The story of us: The importance of a family album

Because sharing and storing images digitally is so more convenient than printing, we tend to store (and hide) away our photos on our computers and phones versus designing a family album.

As a busy mom, I get that. Printing photos is time-consuming! 

But let’s be honest for a second. The experience of seeing our images on a screen versus feeling them with our hands is just not the same.

My mission as your family photographer: Offer you an heirloom family album

That’s why from the very start of my business I made my mission to incorporate beautiful print products as a natural part of the process of working with me as your photographer. As such, when viewing and ordering your final images, I don’t want your decision to be: should I get print products in addition to digitals? How much will that additional purchase cost me?

Instead, I want you to focus on: what products will help me to enjoy my images the most in my everyday life? An album, matted prints, wall art, loose prints, gifts to grandparents? 

My all-time favorite way to enjoy family photos is an heirloom album! In this blog post, I’ll share with you why I make albums my signature print product. And why you should consider investing in an album for your next session. 

Reasons to really have a family album

It is tangible

Albums allow you to physically hold, flip through the pages and look at your photos in a way that digital images do not. They allow you to experience the memories in a more tangible way than simply looking through your phone. Because they resemble a children’s storybook, young children are particularly fond of albums and enjoy seeing themselves as if they are the character of a picture story.

It can help your child feel a sense of belonging 

Did you know that looking at photos of themselves can help children develop a sense of belonging and self-identity?

When children look at photos of themselves with their family, they can see themselves as a part of that family and understand their place within it. This can give them a sense of belonging and security.

Also, by looking at photos of themselves as babies or young children, children can understand their own past and how they have grown and changed over time. Not to mention that when children look at photos and remember the memories and stories behind them, this can make the memories more vivid and alive. It creates a sense of nostalgia and belonging to those memories.

It can be passed down generations

Did you know that an heirloom album can last for 100+ years? 

Unlike online galleries, iPhones, or laptops, albums are built to last. You will definitely have a different phone, and your laptop will be long gone in 10 or 20 years. But if you take good care of your heirloom album, it will look exactly the same, or age a little like a bottle of good wine. As such, physical albums can be passed down to future generations as a way to share family history and memories throughout your children’s lives. 

It tells your story

Albums allow you to tell your family’s story. Framed images for the desk and the wall are great for those beautiful family portrait images. Albums, on the other hand, are all about storytelling. The images are grouped together with intention and in a cohesive way to create a narrative and provide context for all the backstories those images tell. As such, albums are a great way to travel through time, flipping through the pages and reminiscing about the moments and stories that each photo encapsulates.

It offers a shared experience

Albums are a wonderful way to share your photos with your children as well as with friends and family, and they can easily be displayed on shelves or coffee tables.

It is a great gift for grandparents

Grandparents typically love albums because it is how they used to enjoy their images. So, if you’re trying to come up with a great idea for mother’s day, a birthday, or Christmas, an album is a gift that won’t disappoint. 

What a professional family album looks like

I offer families a custom-designed album that I artfully design, working with premium quality handcrafted lay-flat photo books. You can customize your album by choosing the cover material (velvet, linen, and leather), engraving, and colors. The images are printed on Fuji Archive Silk paper, which offers beautiful colors, that match exactly what I see on my screen when working on your images.

While I only offer high-quality albums, I also work with durable materials for the little, less-careful hands of young children. Because I want your family album to last a lifetime and be passed to new generations. 

As I understand first-hand the busy life of a parent, I created an album-design process that is easy and enjoyable for you. My process relieves any stress or feelings of overwhelm that might come from designing an album. As such, I guide you through a simple two-step process that results in a masterful and beautiful work of art that will leave you completely happy.

Album design service if you have photos from a professional photoshoot hidden away in your computer

If you have professional images (wedding, maternity, newborn, and family) that never got printed, it is not too late! I offer an album design service starting at 250€ and I ship worldwide. Please just send me an email at hello@marianadealbuquerque.com for more information. 

What to do next

If you feel ready to hire me as your family or newborn photographer, or would like to meet me to discuss your vision, please visit the contact page. 

If you’d like to see more of my work, I invite you to browse around my website to learn more about my style and get the feel of my images.