As we unravel the interesting journey that photo albums have undertaken, we go down memory lane dating back to 1862 when the first photo album was created by Julia Margaret Cameron showcasing literary work. Over the years this simple piece of art has become a valid reason for kith and kin to get together to step into the world of memories. The beginning of this trend marked the production of prints that were mounted on top of thick card paper that later evolved into bound albums. Though this version of albums stayed popular for a long time the urge to become creative was felt and some were involved in cutting up photos and combining them with illustrations, text and other printed material. This eventually resembled personal diaries, or what is termed today as a photo album. It was not until the 19th century when the Kodak film camera was invented which opened up avenues to take images and put them into a custom photo book, having a leather cover with removable pages, wherein the photos could be inserted, declaring the bound version to be redundant.
The photo albums of today resemble their predecessors in a negligible way as the 21st century photo albums are rather extravagant, which vary from fur covered exteriors to those with a crust like surface, embedded with precious stones and metals. With the gradual decline in film photography people are resorting to storing photos on electronic devices giving them the moniker “personalised photo album”. While albums speak volumes and have moulded us to become storytellers, the novelty unfortunately has lost its charm over the years. There are a few exclusive stores that do sell a photo book online for those who believe in the adage that ‘old is gold’ and believe that nothing can really replace an album of photos holding cherished memories.
It is mind-blowing to read articles where many Indian wedding albums are so exorbitantly priced and could range from 1Lac to 5Lacs, however the icing on the cake is the archival quality paper which is now available for prints which is expected to last for over 100 years. Calling this version, a custom Gifts will actually be underestimating its value, since the sky is not the limit with photo albums in the era, we live in. Photo albums and creativity are synonymous, leaving no stone unturned in bringing out its meaning, especially with couples who are planning to tie the knot, or perhaps moving into a luxurious new home. Whatever be the occasion there is a photographic answer to it!