In this digital age, making a photo book can feel a little old-fashioned. At a time when we can all access our favorite photos through the phones in our pockets, putting together a physical photo book doesn’t seem worth the effort anymore!
But there is just something magical about leafing through a photo book filled with your most treasured photos – it doesn’t quite compare to scrolling through a Facebook album or an Instagram page. And these days, it’s never been easier to make a photo album. Gone are the days of gluing down photos and handwriting captions. Your nearest photo printing shop should have everything you need!
So if you’re excited to embark on this project, read on. In this article, we offer up 15 unique photo book ideas for your next project.
We’re Not Like ‘Other’ Photo Restoration Services.
Take into account that, unlike other photo restoration services, we don’t just fix the obvious problems and throw a filter over everything – we comb through your images pixel-by-pixel to repair damage & create a perfect restoration of your prints!
Why Make A Photo Book
Here are 3 reasons why making a photo book could be worth the effort:
A Photo Book Is A Record Of Your Family’s History
Think of a family photo book as a way of leaving a legacy to future generations. Your kids, grandkids, and their grandkids can look back on all the important moments and people that make your family so special. You can even make a family history photo book where you compile all the old photos and documents of your ancestors in one book – that way, future generations will always feel connected to their roots.
At IRC, we can colorize old black and white or sepia photos, get rid of stains, creases, and watermarks, and essentially breathe new life into these vital pieces of your family’s history.
You Can Give It As A Gift To Family Members
They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but it can also keep friends and families from sharing special moments and milestones together. The pandemic has only made this harder. There is no better time than now to give your friends and family the great gift of a photo book.
A Photo Album Can Double As A Conversation Piece In Your Home
Parents and grandparents love to tell all their friends about their pride and joy – their kids! With a photo album, you don’t have to go through the awkward experience of passing a small phone around to show off your kids and grandkids to visitors. Just prop open your photo album and commence the storytelling.
15 Creative Photo Book Ideas
So you’re ready to create your photo book. But what theme should you go for? Should the photos go in chronological order or should they be placed at random? And what kinds of photos should you include anyway?
Don’t worry. If you don’t know where to start, you can turn to these 15 photo book ideas for inspiration.
Baby Photo Books
Babies – they grow up so fast! Preserve special memories of your baby’s birth, their milestones, and even their artwork with these five photo book ideas:
1. My First Year
A baby’s first year is filled with incredible milestones, from their first laugh to their first crawl to their very first steps. Compile each magical moment into one photo album that you can look back on anytime or even pass on to your little one when they’re not so little anymore.
2. My Birth Story
Kids love hearing about the day they were born, and parents love telling the story! So why not put together a photo book that documents your baby’s journey into this world, from their very first ultrasound picture to the day they popped out of the womb?
Making this photo book does require more pre-planning than most of the others on this list. If you really want vivid photos on the date of birth, have a designated photographer who’s willing and ready to document the big day.
3. My Favorite People
Being far away from family can be tough, especially when you’re raising little ones. One way to help babies learn about and remember loved ones from far away is with a picture book.
Compile photos of each family member (you can even include the family pet!) into a board book and add a big name label for each one. That way, you can flip through the photo book together to help your baby recognize and remember all the people that love them.
4. Bedtime Stories
Let your kids’ imagination fly with a fun, personalized bedtime stories book. The great thing about this photo book idea is that there are so many ways you can go about it.
For example, you can make a book based entirely on a particularly memorable or exciting moment you had when traveling. Think a day at the beach where you saw dolphins or a visit to the zoo where you got to meet all sorts of animals. Aside from using your travel photos, you can also have an artist edit your kids’ photos into collages or illustrations, then pair the images with a story about imaginary adventures.
5. Toddler-ography
Got a curious little toddler? Hand them your phone or their own little camera and let them take their own photos. Not only is it a great way to encourage your kids to get creative and hone an appreciation for their surroundings, but it also gives you a peek into their unique perspective.
Once you’ve gathered enough photos from your budding photographer, take them to a print shop and compile them into a special photography book.
If your kids are into drawing and arts and crafts, you can also fill up the blank pages of a photo album with scans of their best “work”. Years from now, when all the originals have faded or crumpled, you can rest easy knowing you have copies of your tot’s illustrations!
Wedding And Anniversary Photo Books
Celebrate the love that you and your other half share with these five creative photo book ideas:
6. Our Love Story
Surprise your significant other with this unique anniversary album idea. To make this photo book, you’ve got to pick your favorite photos from significant moments in your journey as a couple. That could mean photos from your first date, the first time you met each others’ friends and family, your first out-of-town trip together, your first holiday together, your first apartment, your engagement and wedding, and even just funny photos of each other that you cherish.
