London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/29/2012 -- In the days before the advance of digital technology, the number of things that could be done with the images you captured was severely limited. Now, however, the flexibility of digital imagery means that it’s possible to create a wide range of photo gifts, from a small novelty item such as a fridge magnet to something much more luxurious like a bespoke photo book.

One of the key advances of the rise of digital photography as opposed to the older analogue counterpart lies in the sheer number of photographs it’s now possible for anyone to take. In the past, this number would have been severely limited by both the physical practicality of the finite exposures available on a roll of film, and the inconvenience and cost of having this film developed and printed into photographs. Digital cameras, however, have an internal memory capable of containing hundreds if not thousands of images, and the option of utilising memory cards and other storage methods to supplement this. This means that users feel free to take precisely as many images as they take, from capturing every moment of a family holiday, to fully chronicling an event such as a wedding or important birthday party.

Once you’ve taken as many images as you like, the technology makes it easy to go through them and select the ones you wish to keep, discarding those which don’t quite hit the mark. At the end of this process it’s still very highly likely that you’ll be in possession of a huge number of images which you want to be able to keep safely and access easily. In the past, this would have meant putting them into a tin, shoving them away in a drawer or, at best, sticking your favourites onto the pages of a photo album, but the flexibility of digital technology means that it’s possible to take your very best photographs and use them to create a unique photo book. Until now, photo books have been something you buy from book shops, usually because they showcased the work of a favourite photographer, or images of a particular person or place in which you were especially interested. One thing they all shared in common was the use of thick glossy paper and printing which captured every detail of the images concerned. Now the same excellence can be applied to your own personalised photo books, whether you wish to create them for your own pleasure, or to give as photo gifts which will clearly demonstrate the thought and effort you’ve gone to.

The process of making a bespoke photo book, which would once have been the preserve of professional artists or photographers, has been made incredibly simple. All you need to do is upload the images you wish to feature to the appropriate website. Whether these are shots of your trip abroad, a minute by minute capturing of the special moments from a family event or the chronicling of the year in the life of a new born baby is up to you. Once you’ve chosen, the software involved will make it simple to design the layout of each individual page, choose the type and appearance of the front and back cover and add any text you may feel necessary. The result will be a volume which, whether you give it away or keep it, will delight and inspire for years to come.