I can already visualize the picture. My son is wearing his black cowboy boots that I wouldn’t let him wear all summer because it was too hot, holding his new Buzz Lightyear lunch bag in one hand and his sister’s hand in the other. And my daughter, my baby girl, in her red Mary Janes, holding her new Minnie Mouse lunch bag.

I love creating Labor Day photo books for two reasons. 1 - Labor Day weekends are usually spent with friends or family, so the photos you use are always fun to organize. 2 - Labor Day occasions are short (no more than a few days) so you don’t have to pour over thousands of images to make a book. Here are a few Labor Day creations that caught my eye.

What is it about flowers that fascinates us? The colors? The petals? The shapes? Or their association with romance and beauty - vase of roses, Valentine’s day bouquet, European still-life? Whatever the reasons, flowers are among our favorite photographic subjects, and here on Gallery they have been celebrated in many beautiful ways.

When we think about what to include in a photo book, friends and family are usually the first subjects that come to mind. But the circle of our lives is much larger than this, especially if we pursue special interests and hobbies like charity work, or sports, or the arts. Some of my favorite books are those which focus on what we love to do and the people we love doing it with.

Pictures alone can tell a wonderful story. But one of the best features of photo books is the ability to pair words with pictures and add another dimension to the story—the voice and emotion of the storyteller.

Shutterfly Gallery is bursting with photo books that use words to enhance the story. Here are five original and evocative ways to tell the story behind the pictures.

I’m Susie and I’m the resident editorial copywriter here at Shutterfly. My whole life I’ve been pulled by two polar forces – and urge to create and an urge to organize. I’m an artist and a writer and a psychologist/behaviorist by training.