In the digital age, taking photos has never been easier. High-tech cameras and mobile devices have enabled everyone to exercise their photography skills and talents, and to effortlessly access photo books online.
The rising popularity of the retro instant Polaroid has helped to keep alive the traditional photo albums that are filled with timeless memories from cover to cover. While it may not be bang on-trend, the classic photo album will always be the leader in storing, displaying and preserving our fondest memories of a bygone age.
The trend back towards physical prints
As technology continually develops and changes, so do our wants and needs in just about everything. Even though we desire speed and convenience, we also crave physicality that is reassuring. There’s nothing quite like the nostalgic experience of physically holding old memories, as you’re transported back in time through the medium of photography.
Due to the ease of digital age photography, we now take a massive amount of photos that we don’t know what to do with. Curating and storing the images effectively is now much more time consuming than back in the day when you filled up an old shoe box with piles of snaps and stashed it under the bed for safe keeping. The favourite prints that did make it onto the pages of the family album were highly regarded as treasured heirlooms worthy of passing down through generations.
Although the practice that reconnects us to the past, via the feeling of physical prints, may seem like a strange concept to today’s generation, it nonetheless remains essential for keeping our most precious memories alive. Yes, the digital world has simplified the process of taking snaps. But it’s also complicated the rite of passage that once involved snapping, organising, curating and assembling family photo albums jammed packed with memories of friends, relatives and holidays.
The new but widely adopted technology may be exciting, but if you lose your mobile device or access to the photo sharing site you use, your precious collections of favourite images will cease to exist. Digital preservation still has a long way to go before it’s as safe as a classic photo album that’s filled with physical prints.
The rise of photo books online
If you’re someone who still desires to hold a physical object that can be leisurely browsed and shared with others, you’re not in the minority. To meet you half way, the digital age has created photo books that enable you to review your family history digitally.
To help combat the digital mess that is an unruly collection of images, stored on a variety of virtual platforms, photo books online allow you to create your own photo album with preordained templates, and printed from digital files.
If this memory preserving option still doesn’t satisfy your craving for physicality, you can always reserve your favourite timeless memory photographs of special life events for presentation in a traditional photo album you can pick up and flip through at leisure.
The virtues of a printed photo
If you’re in two minds about how to store, display and preserve your timeless memories so that future generations of your family can enjoy the sentimental, nostalgic and emotional experience of being transported back in time, take a moment to consider the virtues of a printed photo…
A printed photo is a wonderful memento and a precious time capsule that’s designed to be shared with loved ones. Physical prints also make your memories tangible.
Whether you want to savour the special moments of everyday life, relive the once-in-a-lifetime holiday, or the magical day that you tied the knot with your beloved, a printed photo has the power to deliver on all counts. The good news is it’s never too late to become the archivist of your family’s history.
How to archive digital photos
Start by identifying where your digital photos are located. Check your mobile device, computer files, memory cards, CDs, Facebook, Instagram and other social media photo sharing platforms. Save your favourite images to your archive folder for organising and editing.
Create two backup files – one to keep and one to give to a loved one. Store your archive on an external hard drive and a flash drive. If you prefer, you can use a paid online backup site service.
To minimise the risk of file loss due to fire, theft or any other incident, it’s wise to store a duplicate set of storage devices at a different location.
Cloud storage is a great option, as it requires no physical storage devices, and your storage space can grow with your needs.
So that your vast collection of images is easily manageable, it’s crucial to frequently update your copies with new photos. Ideally, you should make a fresh copy of your collection to new storage media every five years or so.
Unless you print your favourite snaps, you’ll never have the opportunity to physically hold them, and to experience a profound connection to the past.
Creating new memories
Modern day photo books that are luxurious, premium and high quality have elevated the viewing pleasure of your favourite photographs. It’s never been so easy to view photo books online, and to choose the perfect contemporary style album to showcase and preserve the timeless memories of your life, and to create a beautiful family heirloom for the enjoyment of future generations.
Do people use photo albums anymore