Photos only last if somebody looks after them. A phone can be lost, a cloud account forgotten and a hard drive dropped. Keeping pictures safe is mostly about simple, boring habits that run without you thinking about them.
Reader tip: one family keeps a paper list on the fridge of moments they want in the next book.
My mum reads the captions more than she looks at the pictures.
Leila, who writes every caption by hand
Keep it simple
The best system is the one you will still be using next year. Keep it simple enough that it survives a busy month.
Sharing is part of keeping. A photo that three people have is safer than one that only lives on your phone.
- 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.
One more thing
Delete duplicates as you go rather than saving them for later. Later rarely comes, and a cleaner camera roll makes picking much easier.
Share the book when it arrives. Leaving it on the kitchen table for a day is often enough for everyone to have a look.
| 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 |
What we got wrong
Hand the phone to someone else at least once a month. It is the only way the photographer gets into the book.
My grandmother cried when she got the book. That is all I wanted to say.
We tried the one-photo-per-day rule last month and it made picking so much easier. Thank you!
Thanks for asking this, I was wondering the same.
So glad it helped. Let us know how the first book turns out.
I never thought about the light from the window. Moved the high chair and the difference is huge.