Every family has a photo that does more work than it should. It sits on a fridge or a desk and quietly holds a whole year of memories. This story is about one of those pictures and the people around it.
Here are the photos that made it into the book. Tap any of them to see it larger.
3 photos
Select a photo to see it larger. Use the arrow keys to move between photos.
A few small rules
The people in this story asked us not to tidy it up. They wanted it told the way it is told around their table, with the gaps left in.
What struck us most was how ordinary the moment was. Nobody planned it, and nobody would have guessed it would matter.
- Back up before deleting anything
- Write a few words beside the best ones
- Star photos as you take them
Why it works
If you share a camera roll with someone, agree on who picks which month. Taking turns means each book has a slightly different point of view, and nobody ends up doing all of the work every time.
Do not be afraid of imperfect photos. A little blur or a stray elbow often tells you more about the day than a tidy, posed shot.
The book comes, and for one evening nobody looks at their phone.
Marcus, father of three
One more thing
Hand the phone to someone else at least once a month. It is the only way the photographer gets into the book.
Faces matter, but so do places. Include at least one picture of the room, the street or the view where the month happened.
Before you start: make sure your phone is backed up. Deleting is easier when nothing can be lost.
Make it a habit
Keep a note of what happened that month as you go. A few words beside a photo are worth far more than you expect a year later.
If you miss a month, do not try to catch up all at once. Start again with this month and fill the gap later if you feel like it.
- Back up before deleting anything
- Leave the cover for last
- Pick a fixed day each month
Try it this month
Set aside a fixed time for it. The last Sunday of the month works for a lot of readers because the week is quiet and the month is complete.
Think about how the photos sit next to each other. Two busy pictures side by side can fight; a busy one beside a quiet one usually works.
I thought I needed a better camera. I needed a better window.
Tom Okafor, Paperleaf
What to look for
When a month has a big event in it, such as a wedding or a first day at school, let it take over. There is no rule that says every week needs equal space. The book should feel like the month felt.
Do not wait for a special occasion. The ordinary weeks are the ones people forget, and the ones they most want to see again.
Reader tip: one family keeps a paper list on the fridge of moments they want in the next book.
Start with what you already have
Share the book when it arrives. Leaving it on the kitchen table for a day is often enough for everyone to have a look.
Leave a little space. Not every page needs to be full, and an empty corner gives the eye somewhere to rest.
- Keep one photo per day at most
- Leave the cover for last
- Back up before deleting anything
What we got wrong
Try not to edit every photo. A little brightening is fine, but heavy filters date quickly and make a year of books look uneven when they sit together on a shelf. Let the light of the day show.
A good caption answers the question someone will ask in twenty years. Who is that? Where were we? Why is everyone wet? Write the answer while you still know it, even if it feels too obvious to bother with today.
I thought I needed a better camera. I needed a better window.
Tom Okafor, Paperleaf
When to stop
Watch the light at different times of day in your own home. Most houses have one window that is lovely for an hour every afternoon.
Such a simple idea and I had never tried it. Doing it tonight.
That is lovely to hear. Say hello to your grandmother from all of us.
So glad it helped. Let us know how the first book turns out.
Lovely post. The bit about keeping the blurry photos made me go back and rescue a few.
My grandmother cried when she got the book. That is all I wanted to say.
Any tips for doing this with twins? I end up with two of everything.
Thank you for not telling me to buy a new camera.
Does this work for older kids too? Mine are 11 and 14 and hide from the camera.
We tried the one-photo-per-day rule last month and it made picking so much easier. Thank you!
This is exactly the nudge I needed. My camera roll has four thousand photos from this year alone.
This is exactly the nudge I needed. My camera roll has four thousand photos from this year alone.
Does this work for older kids too? Mine are 11 and 14 and hide from the camera.