BY MELISSA SPELTS
One problem I have found with loving photography is all of the pictures I have on my computer!! It is a number I’m not willing to divulge at this time, but let’s just say it’s shocking. Okay, you talked me into it: I have hundreds of thousands of photos. Yes, you read that right. I am always looking for ways to have them available for my family to see and enjoy.
A couple years ago, Ryan built a frame that had chicken wire in the middle for me to hang my pictures on. Our family has enjoyed this so much. I change the pictures every season. I have files of printed photos labeled spring, summer, fall and winter. I will find our family gazing at this board from time to time. My hope with this board is for our kids to see how blessed we are, how many fun things they have experienced, and how loved they are.
Years ago, I started recording memories on Instagram and had them printed in book form through Chatbooks. This is such an easy thing to do. All you need is an Instagram account, and you can add your photos and memories. After you link Instagram to Chatbooks, a new book will be printed for you when you have reached a certain amount of pictures/memories on your account. They will send you, via email, a rough draft of what it will look like, and you have a certain amount of time to delete or correct anything. Then, they print and ship to your address. This has also been a fun thing to have in our home. Our kids will often sit in our living room and look through these books. They have become our family’s journals. You can create your own at Chatbooks.com
I also make videos using my photos for my family after fun vacations, special birthdays, or graduations. I like to post the videos on YouTube and share a link with my family. This makes the video accessible whenever my family feels like watching them. One time, I made a video for a friend’s birthday, and he commented how videos like that are usually made for funerals. It was fun for him to enjoy it while he was still alive.
One great photo storage tip I was given by a fellow photographer and friend is to save photos on the memory cards from your camera with a list of events or memories captured on that card and file in a safe place. Just buy a new card for the next few events.