Giving a holiday photo gift is a wonderful way to share memories your beautiful family and to give something the recipient will cherish for days, if not years, to come. There are almost limitless options for photo-related holiday gifts. From calendars to magnets to framed portraits, there’s something for everyone on your holiday gift list. There also is a lot of variability in quality of the products you can buy online. While professional photographers offer portraits and other photo products at a quality level not offered by consumer oriented stores, there are a few consumer-facing, online companies that offer decent quality products. If at all possible, try to avoid printing images at large, ‘big box’ stores that sell a host of other products. The color can be very off and the products aren’t likely to be very durable.
Below is a list of online photo vendors that offer a wide selection of products. This list is by no means exhaustive, and I am not affiliated with these companies in any way.
Good:
Mass photo sites like Shutterfly and Snapfish offer a very wide selection of products in addition to photo storage options. They excel at simple ordering and shipping options but do suffer a bit in terms of quality. These sites would be good options for ‘semi-disposable’ prints for a gift collage or holiday school project.
Better:
MPIX is the consumer-facing brands from the professional lab Miller’s and SmugMug is a consumer photo-storing site that contracts with decent-quality labs. The quality of products from MPIX isn’t the same as professional-level products but is still very good. If you need prints for an heirloom album gift or a high-quality frame, these sites would be good options. They also offer a variety of other products.
Best:
In my opinion, Pinhole Press provides very beautiful and high-quality photo products for consumers. They don’t offer the wide selection of products other sites, such as MPIX, do, but, what they do offer, they do quite well. Their website’s clean layout makes shopping for products enjoyable, and their unique selection of products would be welcome gifts for nearly everyone on your list. Pinhole Press is a great option for unique photo products that are cleanly designed and high quality.
I hope you find this information helpful as you select gifts for the special people on your list. If you’re anything like me, you’ll also find a few items to place on your own holiday wish list. Enjoy, have fun, and I wish you a wonderful holiday season filled with beautiful (photographed) memories.
