Grade One’s almost over, cherish every moment with a photo book

Grade One’s almost over. What a huge accomplishment it is for your child. No doubt, your smartphone is probably bursting with megabytes of pictures you’ve snapped throughout the year. And if you are like most dads, you tweet and post to your Facebook for friends and family to enjoy. You probably swipe through a few to show your coworkers of a recent trip or moment. But truth be told, few share your enthusiasm of your baby pictures and after looking at one or two, most have had enough. So you really should arrange these photos in a more structured way to chronicle your child’s major milestones for you and ultimately for her. In a photo book, you can capture moments to weave a story. Then your pictures aren’t just portraits of a moment in time, but a narrative that speaks of a journey.

Truth be told, few share your enthusiasm of your baby pictures and after looking at one or two, most have had enough. So you really should arrange these photos in a more structured way. Then your pictures aren’t just portraits of a moment in time, but a narrative that speaks of a journey.

Here’s what to do. You download all the pictures you have and group them by month or by event. Pick the top 3 to 5 pictures of every month or event. You’ll need to distill this down to a manageable 30 to 60 photos. In a single evening, you can crop them and adjust the colors of all these photos. Get on the internet and type “photo book online” and research the service that appeals to you. The site will have free software to download to your computer where you can create your own layout complete with captions. You can easily fill a 40 page book (that’s only 20 physical pages, front and back) with your pile of photos. Once you are done, upload it and order two or three copies: one for you, one for the parents and of course, stash a copy for your child so they have their own copy in years to come.  Your first order will likely be discounted and over time, the service will send you coupons and other sales promotion for subsequent orders.

The service I use has a turnaround time of seven days from upload to delivery to my house. This includes printing, binding, quality control and of course shipping. Not only will you have your own coffee table books people will actually flip through, you actually have books you can read with your daughter repeatedly. They are still young and they will forget things from their earlier childhood. But these books will serve as reminders and it jogs their memories. Over time, you’ll have a collection of lifetime books documenting the years that were.

Cherish every moment and make it accessible for you and for her.