In need of a touching gift for a loved one? Want to have a physical reminder of a trip or a specific period of time that can fit easily on a shelf? Let me tell you about photo books as the solution for you. Depending on the service, printed photo books can be as simple as a photo album or as customized as scrapbooking. They make lovely personal gifts. I personally create a photo book for each year, capturing moments through my favorite photos taken throughout the year. Below, let me highlight a few services and my experiences.

• Gabby Carr Photography: You may not know this, but when you order a minimum of 25 images from a session, you have the opportunity to add on a photo book! (It’s automatically included in the top boudoir and wedding packages.) This high-quality, professionally designed custom book is perfect for those looking for an elegant solution to capture the special moments I photograph for you.
• Chatbooks: I first found out about this company when a friend gave me a book of photos from a trip we went on together. Although their prints aren’t high quality, they are very cost effective, starting at $15 and free shipping. Basic captions and layout designs are allowed but nothing too fancy. Definitely more of a photo album than a scrapbook. 
• Shutterfly: When I’m looking for something a little more text-heavy or higher quality, I use this company. Although Shutterfly can be a little pricey, they often run sales. Their themed books let you just drop photos in for a more inviting experience. However, I find manipulating the layouts difficult and frustrating and thus would place this between a photo album and a scrapbook.

Barnes and Noble Press: For those with design experience, this company will allow you the ultimate customization experience. You have to design all the pages of your book yourself in third-party software before loading it to the site, but Barnes and Noble will print it for you at low cost. This service is meant for self-published authors, but I was able to print a single full-color 100+ page photo book for under $10, not including shipping.