There are a wide variety of ways to get your photos out of your camera roll and into your family life, but a digital canvas offers a way to bring precious memories into your home without needing to print and frame every photograph.
According to research commissioned by Fujifilm1, 97% of British adults store their old photos either on their camera rolls or on cloud-based storage systems, while the average person only looks back at these photos once a month.
It’s easy to miss out on the joy of revisiting family photos when they’re tucked away on our phones, especially when they can help us reconnect with people, places and moments that matter to us. Research by Carreterro2 found that personal photographs can act as direct retrieval cues for autobiographical memories. In other words, seeing a photograph can help bring the associated personal memory back to mind, as well as the thoughts and emotions connected to it.
Getting photos out of the endless camera roll gives you more opportunities to revisit these memories in everyday life, while allowing the whole family to enjoy them together. But what is the best way to display them?
- Digital Art Canvas
Digital art canvases such as the Vieunite Textura Digital Canvas combine many of the benefits of physical and digital methods. Your family photographs can be displayed prominently on a wall, mantlepiece or shelf, allowing them to become part of the home rather than remaining hidden on a phone.
Unlike traditional printed photos, a digital canvas can display a rotating collection of photographs and videos without requiring a new print for every image. Recent photographs from a favourite holiday or birthday can be displayed alongside older family memories, allowing the collection to evolve over time with your family. With a Vieunite Textura Digital Canvas, you can use the Vieunite app to add family photos to your display from your phone, making it easy to refresh the collection as you make new memories.
High-quality display technology can also make digital photographs feel more like artwork than something viewed on a screen, providing a much-needed break for the eyes. Combined with a hardwood frame, digital canvases can fit seamlessly into your home interior decoration, providing aesthetic appeal as well as creating conversations.
2. Framed Family Photos
Framed photos are tangible and permanent. Once printed, your memories are no longer hidden away in your camera roll, where they can easily be forgotten. Whether placed on a mantlepiece or mounted on a wall, framed photographs can fill your home with meaningful memories while turning personal photographs into pieces of artwork.
However, displaying lots of photographs this way requires a large amount of wall or surface space, which could result in even more clutter. Printing photographs can also become expensive, particularly when going for large high-quality prints and frames. Additionally, over time, physical photographs can fade, become damaged or need replacing, particularly when exposed to sunlight, generating more costs in the long-term.
3. Physical Photo Albums
Photo albums are a traditional way to store and display family memories. They can become nostalgic keepsakes, and even family heirlooms, passed down through generations to preserve photographs, stories and family history.
Putting a photo album together can be time-consuming, from choosing your favourite photographs to arranging them on the page. Additionally, once created, albums often end up getting lost in attics, bookshelves or cupboards to only be looked at occasionally. Because they rely on physical prints, adding new photographs or changing the collection can also be difficult, expensive, and potentially hard to organise.
4. Digital Photo Albums
Creating your own albums in your favourite photo app is a quick and convenient way to organise your chaotic photo library. You can group photographs around particular people, occasions, or holidays, making them easier to find and share. New photographs can also be added instantly as new memories are made.
However, it’s easy to put time and effort into creating an album and then forget about it. While curated albums make photographs easier to organise, the photos remain on your phone, meaning viewing them still requires you to pick it up and scroll through a screen. For those already experiencing ‘scroll fatigue’, this may not feel like a mindful or positive way to revisit family memories.
What is the best way to organise my family photos?
Ultimately, the best way to preserve family photographs depends entirely on your personal needs. However, digital art canvases provide all the physicality and permanence of a printed photo, the range of photo albums, and the convenience of digital photos, all through one device.
1 – Fairclough S. Survey reveals 10 billion images stored on UK smartphones [Internet]. Amateur Photographer. 2022. Available from: https://amateurphotographer.com/latest/photo-news/survey-reveals-10-billion-images-stored-on-uk-smartphones/
2 – Carretero LM, Latorre JM, Fernández D, Barry TJ, Ricarte JJ. Effects of positive personal and non-personal autobiographical stimuli on emotional regulation in older adults. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research [Internet]. 2019 Feb 25;32(1):157–64. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-019-01147-0
Vieunite is redefining how people discover and experience art through a curated digital art library and a range of Home and Pro digital canvases. With a mission to make art more accessible, Vieunite brings world-class artwork into homes, businesses, and public spaces, creating new opportunities for both audiences and artists.