A photography session is such a great way to document the fleeting moments in our lives so the memory of them can last forever. Part of taking your session to the next level is having your photos professionally printed. There are a number of reasons this step is such an important one to take, so here I’m sharing some of the reasons I highly encourage my clients to print their photos after each session with me–
TECHNOLOGY IS NOT PERFECT
As much as we hope for our phones, hard drives, apps, and photo saving programs to work perfectly, there’s always the chance that they crash. Even when we go crazy about the possibility and back up our photos in three different places, there’s always the opportunity for something to go wrong. Cloud storage companies can go out of business (or it could become pricey to maintain after you’ve added so many photos). You could drop or break your external hard drive. When you print your photos and have physical copies of those special moments, you have those memories to reflect on forever (in addition to all the redundant backup copies). In fact, given enough time, it is a known truth that all hard drives at some point will fail, so it’s not a question of IF, it’s simply a question of when.
FILES CAN DETERIORATE OVER TIME
Did you know that the quality of a photo file (jpg, png, etc.) can deteriorate as you open, duplicate, and share it? It’s sad, but true. So, before you hop on social media and blow your friends away with how amazing you looked at your latest session, go ahead and print your photos while they’re at their prime!
YOU’RE NOT EVEN LOOKING AT THEM!
When photos are tucked away in your phone’s gallery or your computer’s hard drive, how often are you really looking at them? Probably not very often, right? And I’m sure you didn’t pick out coordinating outfits and pay your photographer for a session that will never see the light of day. Printing your photos, creating an album, or hanging them on a wall in your home gives so much more value to your session. I promise it’s worth the extra investment!
PRINTS GIVE YOUR PHOTOS MORE MEANING
Similar to the way a real book feels differently than reading a story on an iPad or Kindle, I truly believe that flipping through an album in your hands or looking at printed photos hung on a wall gives those moments so much more meaning than just scrolling through them in an online gallery or on social media.
OUR RELATIVES LOVE PHYSICAL PHOTOS
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been visiting with a relative and they’ve pulled out a photo album or pointed to framed pictures on a wall to reflect on family memories. Or how about sending some printed photos to a relative you don’t get to see as often as you’d like? Grandparents love showing off their grandkids, too, and printed photos can make the perfect holiday gift each year.
PHOTO PRINTS ARE AN INSTANT HOME DECOR IDEA
Whether you choose to display a large canvas on top of your fireplace mantle or cluster a handful of framed, printed photos in your foyer or up a stairwell, photos are one of the easiest ways to decorate your home.
WHERE TO PRINT YOUR PHOTOS
These days, there are no shortage of places to print your photos, between the drugstore down the street, to the newest online merchant. I always recommend first seeking out printing options through your photographer, as they generally can ensure the highest quality prints through professional printing labs and archival products often only available to professional photographers.
As we’ve covered the aspect of longevity in the points above, I feel it’s more than worth it to invest in printed products that will stand the test of time. But when wanting to take printing into your own hands, there are still some great options available that will result in beautiful and affordable products without having to settle for your local CVS or Walgreens (which I DO NOT recommend.)
For everything from your standard print, to a canvas gallery wrap, to a set of holiday cards, check out Mpix.com!
If you want unique press printed gift products and prints such as calendars, photo albums cards and framed prints check out Artifact Uprising.
And yet another source for creative greeting cards is Minted.com.
I can’t wait to see what you print!
