This post was originally published on March 24, 2020.
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Remember the old days when you spent money developing film and then got to choose whether you wanted single prints or doubles?
Yeah, me too. *Sigh*
Gone are the days of separating out those photos and sliding the prints into the sleeves of an album. Or, how about those clingy-type of pages?
Yup, a bygone era!
It’s not all bad, though. When old things fall by the wayside, it provides the opportunity to usher in new and innovative things.
Living in a mostly digital world, the creative and innovative has introduced photo albums that look professionally made while still allowing you to design the look that best suits you. And without all the crafts of scrapbooking! Which totally works for me because I am not one of those scrapbookers who glue and cuts and uses cutesy stickers. Not that there’s anything wrong with that if that’s your thing. It’s just not mine, which is also ok.
I did some research on the subject and found there are many options from which to choose. I mean, of course there are because with innovation and new ideas, comes overwhelming options!
Options range from a little bit more expensive, but heirloom quality end products to more affordable but fun and campy products with more of that scrapbook feel. You know, albeit in a digital format.
The reason I looked into these types of albums in the first place was because I wanted something I could display on my coffee table, something I could pick up and flip through to remember my birthday trip to Paris. I also wanted something tangible and out in the world so that I could share my *ahem*th birthday story with friends and family who come over to spend a bit of time with me in my home.
In the end I chose to create my memory photo album with Artifact Uprising. I wanted an album that was just as beautiful as the city itself.
Artifact Uprising offers products with a classic feel,on archival quality paper, and made from recycled, sustainable materials. I chose to create my Paris album with their Hardcover Photo Book. I really liked the cloth cover and landscape orientation. The blush color perfectly fit the Paris aesthetic I felt while I was there. If a city can feel like a color. And maybe it can, you know, with the opulent architecture, the history, the language, and the food. Especially those macarons. But, I digress.
I found that the online design features worked really well for what I wanted to achieve. I envisioned a simple, classic, minimalist design that really allowed for the pictures to speak for themselves. I didn’t want busy backgrounds that would take the focus off of the story I was crafting with my chosen images.
I found there to be plenty of options to choose from in terms of page designs and the number of photos on each page. In fact, the deeper I went in the project, the more features I discovered were available. I also appreciated the templates that allowed for adding text to the page.
After checking the proofs multiple times and doing a little tweaking here and an adjustment there, I ordered! And then breathlessly waited!
The finished book arrived sooner than I anticipated. The packaging was beautiful and gave a polished presentation.
My Paris photo album is a beautiful product. The only thing I’d wish is that the photos were a little bit brighter. I don’t know if that was from the quality of my digital files or the printing quality. And, honestly, I didn’t go back and let them know because, overall, the story expresses itself in a bespoke and absolutely lovely manner.
The process of creating this photo book inspired me to do the same with other travel photos that are kinda just languishing in my iPhotos. I’m going to try another brand for my next project, perhaps one with some more scrapbooking style templates.
I think it really depends on the trip, the kind of project you’re looking to do, and the overall feel you envision for the story you are telling. Let the story speak to the kind of format and presentation that’ll compliment it best.
