This article about professional photo albums and the included images were contributed by Missy Marshall Photography a professional Louisville Family Photographer.
So you’ve just put in all the work to have your family portraits taken. Your outfits were perfect, you had your hair and makeup done, you worked through toddler (and husband) tantrums. You see your photos and you’re in love! You ask yourself, how did your photographer capture such magic?! The toddler is smiling a REAL smile, and your husband actually looks like he’s enjoying himself! And for once, you feel really beautiful in these photos. You immediately download your favorite digital files, post some to social media, and make one your phone background.
Then what?
Then they get lost among the tens of thousands of photos on your phone and you only see them again occasionally when it’s time to post on social media about a birthday. Life just keeps chugging along, and soon enough you’ve forgotten all those wonderful feelings you felt when you were first seeing your photos.
This is an all too familiar scenario for most of us mommas. And let me tell you this – your family’s memories are worth so much more than the dust they’re collecting on your hard drive! It’s time to turn your family portraits into artwork so you can feel those good feelings over and over again!
There are lots of different ways to display your family portraits, but albums are one of my favorite ways for so many reasons! Here are my top 3 reasons why you should display your family portraits in an album.
When you’re considering how you’d like your family portraits to be displayed, one big pro for photography albums is that they can hold so many photos! You’re really not limited to how many you can put in an album, so that’s a huge plus in my book!
Some of my favorite albums to design have been substantial, with 100 or more photos included. How special to have a huge, beautiful, heirloom quality book full of precious memories!
If the thought of choosing which photos to include in your photography album is daunting, this is a great opportunity to lean on your photographer for help! I guide my clients through choosing the perfect images for their album, and we have them narrowed down in less than a half hour. A good guide that we like to follow is this:
I like to make sure there are some smiles at the camera, detail shots, and candid/personality photos to really tell a family’s story. It’s so fun for me to go through the photos with my client and see which ones really make them light up!
From album size to fabric to cover design, each and every aspect of your photo album is custom designed for you! I encourage my clients to choose their fabric texture and color to complement their home. Since albums are typically displayed on a coffee table or side table, it’s nice to have them match their surroundings.
I have also designed many baby boy albums bound in blue linen and baby girl albums wrapped in pink linen. These choices are sweet and timeless as well. Ultimately, the design is completely up to you!
Growing up, I always loved flipping through the crinkly photo albums my Nana put together. Photos were printed and slipped behind those plastic page protectors. I would flip through page upon page of history, asking questions, and recognizing younger faces. I’m sure my Nana loved watching her grandbabies looking through photos of her as a young mom, raising her babies, and loving on her grandbabies.
Each time I design the pages of a client’s photo album, I try to tell their family’s story as my client would like it to be remembered. I think about the hands that will hold this book in the future – the little fingers that will point at each face and ask about their story. There’s just something special about flipping through pages of portraits of people you love and being able to tell their story to the people you love.
I hope I’ve convinced you to dig up your family portraits from the hard drive they’re collecting dust on. It’s time to put your photos on the pages of an album you can enjoy each day and pass down for generations. If it seems like a daunting task, feel free to contact me here and I’d be happy to set up an appointment to walk you through the process!
Missy Marshall is a luxury photographer in Louisville, KY specializing in maternity, newborn, young families and milestones. She offers a full-service experience for busy moms who desire beautiful portraits of their families without the stress that often comes with planning a family portrait session and designing beautiful artwork. If you are interested in commissioning Missy for your special milestone or family portraits, fill out this form and she’ll reply with more information!