29 Apr What Makes Photos Valuable?

I have recently discovered Chatbooks. They offer a book-printing service that automatically sucks your photos from Instagram and/or other sources, and creates a regular series of books. Because I’m terrible at culling my phone’s camera roll, I’ve set up a private Instagram account for my family, and I post the “keepers” there, and once there are 60 ready to go, another book is created.

The small moments and little sayings I don’t want to forget. The significant milestones that would otherwise only be memorialised in a digital cloud. When my mother’s heart sighs and says “I wish I could hold on to this” – I take an iPhone shot and post it to my account. 

I got an email notification just now that my latest Chatbook has been shipped. My reaction was a bit… “Meh, whatever!” Not because I’m not looking forward to having that book in my hands, but because the photos contained in it are still fresh in my mind. They represent the last couple of months of happenings in our world, and right now I’m still living it. 

That little book, however, will grow in value exponentially as those photos become distant memories. When Sam no longer fits neatly on my lap for snuggles, long after he’s supposed to be asleep. When Will is going for his black belt, not completing his first ever martial arts grading. 

Take the photos. PRINT the photos. Store up these little treasures for your family. That is what makes photos valuable. It’s not how you see it now, but how your grandchildren will be able to experience your life and memories. 

They also do standalone custom books, which I’ve used for my Photo-A-Day project. I’ve been really quite impressed with the quality of both the books and the printing, particularly for the price!

This post is completely inspired by Sunday night philosophical musings – not sponsored or anything. But if you’d like to give Chatbooks a go, I found this handy referral link in my app. It will give you the first book in your series for FREE, and $5 credit for me if you order a series.