Few things are more precious than the memories we make together. In a world where we all have cameras in our pockets, we’re able to document most of these memories—and now you can create personal photo books to commemorate the special times. When it comes to what you should showcase within your own photo book’s pages, you’re only limited by your imagination. To help get your creative juices flowing, we’ve curated a few of our favorite photo book ideas that are sure to inspire you to make the best photo books.
From family photo albums to personalized baby books, guest books, coffee table books, high school graduation gifts, or personal keepsakes, the options are endless. Whether you’re making just one for yourself or want to have them printed in bulk so you can gift one to everyone in your guest book, we’ve got you covered.
How To Personalize Your Photo Books | Family Photo Books | Wedding Photo Book | Graduation Photo Book | Baby Photo Book | Holiday Photo Book | Vacation Photo Book | Other Photo Book Ideas
How To Personalize Your Photo Books
When you’re ready to create a personalized photo book, it’s important to consider who will see it. Are you making a personal photo album for yourself with private and intimate memories, are you going to create a book that will be seen by people who visit your home, or are you making photo gifts for someone else? The content should reflect who will see what’s printed on its pages.
Additionally, when you make a photo book, it shouldn’t be just a collection of photos randomly printed inside. Instead, it should be designed with a specific intention. Whether you’re showcasing your interests, commemorating an event, making a guest book, or memorializing a loved one, the best photo books always tell a story. That’s easily done with thoughtfully designed pages that combine images, text, backgrounds, and color, then finished with a beautifully designed cover. If you’re not sure how to do that, don’t worry—we’ll guide you.
No matter what you choose to showcase when you create personal photo books, you’ll always leave a lasting impression if you keep a theme and use photos that express your unique personality. Plus, you can coordinate that theme in a wall calendar or framed print to match your decor.
Family Photo Book
Family photo books are some of the most popular personalized books around, and for good reason. You constantly create new memories with your family and an album is a keepsake that will help you remember and reminisce for years to come. They are treasured mementos for you and also make thoughtful photo gifts.
Showcase your growing family, create a book of your ancestry, compile an album full of family trips, or create personal photo books for everything that happened in the year. When you make a photo book, the possibilities are endless. Choose your favorite photos first and then pick a theme that fits your taste. Shutterfly’s pre-designed pages make creating your photo book a breeze.
Wedding Photo Book
After you’ve said your “I dos,” your wedding photos will be your greatest keepsake from the big day. What better way to preserve those memories than with a personalized wedding photo book? When it comes to wedding photo books, the sky’s the limit. If you hired a professional photographer, absolutely include those photos in your book. At the same time, there’s a good chance your wedding guests captured some fantastic candid shots of the wedding and reception, so ask everyone to share their photos with you, too!
Since you’re honoring one of the most important days in your life, this is an appropriate time to consider premium book upgrades, like seamless premium layflat pages, a leather book cover, matte or semi-gloss pages, stickers, and metallic embellishments. You and your spouse will love flipping through the pages of your guest book and wedding album, reminiscing about your big day.
Graduation Photo Book
It’s the end of an era and your graduation should be celebrated! One way to celebrate the occasion is by creating a personalized book that chronicles your days in school with class portraits, pictures with friends, photos of the school, and, of course, photos from your graduation ceremony. Details, like a close-up of your graduation cap or a photo of your diploma, will add a unique touch. You could even create a yearbook and have all of your friends sign it! You might want to order extra copies and give them to friends as high school graduation gifts.
Baby Photo Book
Oh, baby! There’s no end to the adorable ways you can create a baby photo book starring your little bundle of joy. Whether you want to highlight one year at a time or focus on a major event, like their baby shower or first birthday, there are endless themes and personalized baby book ideas to choose from. Just make sure your book sticks to a theme and tells a story.
A book of firsts could showcase all of baby’s first things—first steps, first word, first solid food, and first Christmas. Or, capture the events of your baby’s birth and compile them into a storybook about the day they were born. As your child grows, they’ll love looking at their personalized book and seeing how they came into the world.
Holiday Photo Book
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! One of the greatest things about the holiday season is reminiscing about past holidays—whether it’s decorating a tree, spending quality time with family, or sending out holiday cards. Why not create a new tradition and make your own yearly personalized holiday photo book that celebrates the season and reflects on the year that just passed? Be sure to include some of your favorite Christmas cards from the season, too. Some of the best photo books and photo gifts are those that bring back the warmest memories.
Vacation Photo Book
If you’ve got an adventurous spirit, you’ll want memories from your travels to last forever. A high-quality travel photo book is one way to keep all of your best travel photos within reach, so you can relive those fun times and share the memories with friends and family. Include your favorite landscapes or city skylines along with images of yourself in each location. Choose a pre-designed travel theme and designing your book will be easier than planning another vacation!
You might consider adding a memorabilia pocket to a vacation photo book. In it, you can store maps, ticket stubs, postcards, and other mementos from your travels.
Other Photo Book Ideas
As you can see, you can create a personalized photo book for just about anything. Whether it’s going to be for your eyes only or you plan to share it with the world, the key is to make it as unique as you are. The best photo books are those that tell a story and have a cohesive theme from one page to the next. Here are a few more ideas to spark your creativity:
- Photography Portfolio
- Pregnancy Journal
- Your Adorable Pets
- A Collection of Artwork
- Instagram Photos
- Book of Recipes
- All About Your Hobby
Final Thoughts on Personal Photo Books
Now that you’ve been inspired, it’s time to turn your favorite memories into a keepsake you and your loved ones will cherish for years to come. A wedding photo book, a guest book, or a personalized baby book, in big coffee table books to small book sizes, high-quality photo books are a great way to make memories last. Create personal photo books to commemorate any occasion. Then, you can think about turning some of your favorite photos into beautiful wall art, too.
