3 Ways to Repurpose Vacation Photos

Britt
March 3, 2010

Have you been lucky enough to go on a vacation recently? Not just a weekend trip to the beach, but a real vacation. A journey to a distant, unknown and beautiful place where you escaped your daily routine and felt like a new person. You know those hundreds of digital images you took while you were away? I bet you've already showed them to friends and co-workers, who feigned enthusiasm in response.

Now how about turning those pictures into souvenirs that you can post in your home or office to remind you of the wonderful memories and feelings you had while away? Here are three ways to repurpose vacation photos as printed memorabilia: 1. Print black-and-white postcards This format works just as well for panoramic shots of vistas and monuments, as it does for more simple street scenes or focused pictures of objects. Choose a few standout images from your trip and center the image on the front of the postcard. Use black-and-white printing on matte paper and add a small white border around the edges to make the postcard look like a vintage print. Include a description of the photo on the back of the card, along with an address and stamp area, if you'd like to mail these to family and friends. Or leave the back blank, and frame a few of the postcards to hang as a set in your home. 2. Design an inspiring poster There's nothing more rewarding than wanting to visit a famous place and then planning and saving up money until you can finally travel there. Savor that moment when you stood at last on top of the Eiffel tower or in front of the Taj Mahal with an inspirational poster. The poster doesn't have to focus on the most stupendous part of the vacation, there are a lot of other little snapshots that might stand out to you as poster-worthy, such as a beautiful nature shot, a candid photograph of a local person or a lesser known building. You can create a full-bleed poster with just the image itself, or add a border and some inspirational text or a quote particular to the photograph, region or memory. 3. Thank-you or greeting cards Design a set of greeting cards or thank-you cards around images from your recent trip. For newlyweds returning from a honeymoon, using a photograph from your trip as the center-piece for your thank-you notes is a nice touch. If you want to create a more subtle greeting card, use Photoshop to isolate one element of an photograph, such as a palm tree against a coastline or a skyline and create an outline or illustration from that initial image. This outline or illustration would serve well centered and foil stamped on the front of the card.

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