Don’t forget to add a few words or cute little notes to each photo!
7. Everything I Love About You
If you’re the type of person who enjoys taking random photos of their SO when they’re being silly, making you laugh, or doing something that makes you proud, then this photo album idea is perfect for you.
Dig through your camera roll and find photos that represent everything you love about your significant other. If you love their sense of humor, find a photo that makes you laugh. If you love the way they take care of your kids, find some of your favorite shots of them together. If you’re proud of the work they do, include a photo of them hard at work!
This can also double as an engagement book or a surprise gift you give your SO on your wedding day!
8. Then And Now Photo Book
Have you been with your significant other for a long time now? Take a trip down memory lane with a “then and now” photo book. You can even work on this photo book together by revisiting the settings of some of your most favorite pictures and then recreating them however many years later.
Make it extra challenging by finding the exact same clothes and even people that were part of the photo. It’ll be fun to see how much has changed and how much has remained the same!
9. Around The World With You
This is a travel photo album documenting your most memorable trips together. That way, you preserve your favorite memories of all the places you’ve been, people you’ve met, and experiences you’ve shared together.
10. Boudoir Photo Book
A boudoir photo book is a collection of sensual and intimate photos of brides-to-be. Oftentimes, boudoir photo books are given by brides as surprise gifts to their spouses on their wedding days.
For brides-to-be, boudoir photo books are a great opportunity to celebrate their sensuality and feel confident as the big day approaches. However, couples can take boudoir photos any time, even years into their marriage. For some couples, taking and gifting each other with boudoir pictures is a great way to celebrate their relationship and rekindle the sparks in their marriage.
Family Photo Books
Keep family memories alive with these 5 family photo book ideas:
11. Our Family History
If you ever come across a collection of old pictures of your parents, grandparents, and anyone else who came before you, it’s a good idea to scan the images and compile the shots into a special photo album.
Photo prints won’t last forever, and without proper care and storage, precious memories can fade or become damaged by water, dirt, and creases. By digitizing, restoring, and collecting old images into a family photo album, you preserve your family’s history and give future generations a chance to connect with their roots.
There are many ways you can go about making family history books. For example, you can make a family tree using portraits of each member so that young ones can trace their genealogy as far back as possible. You could also split families into their own “house”, dedicating several pages to each faction.
12. Family Yearbook
This is a yearly roundup of everything your family has gotten up to in the past year. From birthdays and holidays to important moments like getting a new addition to the family or graduations. Other great family memories to preserve in your yearbook can include new jobs, new homes, special awards at school or work, big wins at sports competitions, recitals, new family pets, and travels together. Essentially, it’s a throwback to the year you shared together.
The best thing about this type of photo book is that you can make it into an annual tradition. Over the years, you can build up a collection of photo albums documenting each year!
13. Mother’s Day/Father’s Day/Grandparent’s Day Gift
What better way to celebrate your loved ones on their special day than with a photo book filled with shots of all the people they hold near and dear? Those featured in the photo book can sign a page and include a few words about what the recipient means to them, how they served as an inspiration, or what fun memories they’ve shared together.
You can add a “guest book” section on the last page of the photo book so that anyone who didn’t make it in the photo album can include their best wishes to the recipient.
14. Our Furry Friends
This photo book idea makes for a versatile gift that you can give to pretty much anyone, from a friend to a workmate to your parents. As long as they have a treasured furry friend they want to remember forever, or even a pet that has passed whom they want to honor, this type of photo book will always make for a heartwarming and thoughtful gift.
15. Mama’s Cookbook
If your mom or grandmother loves creating her own recipes, you can immortalize some of their best dishes in a special recipe book. You can lay out the photo book to look just like a cookbook, with a page dedicated to each recipe.
Not only is this a great gift idea for your mom’s birthday or Mother’s Day, but it is also a great way to preserve your mom’s recipes for future generations!
Closing Thoughts
The photo book is a great way to preserve memories and create something tangible that can be shared with friends and family. We hope you were able to find the perfect idea for your own photo album from our list of 15 creative ideas.
And if you have old family photographs that have seen better days, you can take them to the Image Restoration Center and have them looking good as new again! We can colorize black and white or sepia images, clean up dirt, mold, and watermarks, remove creases and fold marks, and even restore backgrounds. All this in 72 hours or less. Spruce up pieces of family history for your next photo album with the help of IRC.
We’re Not Like ‘Other’ Photo Restoration Services.
Take into account that, unlike other photo restoration services, we don’t just fix the obvious problems and throw a filter over everything – we comb through your images pixel-by-pixel to repair damage & create a perfect restoration of your prints!
