccer tournament. We toured in London before heading to Sweden for the games. We were able to see sights we’d only read about and it was an amazing trip that she and I will never forget! The parents we traveled with all felt the same way. This is a page from the book I created for my daughter and I, as well as the other families we spent most of our travel time with.
Recurring Events Is there a place you go on vacation every year? Do you have a family event that takes place year after year? Consider making a photo book that honors these events.
I once worked with a client whose family and extended family vacationed every year at a certain ski resort. After 25 years, they decided to create an album of all the photos they had accumulated over the years! The family really cherished having all of those memories together in one place – it was a very special book!
My cousins and I have an annual pool party. Two of us have pools, and we alternate hosting every other year. Its been a lot of fun to look through the photos year after year and watch the next generation of kids grow up together. At some point, I will be pulling together a book to celebrate all these years.
Tribute Albums Consider honoring a special person with a tribute to their life. A tribute album can take a number of forms. It can be a celebration of a life well lived for a parent or grandparent or someone special to you who has passed away. You don’t need all the photos in their life…the highlights and the stories are what are most important!
However, you can also create an album celebrating a certain time in life, such as graduation or military service. A graduation album could encompass highlights from birth on or high school/college only and can include letters from friends, family, special teachers or coaches. A while back, I created a military tribute album for a client. His father was a WWII airman and a POW. His story was fascinating, and was told through his military documents, letters home, POW diaries and much more…truly a treasure!
Our photos and stories are a window into our lives for the next generation. Whatever type of album you decide to make, your family will love that you have taken the time to document the stories for them! If you’re overwhelmed or need help with a project, feel free to contact me at Creative Photo Solutions, LLC or another photo organizer in your area.