Photo Finish

Taking pictures of special moments with our family is easy these days. We don’t even need a camera anymore. It can be baby’s first steps, a funny moment between siblings or a school concert; all we have to do is take out our phones or tablets to capture the memory forever.

Once we have all these photos though, we need to have an effective way to store them and a fun way to share them. Companies like Shutterfly, Snapfish and Photobucket  provide safe “cloud” storage, so even if something happens to our computer or phone, our precious memories will still be safe.

Once our photos are safe though, then what? We don’t want them just sitting on the cloud where no one can see them. Photo books can be a great way to share our memories with friends and family. Plus, kids love to see themselves on the pages of a book.

Here are some ideas for books you can create:
•    Chronicle the year in photos and write about the different events.   
•    After a special trip or event, make a book about it. Get quotes from family members about the different things they liked and remembered.
•    Make a fun photo ABC book for your children that includes people, animals and favorite things in their life.  
•    Help your children learn more about their family. Create a book that includes photos and even information about family members that live near and far away.
•    Take photos of your traditions throughout the year and then compile those into a special book.

Good Housekeeping rated Shutterfly #1 for  photo books. This company allows you to store your photos on their website as well as create books.

Here are a few others offering photo books.  
•    www.adoramapix.com/app/products/books
•    www.mypublisher.com
•    OurHubbub.com
•    cvsphotocenter.com

Another fun way to share you photos is with a slideshow on SmileBox. You pick a theme, upload your photos and then it is set to music. It makes a wonderful video that you can share with family and friends through Facebook, email or you can create a keepsake DVD.  You might even want to do this instead of a Christmas letter this year.

This holiday season, take lots of photos to capture those special memories. Then, take some time to create some wonderful keepsakes to share with those you love.