So Many Photos! Where do I start?

Not every photo needs to be in a scrapbook.  Choosing a special holiday like Christmas 2003 or a special occasion like the birth of a child, child’s first birthday, vacation or wedding photos is a good place to start.

These kinds of events and photos are great for coffee table sized 8x8 albums.

Then there are more general events like Baby’s First year or a summary of events for a particular year like all of 2005.  This is where you have to sift through your photos and select those that tell a story and that represent that year.  You don’t need all the photos of your baby’s first smile or first foods scrapbooked.  Pick out 1-3 that tell the story and leave the rest. If your photos are all in boxes, consider having all of them scanned and put on a CD so you can de-clutter.

It’s also not necessary, not to mention, too expensive to scrapbook all of your photos for a particular year.  Break it down to 2-8 photos per month or 8-16 photos per season that show some of the highlights for that month or season.  This way you get a year book that’s only about 20-24 pages and it won’t break the bank to do it.

Maybe you have a box of pictures from your grandparents?  Easy enough to sift through these photos and collect about 30-40 photos for an 8x8 heritage album.  *And why not get copies made for your siblings to have their own heritage book as well.

There are lots and lots of themes you can put your photos into to create one-of-a-kind albums.  Some ideas:  a book about friends, baby brag book, child’s birthdays 1-18, school pictures, 40 or 50th birthday, Christmas through the years. It’s easy to start with one photo and make a theme out of it. So your kid is only 5! You can still get it started and add in the pictures each year without any effort at all.

The point of taking photos is to be able to share and remember the wonderful things in our pasts. So, don’t let the boxes of photos intimidate you or overwhelm you. Be thrilled that you are finally going to get some of your photos in a place you can share and enjoy them. 

Just do it by choosing an event or occasion that means the most to you and go for it.

There is another album that will be priceless to your children someday and that is a scrapbook all about you. Go through your hope chest of memories and choose photos that represent different parts of your life starting when you were a baby, toddler, school years, high school, college, husband, your goals, dreams and faith. All of the milestones of your life would be a wonderful album that tells all about you.

So start today by making a decision, start sorting and get your photos to me and I will create something you and your family will always treasure and appreciate.

Contact me when you’re ready to sit down with me over a cup of tea and let’s get things started.