If you’re anything like me, your camera roll is a sea of screenshots, memes, bursts I can’t bring myself to delete, and hundreds of different edit versions. In an age where photography is so accessible and straightforward, it’s easy to grow an expansive collection of digital photos that, more often than not, get lost in the noise.
This is where photo albums come in! There’s something so special about holding a beautifully curated album in your hands, flipping through pages filled with cherished memories and sharing these moments with loved ones. Creating a photo album is about so much more than preserving your favorite pictures; it’s about crafting a tangible legacy of life’s most precious moments.
This blog explores all the reasons why we believe everyone should make photo albums. Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or someone who simply loves capturing everyday moments, read on to discover why today’s the perfect day to start your next photo album project.
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How to Make a Photo Album
Before we dive into the amazing benefits of making photo albums, let’s cover the basics of how to make them.
Photo albums are incredibly simple to make, and you don’t need any expensive crafting supplies, either! A photo album can be as simple as a notebook filled with home-printed pictures, or a traditional album filled with professionally printed glossy images. The possibilities are truly endless!
Here are some ideas to get you started.
Traditional Photo Albums
Traditional photo albums are some of the simplest ways to capture memories. My favorite way to approach this method is to print out photos in person at a CVS kiosk (or online), write the date and a note on each photo, and stick them in the album. It’s as simple as that!
Some photo albums come with slots you can insert your photos inside, so they can be removed and swapped out if necessary.
If you’re using a photo album that just has blank pages, you may have to glue the photos in and add the notes in the margins instead of on the back of the actual photo.
If you’re going about it this way, I highly recommend the Tombow 62106 MONO Permanent Adhesive Applicator! I journal religiously and I literally could not live without this glue tape.
As far as photo albums go, this Wildwood Embroidered Fabric Guest Book by Rifle Paper Co. is my absolute favorite. It’s a bit of a splurge, but it’s so high-quality and beautiful and makes the perfect place to store your cherished memories.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, I highly recommend this Potricher Linen Hardcover Photo Album, which has a beautiful linen cover and 600 different pockets for 4×6 photos.
Photo Album Books
Another simple way to make a photo album is by having all your photos printed in a book! Photo books are so special and customizable, and I love organizing them by themes such as vacations or specific events.
For example, as a kid, my mom had one printed specifically for our vacation to Florida. It was so fun to flip through!
Adding Photos to Your Journals
I mentioned earlier that I journal religiously, and I meant it. I’ve been journaling daily since I was a kid, and I love incorporating photos into my journals to supplement my memories. I’ll usually dedicate specific pages to different days, events, photoshoots, etc., and title them “Gallery Page.”
You can get super creative with this! I love adding stickers and little notes about each photo. My absolute favorite journal is the Leuchtturm1917, which— again— I’ve been using consistently since I was pretty young. I’ve tried other journals and love Moleskines as well, but nothing compares to the Leuchtturm1917.
My go-to journal is the Leuchtturm1917 Medium Hardcover Notebook with squared grid pages. I love the square grid because it makes it super easy to align my photos neatly.
8 Reasons to Make a Photo Album
Now that we’ve covered how to go about making your photo album, let’s talk about why this project is worthwhile.
Here are some reasons why you should make a photo album!
1. Preserve Precious Memories
Photo albums help safeguard life’s most important moments. There is so much emotional value to flipping through a physical album, and this is one of the greatest ways (in our opinion) to connect with your past self, make meaningful reflections, and remember things you may have otherwise forgotten.
And, while some may think photo albums make your photos more vulnerable to loss or damage, this isn’t always the case!
I’m a huge believer in having digital backups of your photos, but even digital photos aren’t 100% reliable. Data loss, hardware failures, accidental deletion, and other mishaps can cause you to lose your photos for good.
When you print them and put them in a photo album, you have more control over how well they’re preserved.
2. Relive Special Moments
Photo albums allow you to revisit significant life events in ways that digital photos just can’t provide.
As I mentioned before, most of our camera rolls are flooded with so much content and can get pretty crowded. Be honest— often do you actually sit down and go through your camera roll or Google Photos archive?
Photo albums offer tangible opportunities to relive life’s most precious moments. Since they’re physical objects, you might see it around your house and feel inspired to look through it every now and then, maybe more often than you’d look through the photos on your phone.
3. Share Stories with Loved Ones
There’s nothing like flipping through photo albums with the people you care about. Photo albums facilitate storytelling and connection across generations. They allow you to share your favorite memories with friends, families, and anyone else in a way that usually tends to be a lot more meaningful than simply sharing a photo or two over text.
4. Showcase Your Photography Skills
If you’re a hobbyist or professional photographer, photo albums are the perfect opportunity to showcase your skills! They allow you to display your best photographs in a tangible format, with creative layouts and designs that highlight your artistic vision. Whether you’re creating a portfolio or just want something on the coffee table worth bragging about, photo albums are a great choice!
5. Create Personalized Gifts
Photo albums make excellent gifts! Compared to something store-bought, photo albums are unique and personalized. You can tailor them specifically to the person you’re gifting it to and show them how much you care. Perfect for family members, best friends, partners, and everyone in between.
6. Encourage Mindful Reflection
The act of creating a photo album can be a highly reflective and therapeutic activity. The process of selecting photos, reminiscing on past experiences, and doing something creative with your hands can be incredibly relaxing. This is a great activity for practicing mindfulness and gratitude!
7. Enhance Home Decor
I love a good coffee table book— and photo albums are perfect for this. Photo albums can easily be turned into beautiful home decor items you can display around the house. Try matching the photo album with your favorite interior design styles to instantly level up the look of your space.
8. Preserve Family Heritage
A photo album is a great opportunity for preserving family heritage. This is a place where you can store cherished memories to document family history, capture precious moments, and share it all with future generations.
Enhance Your Photo Albums with Lightroom Mobile Presets
Creating a photo album helps you preserve precious memories, relive special moments, share stories with loved ones, showcase your photography skills, and so much more. It’s a meaningful and enjoyable way to document life’s significant events so you can cherish them for years to come.
If you’re ready to start your next photo album project, Lightroom Mobile presets will be your best friend! You don’t need to be a pro to have professional-looking photos; apply these quick edits to your images to instantly achieve a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing photo album you’ll love flipping through.
We know the struggle of getting lost in complex editing tools, only to end up with results you don’t love. At Cedar Lane Presets, we’re passionate about making photo editing fun and accessible for everyone. Our beginner-friendly process makes it easy to achieve pro-level results you’ll obsess over. Shop our collection of presets today to unlock the benefits of presets yourself!
