6 photo gifts that are surefire hits
/**This post contains affiliate links. But rest assured, all brands included in this post have been personally tested by yours truly and bought with my own cold hard cash :)
Let’s face it. Christmas shopping can be HARD. Everyone’s in search of that elusive perfect gift, and there are just so many options. I may be partial, but I’m a firm believer that you can’t go wrong with a quality photo gift. All of the brands below are ones that I’ve personally bought and gifted from over the years, and have yet to be disappointed.
Digital photo frames have come SUCH a long way since the ones that first came out over a decade ago. Gone are the days of pixelated images and basic black designs. We have bought these frames for every single grandparent in our life, and they love them. The thing I most love is that you (or any family members you add) can add photos to the frame remotely from their app, so the recipient can always have the latest images of the kids, no matter their level of tech saviness.
If the one your shopping for is more analog than digital, Framebridge has the most beautiful, stress-free photo framing model out there. Simply upload your image or images, choose from their selection of gorgeous frames, and let them do the rest. Photos aside, they’ll also send the supplies to ship artwork or other items (think wedding invitations, playbills, or sentimental medals) to be framed… a service I adore for all the unique work I’ve collected over our years of travel.
If you’ve worked with me or received our family holiday card in years past, you know my love for Minted runs deep. Only twice in the past decade have I strayed from them thinking I may find something better, and spoiler: it doesn’t exist. The quality of their cards and printing is unmatched, and the real kicker is their free recipient addressing. It saves me actual hours every year! In addition to their cards, they also have a variety of gifts that are so perfect for everyone from kids to grandparents to your best friend. Just a few of the things I’ve purchased over the years: personalized labels for all of Miles’s school things (a great stocking stuffer!), art prints (like this one Miles requested for his plant/jungle themed room), the sweetest framed silhouettes of my boys, personalized thank you cards, and so much more.
Okay, listen. I know I’m a photographer and quality should be of utmost importance (and it is 99% of the time), but Chatbooks just makes it too easy. While I don’t use them for our professional photos, I do love their softcover books for cataloging all the snapshots on my phone. If you use a hashtag on all the images on Instagram you’d like to include (I have individual ones for each of my kids), then Chatbooks will automatically populate books for you and send them when they’re ready. With that kind of time savings and at $10 a book, you just can’t beat it! These would make an awesome stocking stuffer to commemorate a favorite vacation from this year or just all the iPhone photos of the wonderful everyday moments.
When you’re looking for a step up in quality, Artifact Uprising is the place to go. Whether it’s to commemorate your baby’s first year, a wedding, or a family yearbook, you won’t regret springing for their amazing layflat books. I also love their selection of gift items - I gave this particular one to Josh several years ago to keep on his desk. Bonus: new packs of photos for it make a great stocking stuff for years to come!
The Gift of a Photography Session
I, of course, can’t end this post without mentioning the gift of a photo session to capture this moment in time with the ones you love. Whether it’s generational photos, a personal branding session for the newly minted professional in your life, or an oh-so-sweet snapshot of life session in your home, you can’t go wrong with giving the grandparent, recent college graduate, or mom in your life the gift of memories. I guarantee your local favorite photographer would be happy to provide you with a gift certificate, and if that happens to be me, simply email elizabeth@glessnerphotography.com for more information.
BONUS! Several of the above stores are Rakuten partners, meaning you can get extra cash back on top of their sales! Just sign up for your Rakuten account here, install the plug-in on your browser, and get extra discounts on all your holiday shopping!