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Beginner’s Guide to Photo Albums
The quick guide to Photo Albums, for Dummies
We have the secret sauce to photo organizing and memory keeping. We want to help you learn how to create the easiest photo albums with our Beginner’s Guide to Photo Albums. Whether you are picking up where you left off, or starting fresh, jumping in to memory keeping is very daunting. Where do you begin documenting in your thousands of photos? What size is best to print? What size album do I choose? How do I organize my photos before printing? We know, there are so many questions!
However, that’s why we are here! We will answer all these questions, and more. Keep reading to get your photo organization journey started.
Criteria for a Great Photo Album
- Showcases your most important photos.
- Photos in approximate time sequence.
- Handwritten notes or captions.
That is it! Seriously! Our best advice is to not overcomplicate it. It is so easy to be swallowed up in the options and possibilities of photo albums.
Our favorite beginner Supplies
create a killer photo album & learn our best kept secrets:
The Album
6×8″ albums are a beginners best album. Why? Because they are a common size and fit the easiest pocket pages, which we will share with you below. Here are some of our favorite albums you can shop and start your photo documenting with!
The Pocket Pages
Deciding on pocket pages is usually where people begin to get discouraged… but don’t let it happen to you! We picked out the easiest pocket pages to begin you 6×8 photo album. Create yours all with the same size photos, or mix and match if you are feeling ready for it! Whatever you choose, these are the best options for you!
The Journal Cards
Like listed above, including handwritten notes or captions to your photos make an album great! It has been scientifically proven that leaving handwritten notes with images help you remember better. Give your brain its best chance by combining the two; also, it’s a great way to give more information and stories to pass down to your kids/grandkids! We compiled our favorite cards for journaling and documenting that you can slide right into your pocket pages alongside your prints. Plus, these add more color, fun, and style to your albums. Check them out!
The Photos
Because we chose the 6×8 album, the only sizes you need to choose between is 4×6 or 3×4. Or, you can do both! If that overwhelms you, go with 4×6 prints. A classic, 4×6 photos are a great default choice if you can’t make that decision.
If you do choose to have a mix of 4×6’s & 3×4’s, it can get tricky figuring out which photo should be what size. Here is my recipe:
- In your album, keep a pattern of your pocket pages in the album. For example: a 3×4 page, a 4×6 page, a mix page… repeat.
- Start with your first event or set of photos, and apply it to that first page (all 3×4 photo sizes). Then, follow suit with your next event for the next page, switching the size (all 4×6 photos). Again with your next chunk of photos (a mix page of 3x4s & 4x6s)
- Be sure to factor in 1-2 journal cards per page, of the corresponding sizes, to add some fun color and handwritten notes.
It does take a bit more concentration and time, however it creates such a cute, eclectic look in the end. Whatever sizes you choose, as long as your photos are in the album, the rest is just minutiae.
Now that you know what size you need, upload your photos and get them printed! Be sure to choose the photographic print options for real, darkroom-processed prints that will last.
The Assembly
Now that you have your materials, it is up to you to put it all together! Some people like to work on it a little at a time, while others like to schedule out a large chunk of time to get it all done at once. Either way, don’t give up now! You are almost there in making the best photo album ever! Now, we are about to drop our ultimate secret to help you with your photo documenting…
Don’t Make It Perfect!
Yes, you read that right! Eliminate your stress by not holding your albums to perfection. They will never be perfect, and they will never be finished! Let that notion go, and you are ready to launch yourself into the depths of creating your very own photo albums. After this, you are pretty much a pro! So, get started!
We hope our Beginner’s Guide to Photo Albums helps you on your memory keeping endeavor! Find more ideas, tips, and deals by following us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube & TikTok! Share your albums and tag us for a chance to be featured on our page!