gift giving comes SO naturally to so many people that surround me!
in my case, i lean in to photos…and wanted to share a handful of ideas with you so you can make the most out of your recent shoot!
some new ways to think about giving photos as gifts
- 01gift a photo of you together…or of someone they love
you with your siblings even! i’ve had multiple adult children book sessions so they had an awesome gift for their parents come holiday time. #sosmart maybe bring their beloved pet to a mini session or arrange for a portrait of a grandparent!
when my mom moved from lexington, i gave her a photo of her grandchildren giving each other a big hug in a frame audrey painted (it made me smile that she keeps it’s right beside her bed)
maybe there’s a trip you went on together?
or a moment from your wedding or a photo session?
bonus points if you include a letter about how much they mean to you. this could be the perfect surprise for their half birthday when they aren’t expecting anything.
- 02for your children
i love having photos of us loving audrey in her bedroom and her ‘makers space’ desk…find a timeless frame and it might end up in a box that gets toted off to college!
a gift is a sign of your affection – and i love when they’re useful & beautiful too.
make a slideshow for a loved one’s birthday and play it after dinner (or at breakfast)…when audrey turned one, i created a slideshow of her first year, shared it with family and we still watch and laugh over it! your digital collection photos from me can absolutely be included – i’d be honored!
- 03tuck one on the outside of their present
i put an image from a visit we’d made to the zoo almost a decade beforehand on a christmas gift for our niece. or perhaps put one inside a thank you note (brides have so many to write and one from your engagement session can be sweet!).
since i mostly use kraft wrapping paper all year round (#keepingitsimple), a photo along with ribbon makes the package feel just right.
- 04calendars
a few decembers ago, i made a little calendar up at the 11th hour (just 4x6s included with an acrylic frame with a magnet on the back).
it’s easy to make duplicates for parents/grandparents/jason’s office…i skipped a year because i didn’t think about it and got requests the following year and every year since from jason’s sweet sweet grandfather :)
- 05personalized stationery
audrey loves her stationery – if you know a graphic designer, personalizing some with a photo (ie: a note from teddy with a current photo) can be a birthday gift, tucked into an easter basket, stocking or as a little surprise on “world letter writing day” (sept 1) or “national letter writing day” (dec 7th). and if you need a graphic designer, we love kalie berkey (kalie.berkey@gmail.com) – a past production manager at mmp!
with a photo session, holiday time can be a lot simpler if you do the session early and have the photos back months before the end of the year :) make sure you use those sweet photos in as many ways as possible!