Most of us take so many photos that it’s something we do almost automatically. We’re so used to sharing our special moments on Instagram and Snapchat, that we forget how meaningful it is to sit down with a hardbound photo book. Whether we’re alone or with friends, taking the time out of our busy lives to open a book and reminisce over great memories is a rare luxury . So if you’re looking for a gift that will bring your loved one’s best memories to life, a photo book is the perfect choice no matter what the occasion.
A Photo Book Is Unique and Personalisable
Whether you’re looking for an anniversary gift for your parents, a romantic memento of love for your partner, or a “just because” gift for your bestie, there’s a million different ways to design your photo book to fit the occasion.
An album of specially selected photos is a gift that you put a lot of time and thought into. It’s a fantastic way to let your creativity shine and give it your own personal spin. Will it be romantic and heartfelt? Fun and quirky? What kind of stories will your photo spreads tell?
What’s more, a photo book can be a collaborative project as well. Designing its pages and curating photos can be your own personal project. Or you can get a group in on the fun. Enlist your siblings and their kids to contribute photos of their best memories of your parents, and it can be a gift from all of you on their Golden Anniversary.
Or get all the gals in your friend’s wedding party to send in photos of the bride-to-be for a stellar hen party gift. Whatever you choose to do, all the love that went into creating it will shine through.
A Photo Book Is a Timeless Gift That Keeps Giving
Think of all your go-to gifts for special occasions: bottles of wine, restaurant vouchers, tickets to events. While these are all thoughtful and unforgettable gifts, once you use them they are gone.
On the other hand, a photo book is made to last, with the intention that your loved one will enjoy it for the rest of their life. Imagine their surprise and excitement as they turn the cover and relive memory after memory. Perhaps they’ll laugh to see pictures of themselves when they were younger, or become wistful at long-lost photos of friends they haven’t seen in years.
They can have that heartwarming experience whenever they want, with the photo book on their coffee tables serving as a constant reminder of those memories.
A Photo Book Is Classic and Elegant, but Won’t Break the Bank
Life is hectic and unpredictable, and we’ve all been feeling the squeeze in recent years. A photo book hits that sweet spot of being a beautiful, elegant gift that you can put your own personal touches on, without being overly expensive.
If you take the DIY approach and don’t mind a hand-made look, you can create your own photo album for less than €50. Simply buy a good-quality sketchbook from an art store and order your photo prints from a photography shop.
You can easily spring for something with a more professional look for less than €100. There are plenty of reasons why this is a great option. The page layout is often better, because you are able to resize and rearrange photos for the perfect fit during the storyboarding process. Getting your photo book professionally printed and bound lets your loved one know you put a lot of care into creating your gift. And they tend to be more durable than the DIY version, since photos will be printed directly on the page rather than pasted on.
You Can Enjoy It Alone, or With Friends and Family
Sometimes it can be soothing to flip through a photo book alone. Curling up on the couch with a mug of tea and a photo album in hand makes for a relaxing activity as you stroll down memory lane. Throw on a playlist of nostalgic songs and flip through its pages. See how quickly you can transport yourself to memories of white-sand beaches, or dancing your heart out at your favourite music festival.
At the same time, a photo book makes an excellent conversation piece in social situations. In the past, it was a common practice to have your friends round for cocktails and show them travel slides from your latest holiday. Giving a photo book as a gift revives this tradition for the modern age… Instead of gathering friends and family into a dark room, where they’re all under pressure to watch a slideshow, passing around the photo album of your latest holiday to the Maldives is a fab way to share stories!
VideoBook Lets You Create a Multimedia Experience With QR Codes
Speaking of the digital age, photo books of the 21st century are so much more than just an arrangement of photos. With a bespoke, hardcover VideoBook for €99.99, you can create a full multimedia experience for your loved one, complete with photos, music, and videos.
Once you create a VideoBook account, you have full access to a range of filters, themes, and soundtrack to add flair to your curated photo arrangement. What makes a VideoBook unique is that you can actually upload videos to the storyboard as well. Once you’re happy with the layout of your VideoBook, simply click ‘I’m Happy’ to have your gift delivered to its recipient. And if inspiration strikes after delivery, you can always order more page spreads for €29.99 and insert them into the book using our screw post design.
VideoBook goes above and beyond the experience of a conventional photo book. Not only will your loved one get to reminisce about the photo memories. But they will also be able to view the videos you uploaded by holding their smartphone over QR codes printed on the pages. For example, instead of enjoying just the images of her 50th birthday, your mum will be able to access a QR to hear her family singing her ‘Happy Birthday’. She’ll be able to relive the laughter and cheers as she blows out her candles and opens her presents.
With VideoBook, your precious memories are more vivid than they’ve ever been before!