The Digital World... why order prints from your photographer?

So often I hear from my Philadelphia clients, "thank you for showing me what I needed when I did not know". What did I show them...the value of prints. I have had clients cry when they get their order. The value and emotion of print is huge! But where has it gone? Everyone wants digitals but then what? There are so many benefits to print your digital photos.... So why order prints from your photographer?

1.Who is logging into your computer to look at the photos?

Do you invite friends and family to gather around your computer? Then why are they stored there? What if your computer crashed? What if technology changed? How often do you log into your computer or phone and look at your photos? Why did you hire a professional photographer to capture these magical memories and then let them sit in your computer? No! lets order those prints from your photographer and hang those portraits.

2.Why display prints on the walls?

Show off your kids! Your family! Fill your walls with the beautiful images of your children- the laughter, the giggles, and yes,. the pouty and tantrum faces. Show your children how important they are by showcasing them. Show the family pet, the teary eyes of family moments, the cake smash mess your little one made, you and your hubby snuggled up or dancing. These are the moments you want to always keep with you. You don't need to just hang the perfect posed ones, I love to capture those tantrums, or those not cheesy faces. I always say, these are the looks, the expressions you want to remember at every age. Life is messy after all..... print and show off your beautiful mess.

A study done by the New York Times found there were positive effects of looking at printed images. The study found that children who came from homes with prints experienced an increased self esteem and longer sense of identity. Some findings also found that when looking at printed photos of family, their child had a stronger sense of their own identity.

Just a small added tip: If you want your kids to see why fuss over getting those family pictures, then hang them up! It creates a connection for your child.

3.Technology is constantly changing.

Technology is so frustrating, it is constantly changing. I remember holding my first digital small camera and today I have a mirrorless. What happened? Remember storing your images on a CD? What are you doing with them now? You can not insert a CD in any computer. Gosh, you can not even insert a USB drive these days. Where will you store them? How do you transfer your files as you get a new computer as technology changes?

Create albums, create memory boxes, or books. Print your images.... fill your home with beautiful photos of your family. Get the pictures off your cell phone and print those too! Let your children see themselves growing up, let them see how important they are that they fill your walls.

4.Speaking of your computer files.....

Bad news.... when we are gone, our kids are not going to spend time to sit on a computer and think of figuring out your passwords, then saying, "hey mom had all of our pictures on here" Time and time again, clients reach out to me asking if I have mom's files. This won't be the case when you print. Your children will treasure those prints. There is so much emotional connection for them to actually hold that picture of you and them.

As many of you already know about me, I was a foster child. I would give / pay anything to hold a picture of my mother in my hands. My story began at birth, but I have no documentation of it until middle school. What I would give to have a baby picture of myself. To hold my mother in my hands.

What are you leaving for your kids? For their kids?

5.Facts about Jpeg files....

A Jpeg file is a standard compression file for digital images. A digital camera compresses the raw photos as JPEG to make the files small in size for storage. Every time you download and save your JPEG file you loose a bit of the quality. Make sure you print your images the moment you get them, this will ensure you have the best quality image. Never send your images from your computer to your phone. Your phone will compress your files. When you try to print them they will be blurry and print in bad condition.

6. You don’t really own your files unless they’re printed

After your photos are taken, they're shared with you. From there you can download them to your computer. From this point, you might store them on a drive or the cloud. Where ever you store them, if you are not printing them, they are not completely yours are they? You do not own the platform you are using to store the images. You really do not have full control of this platform. What if they crash? What if they go off line? What if they go out of business and replaced by new technology?

If you want to store a back up file of your digitals, use an external hard drive, and a back up one. I always keep two external drives for each file. But the best way to make sure you have these memories for ever is to print your photos.

7. The Next Generation will thank you!!!

This is a BIG ONE. Did we forget why we take pictures? What will our kids have to share and pass down from generation to the next? How will our story be told once we are gone?

Surround your children with beautiful photos of your family. Seeing these photos often helps young children begin to recognize parents and close family members. It can also be a great conversation-starter for your older children. Do you remember asking your parents where a photo of them was taken when they were younger? Give your children the same opportunities by printing your digital photos. If you need help with any printed product or have any questions, I am here to help you. My Philadephia studio carries samples of options for printing and memory storage.

Did you know, I can design gallery walls for you? I can design custom framework for you... Let me preserve your family's legacy. So your future generations will be able to cherish the story you are living now.