
I can't tell you how many people have written about how to create your own photo album (hint: WAY too many to count on Google alone!). And here's something that popped into my mind while writing this guide for you: I saw there's a ton of results for "how to create your photo album". And yet…not a whole lot about why.
It's almost a no-brainer, right? You book a photoshoot, you get photos. Easy!
What's less easy is understanding the need for photography…usually that happens only after the moment has passed, and then you want something physical to remember that moment by. Too late, it's gone…
I've been there. That's why photographs are wonderful, even incredible things that unfortunately we tend to take for granted.
Who says the photos need to stop as soon as you're done with a session for your business's brand, or your family, or your maternal moments? Why not get a photo album too?
Let's dig into the why of photo albums together. Here are 10 (count them, 10!) reasons you need a photo album of you, your family, and more, not only a photoshoot.
1. Your child's new favourite bedtime story
Picture for a moment. You're tucking your little one into bed, and you ask them to go pick out their favourite storybook. To your surprise, they pull out the photo album about you–maybe the one about before they were born, or the one where you got family photos done, or when you were that small too.
They might ask you: "Was I really that small?" "Wow, you were a kid too!" "What were we even doing that day?"
Guess what, these are all stories my kids LOVE hearing from me all the time! There's something truly special when you're telling your stories to loved ones who have not yet heard it before, and then you find it's become their favourite story to hear, over and over.
2. Relive memories that are fading
As much as we want to hold on to them in our minds with perfect clarity, memories will fade with time. Having a photo album printed of these memories can help you relive those special days and moments that mean the most to you now, as much as they meant to you then.
3. Help tell your family's story to new connections, present and future
Whether it's the people next door who you immediately clicked with after moving, or maybe new family members are slowly becoming part of your life, there's always room for sharing stories. Photo albums are a great way to tell your family's story and all your favourite memories to these new connections you're making now.
4. Worthwhile investment
Usually it's the cost of a physical album that makes you pause and wonder if there are options–and yes, there are. Wall art or framed photographs also work if an album isn't something you're after.
I would like to mention however the emotional investment an album can bring to you and your life. Yes, a single picture can speak over a thousand words, as the saying goes. However, an album contains triple that amount. Maybe one photo isn't enough to truly express that incredible day at the beach you had with your family, or the feels you felt when your toddler discovered ice cream for the first time.
While having wall art is absolutely a valid option, the investment of an album containing all those memories of those days you're now treasuring is worthwhile. You won't have to choose one or two photos out of thousands; choosing an album means you're getting multiple treasured memories into one single priceless collection.
5. No more scrolling through your phone while telling the story
I don't know about you, but as a mom who loves taking pictures of my own kids as much as my clients' children, the thought of scrolling through my phone and filtering through millions of pictures by myself is way too much even for me. On my phone alone I have over 50,000 photos!
With a photo album, you can put the phone down at last. You'll be present while telling your story.
6. Feel, not just see, the love you all share
It's one thing to see a photo of yourself the day it was taken. Whenever you take a selfie or you take charge of the photography, you're the one in control of how the images turn out…but sometimes your expectations can get ahead of you and the love you're sharing in that moment doesn't really come through the way you want.
It's way different having someone else be in charge of the camera! This other photographer can help you feel, not just see, the love you all share in those candid moments being captured. It's a specialty of mine to do that for families!
7. Something you can hold in your hands
There's something truly wonderful and nostalgic about holding a photo album in your hands. This isn't something you pass around on the phone. It's a physical book you can always share with your children, their children, and your grandparents. As handy as digital photography is, the sensation of holding photos in your hands makes those moments as real as when they first happened.
8. Photo albums are better than Instagram by a landslide
Photo albums are way more personal and customized to YOUR storytelling and not an algorithm's attempts to tell it. In an album there are less filters, no shots that capture your thumbprint more than the people, and definitely more ease when telling the story you want to tell.
9. Record your family's history
Families, just like life itself, grow and change as the years pass. An album can show how different your story and your family history is now compared to back then. In some cases, it's a way to reveal that certain generational cycles have been broken. One example is having a childhood full of neglect, and therefore breaking the cycle means you're raising your children in a way where they're fully aware they're loved and you're the cheerleader of their dreams. An album can be proof of that cycle being broken at last.
10. Therapeutically healing
Yes, even for therapy's sake, photo albums are so good to have! You will receive a new perspective on moments that maybe at the time you didn't treasure, and now they're that priceless. You may find that some old cycles your parents and past generations went through can be broken for the sake of your own well-being. Or maybe you'll find new traditions and ways to celebrate your closest relationships, while releasing the feelings that no longer serve you.
However therapeutic healing looks like for you, your photo album can help you strengthen the bonds that matter to you the most right now.
Ready to receive your family heirloom in album form? Get in touch today.
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