I have a grand total of 12 pictures of me as a baby. 47 if you include all the pictures, ages 0 through 9. Your family may have been a bit better at taking pictures, or preserving them, but it is likely that your parents or grandparents never had to manage more than a few hundred photos.
The order of magnitude is completely different today: most of us take thousands of pictures every single year, and they end up crowding our phones, cameras and computers. We all have a clear overload problem: we have so many pictures, that we can never seem to find the time to sort and organize them, let alone do something meaningful with them. Yet, turning your pictures into something meaningful is incredibly important, and I would argue that photobooks are the most meaningful thing you can make.
1. Story telling
Whether you’re narrating a trip, a big life event, or just doing a yearly recap, a photobook turns your vague memories into stories that you can look back on and remember.
Instead of letting your precious memories fade away, tell your stories through pictures, and save them for the future. Your photobooks will serve as time travel capsules that allow you to immerse yourself in your past experiences and relive them again.
This is not something that you are likely to achieve with digital pictures and social media posts. The pictures we post on Facebook or Instagram don’t really tell a story, and they are not typically intended for ourselves. They represent a moment, a single memory, and are mostly focused on other people. Also, isn’t it more enjoyable to flip through the pages of a physical photobook, rather than looking at photos on a screen?
2. Becoming a better photographer
Making a photobook will also change the way you look at picture taking in the first place. Once you’ve done a photobook or two, you will start to be more intentional about the photos you take: “Why am I taking this picture?”, “What do I intend to do with it?”.
For me, I know that the main purpose of the pictures I take now is to be used in photobooks. This allows me to take better pictures, but also to take fewer of them. I know I won’t be able to put everything in a yearly book, nor do I want to, so being more intentional with photo taking often means simply putting the phone down and enjoying the moment.
3. Finding joy and gratitude
I also find that going through my photobooks helps me to feel happy and grateful about my life experiences.
In this pandemic year, where we all have been stuck at home for months on end, flipping through the pages of old travel photobooks has helped me put things in perspective. Sure, I am not able to travel right now, but I have been so incredibly fortunate to see and experience so many wonderful places so far.
In moments when my husband’s delightful habit of leaving his socks on the floor is starting to drive me insane, looking at our engagement album reminds me of how far we’ve come together, and how much I actually appreciate having him in my life.
On days when my toddler’s constant need for my help and attention is sucking my last ounces of energy, going through his baby album helps me appreciate how much he has grown, and how independent he has become.
4. Passing on memories to future generations
Finally, we don’t make photobooks only for ourselves. A main motivator for many parents is to pass these memories on to their children, and to leave a legacy.
For children, knowing where they come from, and putting their own life in the larger context of an extended family is fundamental. It gives them security, and allows them to build a strong sense of self. We all know how much kids love to hear us talk about stories from our own childhood, or about distant great-grandparents they haven’t had the chance to meet. Having those memories and experiences documented in photobooks will allow you to show them, rather than simply tell them, about life before they were born. And that is a truly great gift to give to any child.
I hope that, by now, I have managed to convince you what a good time investment photobooks are. So, let’s go ahead and start making them together!