Every Paperleaf book passes through a lot of hands before it reaches yours. We are often asked what happens in between, so this is a look at one small part of the process.
Before you start: make sure your phone is backed up. Deleting is easier when nothing can be lost.
We don’t take more photos than we used to. We just look at them now.
Ana, a reader since the first year
One more thing
We have changed this step more than once. Each change came from a reader telling us something was not quite right.
It would be quicker to skip this. We think the result is worth the extra time.
- Star photos as you take them
- Include at least one place, not just faces
- Back up before deleting anything
Why it works
Delete duplicates as you go rather than saving them for later. Later rarely comes, and a cleaner camera roll makes picking much easier.
Make a cup of tea, sit somewhere comfortable and put the phone on do-not-disturb. The job goes faster when it does not compete with messages.
We don’t take more photos than we used to. We just look at them now.
Ana, a reader since the first year
What we got wrong
Write the year on the spine. It sounds obvious, but without it a shelf of books quickly becomes a puzzle.
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.
Reader tip: one family keeps a paper list on the fridge of moments they want in the next book.
Try it this month
Be generous on the first pass. You are not deciding what goes in the book yet, only what is definitely out.
Faces matter, but so do places. Include at least one picture of the room, the street or the view where the month happened.
- Keep one photo per day at most
- Hand the camera to someone else
- Leave the cover for last
What to look for
Keep the rejected photos somewhere safe for a while. Tastes change, and a picture you passed over may be the one you want next year.
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.
We don’t take more photos than we used to. We just look at them now.
Ana, a reader since the first year
Make it a habit
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.
It helps to know what the book is for before you start. A book for grandparents wants faces and clear captions. A book for yourself can hold the odd corner of the garden, the shadow on the wall and the plate of food that only makes sense to you.
Before you start: make sure your phone is backed up. Deleting is easier when nothing can be lost.
Start with what you already have
Hand the phone to someone else at least once a month. It is the only way the photographer gets into the book.
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.
- Leave the cover for last
- Write a few words beside the best ones
- Star photos as you take them
Keep it simple
Some readers keep a short list of rules on a sticky note beside the computer. Ours says: faces first, then places, then anything that made us laugh. It is not scientific, but it stops the session turning into an evening of second-guessing.
Take one photo before the moment and one after. The before and after often say more than the moment itself.
I thought I needed a better camera. I needed a better window.
Tom Okafor, Paperleaf
A few small rules
Quiet months are worth printing too. A month with no trips and no birthdays often turns into the book people return to, because it shows what ordinary life looked like before it changed.
Leave a little space. Not every page needs to be full, and an empty corner gives the eye somewhere to rest.
Good to know: every Paperleaf book has room for thirty photos, so there is no prize for keeping more.
When to stop
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.
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
- Star photos as you take them
- Include at least one place, not just faces
One more thing
Print sizes matter less than you think. A small photo surrounded by white space can feel more special than one stretched to fill the page.
If you have too many photos of one day, that day probably mattered. Give it a spread of its own rather than cutting it down to one.
Picking is a skill. Like any skill, it gets faster.
Priya Nair, Paperleaf print room
Why it works
Share the book when it arrives. Leaving it on the kitchen table for a day is often enough for everyone to have a look.
Most people find the first month the hardest. You are learning what you like, and every photo feels important. By the third month you will notice yourself moving faster, trusting your first reaction and spending your time on the handful of close calls instead of on every single picture.
Good to know: every Paperleaf book has room for thirty photos, so there is no prize for keeping more.
What we got wrong
Do not forget the in-between moments: the car park before the party, the coats piled on a chair, the walk home in the dark. They are the parts of a day that nobody photographs on purpose and everybody recognises straight away.
If a month feels thin, look again at the photos you took without thinking. The best ones are often hiding there.
- Write a few words beside the best ones
- Pick a fixed day each month
- Leave the cover for last
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.
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.
We don’t take more photos than we used to. We just look at them now.
Ana, a reader since the first year
Lovely post. The bit about keeping the blurry photos made me go back and rescue a few.
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.
Try giving them the phone for a day. Worked with my teenager.
I never thought about the light from the window. Moved the high chair and the difference is huge.
Thank you, that really made our day.
We tried the one-photo-per-day rule last month and it made picking so much easier. Thank you!
My grandmother cried when she got the book. That is all I wanted to say.
I never thought about the light from the window. Moved the high chair and the difference is huge.
Lovely post. The bit about keeping the blurry photos made me go back and rescue a few.
We tried the one-photo-per-day rule last month and it made picking so much easier. Thank you!