Like many, my iPhone has become a digital black hole, seemingly swallowing countless photographs. Thousands of precious moments, especially those featuring my undeniably adorable children, are captured with the intention of being cherished forever. Yet, the reality is starkly different. These digital images often languish unseen, lost in the vast digital ether, rarely revisited and slowly forgotten.
Thankfully, I’ve found a way to truly preserve and relive these memories. For the past six years, I’ve dedicated myself to creating an annual Family Photo Album – a tangible, physical book brimming with 100 to 200 carefully selected photos from the preceding year. These albums reside on a shelf just a few feet from my workspace. Regularly, I find myself reaching for one, flipping through its pages, and instantly being transported back to those cherished moments. The accessibility of these memories, held within the pages of a book I can physically touch and feel, is immeasurably greater than trying to access them on some nebulous “iCloud” or buried deep within my phone’s photo library.
These family photo albums are more than just books; they are powerful memory keepers. They rescue beloved moments from being lost in an overwhelming sea of digital photos, making them readily available to be enjoyed and relived. There’s an undeniable magic in the tactile experience of a book, its real-world permanence adding a deeper layer to the memories held within. Each turn of the page is a step back in time, a chance to re-experience those precious moments.
Of course, the concept of a family photo album is far from new. Generations of families have filled albums with printed photographs, carefully protected in plastic sleeves, creating lasting legacies of their lives. I recall gifting my father a photo album filled with pictures from our 2004 trip to Japan – a gesture that now feels almost archaic in our digital age. Yet, the beauty and value of a physical family photo album remain as relevant and impactful as ever.
Creating family photo albums today is remarkably easy and affordable thanks to online services. While it requires a bit of time and effort, the process is accessible to anyone.
Experts at Wirecutter have rigorously tested various photo book services over the years. For a long time, I relied on Shutterfly, a previous top pick by Wirecutter, finding it user-friendly and efficient. However, recommendations evolve, and now Mixbook is their current top choice. Wirecutter praises Mixbook for “the best photo-book-building experience, modern design options, and vibrant, color-accurate photo quality,” also highlighting their excellent customer service and powerful mobile app. For a budget-friendly option, they recommend Walmart. I’m eager to explore both Mixbook and Walmart for future albums.
My “Elle and Miles 2021” family photo album, created using Shutterfly, felt like exceptional value. For under $75, I received a hardcover 11-by-14-inch book, including shipping. The sentimental value it holds, compared to the cost, is incredibly high – arguably the best ratio of anything I own. As a bonus, these albums make wonderful and relatively inexpensive gifts for grandparents!
So, what’s my process for creating these family photo albums? When assembling my 2021 book, I didn’t painstakingly sift through all 10,703 photos from the year in search of the absolute best 100. Instead, I utilized my desktop PC, where all my iPhone photos are automatically backed up via iCloud. Viewing them on a large screen, I quickly scanned through the images. My aim wasn’t perfection or exhaustive coverage, but rather to select a representative collection that captured the essence of the year.
I aim for a 24-page book, allocating a two-page spread to each month of the year. While books can be shorter or longer (with additional pages incurring extra costs), I find that two pages per month strikes a perfect balance. There’s a certain power in limitation. Some months might be represented by a single impactful photo, while others might feature a collage of 20 smaller images.
As I review the photos on my computer, I upload them to Shutterfly in monthly batches. For example, I’ll quickly select around 30 good photos from January, a process taking about five minutes. I then drag and drop these onto Shutterfly’s website and click “Upload,” knowing that not all will make the final cut. Next, I choose a pre-designed layout template from Shutterfly. For January, I might opt for a 4×3 grid layout on one page and a single large image spot on the facing page. From my initial selection of 30 photos, I drag and drop around 13 into the designated slots. The process is incredibly straightforward.
Here’s an example of a two-page spread in the book:
I repeat this process for the remaining 11 months. The entire project usually takes two or three sessions, each lasting about an hour. The result is a family photo album that I know I will revisit and cherish for years to come, a tangible collection of memories readily accessible and deeply meaningful.
This is an example of Shutterfly’s “standard binding” on an 11-by-14-inch hardcover family photo album in the Simply Modern style. The bindings of all my albums have proven to be remarkably durable, even with my children’s less-than-gentle handling.
One additional recommendation to personalize your family photo album further: On the opening pages of each annual album, I add a short, bullet-point list for each of my children (this isn’t part of Shutterfly’s standard template; I simply insert a lightly formatted text box). The rubric is simple:
“In 2021, Elle…
… learned to ___.
… loved ___.
… didn’t much care for ___.”
I include about 10 to 20 items per child. It takes just a few minutes for my wife and I to compile these lists. While in 2019, we were sure we’d always remember our son’s love for broccoli and painted toenails, and our daughter’s milestones of writing her name and commanding Alexa, I can assure you that just three years later, these details and their timing would have faded from memory without being recorded in print. My hope is that when I revisit these family photo albums in the future – whether in three or thirty years – they will serve as joyful reminders of these precious days and bring a smile to my face. Creating a family photo album is not just about preserving photos; it’s about preserving the stories and details that make up our family history.
