The key to making a custom photo gift is to separate the tasks of organizing your photos and building the gift. For tips on how to quickly select the best photos from your camera roll, we turned to a professional photo organizer. This way, you can skip the frustration and enjoy the best parts of a photo gift–designing it, holding it in person, and giving it (if its a gift!).
“You can’t enjoy a book or game that doesn’t exist. You need it to be finished even if its imperfect, so that your family can enjoy it.”
Casey von Stein, aka @Miss.Freddy, is a certified Professional Photo Organizer in Golden, Colorado. She is our Marie Kondo of memory keeping. Casey helps clients worldwide make sense of their photo mess with scanning services.
In her experience, Casey finds that many of her clients worry about the details to avoid taking action. Her advice is plain and simple–pick one thing and just get started!
If your goal is to send Christmas cards this year, pick the photo, and make the card. Separate all of your tasks and start with one vs. lumping them all together.
“It’s hard to make a gift or card if you don’t feel like you are in control of their photos.”
Casey’s Top 5 Tips for Photo Selection:
- Does it make you feel something? As the photo pops up on your screen, does it bring you joy? Does it tug at your heart? If yes, flag it as a favorite. If not, move on.
- Does the photo help tell the story or is it just fluff? Photos with people in them create the most connection.
- One-second rule. What’s your immediate gut reaction? Is the photo a ‘keeper’ or not? That’s your answer. Don’t overthink it.
- One photo can tell the story. You don’t need three full pages of photos from your son’s birthday party when the best 2 or 3 will be enough to spark the memory.
- Favorite Photos. Use the little heart icon on your iPhone to flag your favorites as the year goes on…then you have a nice curated little collection to review when it’s time for your yearbook.
Getting photos off of her camera takes the pressure off of Casey as a mom.
“Hey I did something with my photos, they got off my camera roll. I have them in books and keep them in the living room, and the kids always flip through them. It makes me feel really good, like my photos have a purpose. There are so many steps to finish the gift that you’ll never get too if you don’t get past picking the photo. Don’t make it so big. Just start.”
Casey organizes and backs up your photos for you via screen share through digital 1-on-1 organizing sessions, and offers online classes to show you how to do-it-all-yourself.
About the Author
Casey von Stein, aka Miss Freddy, is a certified Professional Photo Organizer in Golden, Colorado. She helps clients worldwide make sense of their photo mess with scanning services, digital organizing sessions (she organizes + backs up your photos FOR you via screen share!), and online classes to show you how to do-it-all-yourself.