STORYBOOK ALBUMS | ORIGIN STORY

The Story of Storybook Albums

A few years into having started this little business fifteen years ago, I felt like something was missing. I had an incredible group of early families, an enthusiasm for capturing them in the act of living their favorite memories, and what was—at the time—a high-tech system for delivering digital images. I even made sure to include tangible products in every collection, something that wasn’t the norm in 2010 when many photographers simply provided a download link, DVD, or USB of images and called it a day.

But I had a deep-seated fear: What if these cherished moments ended up lost and forgotten on a dusty, obsolete hard drive? What’s the use of saving them if they’re doomed to this fate?

2012: Enter The McGuire Storybook

I wanted to tell family stories in a way that would last. So, in 2012, I introduced the McGuire Storybook.

It’s actually super satisfying to me to read my own words from when I first introduced the McGuire. With much fanfare, I shared my own experience—how much I had gained from books and printed photos passed down through generations in my family. My convictions about the importance of books has endured:

Why Digital Files Aren’t Enough

“Many of my favorite images from family sessions are not the ones you’d print as a 30×40 canvas above the mantle. Instead, they’re the ones that make you stop and smile—the kooky little smirk your child makes, the dress-up phase they’ve been in all year, or the chaotic family moment where everyone is laughing together.

These are the moments that define your family story. But if we only save them digitally, will they even exist for future generations?”

Flashback to 1997: When I Became the Historian for My Own Extended Family

In 1997, after my grandmother passed away, we cleaned out the Park Slope brownstone where she had raised five kids. Inside, we found a treasure trove of photos—portraits from the 19th century, postcards from Ireland, vacation snapshots from Havana in the 1920s, wedding photos from the 1940s, and albums of growing families.

These photos told the story of my great-grandparents, my grandparents, and my father in a way digital files never could. Sitting with my aunt, flipping through those albums, I realized how valuable printed family stories truly are.

Back to the Future: Why I Encourage Storybook Albums for My Clients

Now, I make it a priority to ensure the families who hire me for newborn and family photography walk away with something tangible—whether it’s the McGuire Storybook or the more-recently introduced Lincoln Coffee Table Book:

Memories are too precious to trust to a fickle digital medium. By creating storybook albums, you’re not just preserving images—you’re preserving history for your children, your grandchildren, and beyond.

Ready to Create Your Own Family Storybook?

I’ve got more to say about the importance of tangible photos and the impact my own history has had on my convictions. If you’d like to read about how this has inpired me to solidify my own family memories, pop over to this index of what I call my “Cobbler Series” of blog posts. Want to jump right in and arrange for me to come in and do it for you? Drop me a line. Let’s ensure your memories don’t get lost in the digital void. Let’s start telling your family’s story in a way that will last for generations.

Thanks for looking,

~Jaye