In Every Mess There is a Message

OUR FIRST PHOTO BOOK

Seeing as I am a wedding photographer for a living, this may come as a surprise...but Jackson and I have never created a photo album before. It's always been on my to-do list, perpetually moved to the back-burner when more pressing things came up. But FINALLY this past week I got all our images from 2021 organized, narrowed down, printed, and put into our very first photo book.

Photo books are a lot fancier now than they used to be when I was a little girl, but I can't help but be drawn to the nostalgia of an insert photo book. There's something about the no-fuss, approachable nature of them that I find endearing and special. I love that they aren't too precious that little fingers aren't welcome. I want Beckley as she gets older to feel comfortable pulling these books off the shelf and flipping through its pages!

Link to our photo book HERE. It holds 300 4x6 prints, and has a linen exterior with a plastic covering included. We plan to purchase one of these for each year in the future!

For printing your photos there are several different options that I'd recommend:

1. For the most cost-effective solution, Walmart. The quality isn't the best, but it gets the job done and you can print all of your 4x6 images for only $.09 a piece.
2. Walgreens has greater quality prints for around $.29, but be cautious of large orders. I've never had an issue with smaller orders (30 photos or less) but larger orders I've had issues of not going through properly.
3. My personal recommendation and favorite method is Mpix! If you sign up for their emails you get 25% off your first order, and their prints are VERY comparable in price to Walgreens. However, their quality is WAY BETTER. This is where I also get all of our large scale prints! Somehow they manage to make even iPhone photos look great when printed large. 😂

This past year we didn't organize our photos AT ALL, so getting them ready for this album took me a few days to complete. This year I am approaching the whole process differently! Here's the step by step...

1. As I take & edit photos with my DSLR, I immediately back them up to a 2022 folder I have via the Cloud. Within that 2022 folder I have a "January", "February", "March", and now "April" folder where I catalog the photos accordingly. You could do similarly through Google Drive, an external hard drive, a memory card, or just on your desktop.
2. At the end of each month I add all of mine and Jackson's favorite iPhone photos to that month's folder.
3. At the end of the year all I'll have to do is go through and select my favorites to have printed. They'll already be organized and ready!
4. PRO TIP: I personally recommend you keep a copy of all photos in 2 separate locations. This way, just in case something happened to your images, you had a backup on hand so they wouldn't be lost. I personally keep a backup of all personal photos on an external hard drive which we keep in a fireproof box. Call me paranoid, but I'm not about to lose these images. 😂

Scroll down to catch a peek at our new photo book for 2021!

Looking back on the last year, Jackson and I were struck with how abundantly blessed we are. Sure, last year had its hardships (some of them being REALLY hard), but the blessings we experienced far outweigh the trials.

On this Good Friday I am reminded of the price Jesus paid for us all. The ultimate blessing we have in life is the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Beckley's favorite book, "The Gospel" (linked here), puts it very well:

GOD: God created all things and all people.

MAN: Humans were created special--in the very image of God.

REBELLION: All people have chosen in their hearts to disobey God and have rejected Him as King.

PUNISHMENT: Those who sin must be punished because sin is breaking God's law.

JESUS: God sent His own son into the world to rescue people from their sin because they couldn't save themselves.

PERFECT MAN: Jesus is the perfect man who obeyed God fully His whole life.

SACRIFICE: Jesus was put to death, taking on Himself the punishment that God's people deserved.

RESURRECTION: Destroying death once and for all, Jesus came back to life three days later!

RESPONSE: God commands all people everywhere to turn their back on sin and believe in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sin.

ETERNAL LIFE: Never-ending life with God is given to all who place their faith in Jesus.

Today we remember Jesus' sacrifice for us all, and the blessing of eternal life we may received because of Him. ❤️

Have a wonderful Good Friday, and remember every blessing in life comes from Him. Cheering you on always!

Katie xx