20 Photos

20 Photos 20 Photos takes your hundreds of photos and whittles them down to 20. I’m Jo of Jo Tennant Photographs. I am passionate about memories and how we record them.

Award-winning photographer, Jo Tennant, edits and prints these 20 to make your story into art that you’re proud to have on your walls. We’ve all got a great camera in our pocket and capture the moments that make up our lives. But then what? They sit there, the digital equivalent of shoeboxes under your bed, overwhelming in their number. It seems like our memories will be lost with the endless marc

h of digital. I have the skill to curate your photos into a story that is beautiful and meaningful and printed - the medium that lasts forever. This is what 20 Photos is about. I’m an award-winning photographer - I taught myself to photograph because I wanted to capture what it felt like to be somewhere and always be able to bring that back… I’ve continued to learn, challenge and experiment. 20 Photos has come out of that. I live in Edinburgh and love my family and home by the sea.

03/06/2026

I am finally coming out of the swamp and now I need accountability- stick around to see if I can get this live.

02/06/2026

if you’re trying to capture your messy, full, imperfect life- I have strong opinions on this.

30/05/2026

This is for those of us with 42,000 photos, iCloud backups and still no easy way to find the one photo we actually want.

And for those who have built their own automated backup systems and own a NAS drive, we salute you from afar, but you are not our tribe.

27/05/2026

It’s all about pace.
1/ Know what matters before you start. Who or what are you trying to remember and why? Hold that in your mind as you work through. You’re looking for photos that make you feel something.
2/ Go fast or go home. The moment your thinking brain takes over, you’re scuppered. This isn’t about whether it’s a “good” photo. You’re looking for the rough diamonds. Heart them and keep moving. You can refine later.

26/05/2026

It’s not working because:

1. 55,000 photos is not a human-sized problem. Technology made taking photos easier than ever. Our camera roll became the place for memories AND screenshots AND photos of rashes and receipts all at once. Sorting 55,000 of anything is hard and photos are emotional too. You aren’t lazy. It’s just an impossible ask.

2. When a task has no visible end, we avoid it. Starting something you know you can’t finish feels like sinking time into… nothing. Trying to sort your whole life’s photos (and your partner’s?) at once is the wrong job. The guilt you feel isn’t a character flaw. It’s a design flaw.

3. You’re asking the wrong question. Your life isn’t one long opus without chapters. It’s many smaller stories. It helps to treat your photos that way too.

4. Pick one month. One trip. One defined chapter. A small, completable thing you’d genuinely love to look back on. Move everything into one album on your phone.

5. Scroll fast. Heart the ones that make you feel something in your gut. Feeling matters more than perfection here. The photo that stops you is the one to keep. You already know which ones they are.
6. Put the favourites into a new album. That’s your shortlist.

Follow for more on choosing the photos that actually matter

25/05/2026

I think everyone should learn to take better photos - not to get likes, but because curating your life teaches you to pay attention to it.

(And guess which sections I deleted irretrievably in the edit🌚🌝)

Follow to learn how to see the world a little differently

22/05/2026

Taking photos you are proud of starts with being able to read great images and understand what they’re doing and why. You can then use those ideas in your own photos.

21/05/2026

Start with why…

20/05/2026

both kinds of image have their place.

if you understand WHY you’re taking the photo, you know HOW to capture it best.

as a professional photographer, I was commissioned for milestones - and I’d always shoot both types within that.

in my personal life, I ask this question every time I pick up the camera. For the everyday, it’s more often the second kind.

but the question is the same either way.

Follow for more not-snooty photography advice - so you can capture your life, better.

05/02/2026

🥄 Spoonface is a real thing on camera. Here’s how to solve it.

Address

Edinburgh

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when 20 Photos posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category