Photo books are a great way to preserve recipes and celebrate the many memories you may have of festivals, special occasions, and shared meals throughout the years. With a little planning and inspiration, you can create your own photo book to preserve family traditions and recipes for years to come.
Smaller photo books featuring recipes make fun and useful thank-you gifts that can be given out after a shared holiday or special event. If you are planning (or planning to attend) a wedding, family reunion, or anniversary celebration, consider compiling favourite recipes and featuring them in a photo book. The photo book can include heritage photos as well as current photos of the individuals at the event. Many people have a considerable number of photos from holiday celebrations and other festivals or festivities that would be perfect inclusions in a photo book. Consider including pictures of the same table set for a particular festival or celebration--and the rotating guests around the table--throughout the years.
Small recipe books can be given out as gifts to all who attend a wedding or anniversary celebration; photo books are the perfect way to preserve photographs and share traditions. Larger books might include numerous recipes from many different branches of the family. If relatives from far and wide are able to come together at a reunion or celebration, make sure to take photographs at the event itself for the photo book. These shared memories can then be recorded along with recipes contributed by various family members or friends.
If you find that you have a considerable number of recipes, but not enough photographs for the photo book itself, consider organizing your own photo shoot. Invite some friends or family members to help you create your version of some of the recipes. Take photos of the group preparing the food, and enjoying it once it is made. Make sure to take at least a few close-ups of the food itself! If you are using seasonal or festive recipes, don’t be afraid to get out props from around the house and re-create a fitting table setting.
On the other hand, if you end up with a considerable number of family photographs, but do not have many recipes, you may want to ask relatives to scan favourite hand-written recipe cards and then have them send the images to you as email attachments, or by mail. By scanning and copying original documents, you will be able to preserve recipes in their original, authentic hand-written form, and share them with others in the family. You might also consider searching the library or the internet for special recipes you think the recipients of the photo book might enjoy making.
The beauty of recipe books prepared this way is that photo books are extremely easy to copy and print, and you can order whatever quantity you please. Photo books featuring favourite traditions and recipes make perfect thank-you gifts and souvenirs for weddings, anniversaries, reunions, milestone birthdays, or other special events.
