10 Creative Things To Do With Your Photos

My family has just recently grown, and as a photographer, I’m constantly taking photos of my newborn. I’m using my phone camera, digital camera and a film camera, snapping all those precious moments. And it got me thinking, what can I do with all of these photos? Instead of just squirreling them away on a hard-drive somewhere to occasionally look at, why not do something more creative, and move from the digital space to something more tangible. 

So in this article, I’m going to run through 10 creative things to do with photographs so that you can have ever-present reminders of your best shots and special moments, let’s get started. 

How to Creatively Edit Your Image

You will want to make sure that your photos are in their best condition before deciding what to do with them physically. That’s why I always start in Luminar Neo to bring my images to life and get the best out of them.

Luminar Neo is packed with powerful creative tools, and one that really stands out is Sky Replacement, which can dramatically enhance your images. If you have a shot you’re proud of but the sky looks dull and flat, Sky Replacement can instantly transform it by adding a realistic sunset or dynamic clouds. It even relights your photo to match the new sky, keeping the result cohesive.

There are also a variety of colour grading tools to help shape the overall mood of your photo. The Colour Harmony tool helps balance tones or stylise your image. You can also use tools such as Toning, Glow, Mood, Matte, Landscape, and Colour to fine-tune your shot depending on your style and preference.

If your image has unwanted distractions, such as people in the background, Luminar Neo can handle that too. GenErase makes it easy to remove distractions and keep the focus on your subject, helping your image stand out even more.

Finally, if you find your image isn’t as sharp as it could be, use Supersharp AI to give it the crisp quality it deserves.

Be sure to give Luminar Neo a try and bring your images to life with its incredible creative tools, all ready to help you transform your work and prepare them for all the fun ideas we are about to explore in the next section. Let’s take a look.

10 Creative Ideas to Do With Photos

1. Seasonal Changes

Collect photos that show a distinct seasonal theme. Get your favourite snowy, blossom, autumnal, and beach photos, and dedicate one frame in your house to change with the seasons. It’s almost like a seasonal photographic calendar and helps you get into the mood of that season every time you see the image.

2. DIY Photo Zine

Do you have a coffee table with aesthetic design magazines and books on it? Why not make and design your own? You can start a photography project and work on a certain theme for your zine, or just include your favourite photos. You might even print several copies to gift to family and friends. Speaking of which, it will also make a great gift idea if your zine is dedicated to special family moments.

3. Digital Gallery

Nowadays, digital photo frames allow you to display photos on rotation. You could dedicate one wall to several frames, turning your room into a digital gallery. Even TVs now let you upload your photos and display them as a slideshow screensaver.

Before uploading, try experimenting with the best Instagram filters or your favorite presets to give your images a cohesive tone or seasonal mood. The best part is you can always keep your gallery fresh and run different themes throughout the year.

4. QR Photos

I don’t mean an actual photo of a QR code, but adding a small QR code to your printed work. Imagine a framed family photo with a QR code in the corner that links to a digital file.

One thing I’m thinking of doing is including QR links on a photo of my newborn that lead to a video or sound recording from that moment. With the right know-how, you could even create an augmented reality version of your photos.

This multimedia idea is one of the most creative things to do with photos for gifts—it adds more meaning and keeps those special memories alive. Beyond family photos, you can use the same idea for any kind of photography, creating a richer, more interactive experience for your favorite shots.

5. Cyanotypes

If you’ve not seen cyanotypes before, check them out—they look really cool. It’s an old printing method where you take a negative of your photo and place it on specially treated paper.

The result is a cyan background with a white impression of your image, giving that timeless vintage feel. It’s a great example of how to make retro images using simple materials and light. It’s not too difficult or expensive to try, though it can take a bit of experimentation.

If your home has a blue or cyan colour scheme, these prints will fit perfectly on your walls.

6. Scrapbooks and Journals

For every family event or photo trip, keep mementos like ticket stubs, receipts, and even food wrappers. Combine them with your favourite photos to build a library of journals. Add diary entries or narratives about the experience, and you can even include QR codes to link to extra media files, making the journals interactive.

7. Destroy to Create

Print your favourite shots, then cut, burn, stain, or tear them. Take the leftover pieces and compile them into a collage, creating something entirely new.

If you’re working digitally, you can make the background transparent before layering or blending fragments—it helps different textures and shapes merge more naturally. You’re sure to get unique results that might even speak volumes about your work.

8. Photo Weaving

In a similar vein, you can do something more structured like photo weaving. Take two of your favourite photos and cut one into vertical strips, the other into horizontal strips, then weave them together. 

This technique works best when your images are properly aligned—use a photo straightener tool beforehand to make sure horizons and edges match cleanly. Choose two photos with strong colour harmony, or combine opposites like a landscape and a cityscape to create bold, abstract work.

9. Photo Collage Lampshade

Print your photos on a lampshade so that when you switch on the light, they glow warmly. Black-and-white photos work especially well, keeping the design simple while the warm glow adds a nostalgic touch. 

That said, experiment with colour shots too and see what kind of effect you can create — you can even recolor an image digitally before printing to match your interior palette or mood.

10. A Simple Photo Album

I feel like I rarely see them anymore, but a simple photo album full of memories is still one of the best ways to look back fondly at years gone by.

That’s why I recently bought some Kodak Colour Plus and loaded up my old Canon AE-1. I’m not really much of a film photographer, but it’s a fun project for me to go analogue and use shots sparingly. It just makes every photo that much more meaningful.

Once I’ve got the film developed, I’m really excited to start building up a photo album. Maybe it isn’t as flashy as the other ideas, but it’s a practice that feels lost — and if you feel the same way, why not pick up an album and a fresh roll of film to bring it back?

The Bottom Line

So the next time you take a photo you’re proud of, don’t just upload it to Instagram and forget about it. Ask yourself what you could do with a printed version instead.

I hope something in this list of creative ways to use photos has inspired you to start a new project with your work—it certainly deserves it. Whether it’s making your own photo zine or journal, or getting more hands-on with projects like cyanotypes or collages, these ideas will help preserve your photos and memories.

Turn them into tangible reminders you’ll see every day in your home. Have fun with your next photo project and give your images a fresh lease of life.