12 photobook ideas for 2017 ~ Jo Jackson Photography

We're almost a week into the new year and I would imagine more than a few of you have already started taking photos of your friends and family, your hobbies and passions.
But as the weeks and months pass and the number of photos on your phone or your laptop increase...what are you ultimately going to do with them?

Some should, and hopefully will, end up on your wall or in a frame on your bookcase but not every snapshot should be framed. Luckily for you I have some ideas for photobooks that will give you a way to organise and keep your memories for the years ahead!



Baby's first year

A baby's first year is full of so much...those first smiles and teeth, rolling, sitting, crawling and for some standing and first steps. They change so incredibly fast and it's hard, at times, to remember just how small they once were! The beauty of yearbook is that you can start your baby's book whenever they decide to come along and track their first full year.

A year in the life

Why stop when your little one celebrates their first birthday? We make photobooks of our girls every year to give to grandparents and keep for ourselves. They build up to make a wonderful library that's easily accessible and I know will be loved for years!

Furry friends

Children aren't the only loved ones we love to capture with our cameras. Why not make a photobook featuring your dogs or cats or rabbits or whatever animals share your home and life? Pets are much loved and usually a large part of family life for those that have them.

A year of poems

For those poets among you why not combine your words and the things that inspire you in an annual collection of poems that you can keep and share with your friends and family.

Nature

Nature photography always makes for beautiful material for photobooks. Why not chart the changes in the weather and the animals in your local environment or, if you travel a lot, share your changing view and keep them for the years ahead.

Gardener's World

Those of us with gardens often work hard to maintain them and turn them into restful places we can enjoy with our loved ones. Why not photograph a year in your garden and turn the images into a book, along with notes on the plants and flowers that flourished or the animal visitors that stopped by.

Holiday memories

For those lucky enough to have a holiday home or cottage that they can escape to when the weekends and summer come around, why not chart a year at your family's personal getaway that you can keep there to relive time and time again.
For the rest of us, why not make a photobook of your family's individual travels as the year passes. You can add your photos and share notes on best restaurants, funny travel stories and so on.

Team Yearbook

If you play a sport as part of a team why not combine everyone's selfies and action shots taken in practices and matches as the year passes and create a team book that you can enjoy together at the end of the year.

Art Archive

If you have children under the age of 9 or 10 in your home I would be willing to bet there is a large pile of drawings and papers created by your children that you don't want to throw away but can't realistically keep. Why not photograph each art project and crafty creation and then create an annual photobook of their artwork! You don't have to get rid of their toilet roll sculptures if you really don't want to. But it might make you feel a little less guilty about siphoning off some of their drawings now and then. ;)

Phone Photos

Given that a lot of us fill our phones with images almost more than anything else why not create a book from your Instagram feed or your favourite Facebook folders.

365 Project

One photo, everyday for a year. These projects are amazing ways to chart you and your families lives. There are lots of online communities based around these projects which can also provide you with encouragement and tip to improve your own photography - which might be one of your resolutions for the year ahead!

52 Project

If one photo every day seems too much, why not aim for one photo for every week.
You can write the backstory to the photo to accompany it, kinda like a journal entry and if you're stuck for what to use as your photo of the week there are plenty of groups and blogs online you can always go to for inspiration.