Old photos are fragile in more ways than one. The paper fades, the colours shift and the people who knew who was in them grow fewer every year. Getting them scanned and labelled is a job worth doing now.
Good to know: every Paperleaf book has room for thirty photos, so there is no prize for keeping more.
I thought I needed a better camera. I needed a better window.
Tom Okafor, Paperleaf
Make it a habit
Do not aim for perfection. A good-enough scan with the right caption beats a perfect scan of a stranger.
Start with the photos that only one person can still name. Everything else can wait.
- Delete the obvious misses: blurs, pockets and thumbs.
- Star one photo per day, even on dull days.
- Pick the cover last, once the month has a shape.
A few small rules
Try to include everyone. It is easy to end up with a book full of the children and none of the person holding the camera.
Keep the phone charged and the lens clean on days you expect to matter. It sounds small, but a flat battery or a smudged lens has cost more good pictures than any missing piece of equipment.
| Print size | Smallest file | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Square page | 1800 × 1800 px | Single photos |
| Full spread | 3600 × 1800 px | Landscapes and groups |
| Quarter page | 900 × 900 px | Small moments |
When to stop
Do not wait for a special occasion. The ordinary weeks are the ones people forget, and the ones they most want to see again.
My grandmother cried when she got the book. That is all I wanted to say.
Thanks for asking this, I was wondering the same.
Older kids are tricky. Asking them to take some of the photos works better than chasing them.
Thank you, that really made our day.
Great question. Start with one photo per child per day and swap them on the second pass.
My grandmother cried when she got the book. That is all I wanted to say.
Does this work for older kids too? Mine are 11 and 14 and hide from the camera.
I never thought about the light from the window. Moved the high chair and the difference is huge.
I never thought about the light from the window. Moved the high chair and the difference is huge.
The bit about writing names on the back hit home. We have a box of strangers in our loft.