Many TWiP family guests have talked about how important it is to get photos off your hard drive and into the physical world. In this interview with Lauren Lim we talk about making photo books. Lauren wrote a fantastic post on the topic and she shares her tips for making photo books with us.

Lauren and Rob Lim are behind the photography education website, Photography Concentrate. Rob was on TWiP Family on episode 27 talking about backing up family photos. On that episode, we talked about how important it is to back up photos but also to print them. And, who doesn’t prefer looking through a book of family photos to scrolling through them on a phone or tablet? (Not me.)

How to Start: Lauren recommends looking through and choosing photos for your book as soon as possible after the trip or event you are planning to make a book about. That way the stories are still fresh in your mind. As a first step, pick your favorites. You won’t use them all in your book, but it is a good starting point. Lauren doesn’t take time at this point to edit her photos.

Where to Print: You can spend a lot of time searching for the best place to print your photo books or you can make your book. Don’t get hung up on this step. Spend your time making the book. The perfect paper, layout options and cover doesn’t matter as much as getting the book made. Lauren uses Blurb for her family albums. They are not the cheapest option but they are not nearly as expensive as albums people usually order for weddings. Blurb has an archival paper quality option and extra pages don’t add too much to the cost. The book I made for my son that I talk about in the episode was from Apple. I’ve also ordered from KISS Books. (The KISS book is beautiful but it’s a more expensive option with photo paper more like a wedding album.)

Designing the Book: Lauren uses InDesign and loves it. She’s written a tutorial about how to use InDesign. That said, she doesn’t recommend learning it for designing family photo albums.

Don’t Forget to Write: After the book is designed, either in the Lightroom Book module, InDesign or on a photo printing website, take time to write a few words. It’s worth it. You’ll forget the funny or adorable things your kid said when they first saw the ocean. (Trust me. You’ll forget.)

Remember, done is better than perfect. Don’t worry that every little thing is just right or you may never get the book made.

More about Lauren Lim: Website, Instagram, Facebook

I’m doing a 365 Project this year along with a talented, funny and friendly group of TWiP Family listeners. It’s never to late to start. Looking through the photos in the group is a highlight of my day. Join us in the TWiP Family 365 Project 2016 group on Flickr.

After talking with Zalmy Berkowitz, I wanted to practice shooting wide. I don’t own a wide lens that I love. In episode 20,