So here is one great gift idea for those to whom you’d like to give something really special – a Photo Book. Think about it as a new generation of photo album, but instead of pasting prints on the album pages, you “place” them there digitally in a special software programme and then it gets printed in a book format, with a nice, thick glossy cover.
Yes, a Photo Book can be just an ordinary photo album with shots from your last holidays, but why not make it into something more special? Last year I took all my photos from Holland and put together a book – with photos and short descriptions of the places shown – and put the title on the cover – “Holland through my lens.” After adding a personalized dedication on the first page, what I had in hand was a beautiful book with pictures, and a personalized gift in which I’ve invested hours of work – the kind of gifts most people would really appreciate.
Currently Photo Book is a service provided by majority of photo shops/studios. In Poland, one possibility is FOTOJOKER, in Holland, both HEMA and Albert Hijn have it on offer. The principle is always the same – you need to download a free software programme from the website, use it for compiling your book, and deliver it to the photo shop (usually on a CD) so that they can “publish” it for you. Depending on the software, you get many options – different sizes and cover options, various frames, backgrounds, masks, clip arts etc. – a real creative challenge with hundreds of possibilities, and a gift your loved ones will never forget!