Why you should get prints done of photos

While I embrace the change that digital has brought to photography I think it’s important to keep one foot in the “analog” world, at least in one area – the physical print. It is easy to feel the emotion in the daily images seen on social media platforms, but these moments are transient. The thing is, digital photos have a really short and fragile lifespan.

As a society, we now produce more photographs than ever before, and the total number is becoming difficult to fathom. This year, it is estimated that billions of humans armed with smartphones will take over 1.2 trillion pictures. Many of them will be shared on social media, but many more will simply be forgotten. A few good selfies will flash before your eyes as you swipe left or right on them, late some Friday night. But hardly any will make the transition into the physical world, bits becoming blots of ink that blend into an image on a piece of paper, canvas, wood, or metal — a print.

The beauty of a printed photo means that we have time to connect with and explore the meaning of the print before us. A print is a tactile reminder that can be shared with others, a moment to escape the digital distractions of screen images. Photo prints can be displayed and viewed for the enjoyment of the individual, at a time that suits them. There is no e-mail bouncing up at the bottom of your screen and no Facebook “dings” going off in another window. You can enjoy the picture and the story it tells in a quiet, distraction-free moment

Prints can be passed down through the generations to be shown or exhibited at any point in time. Photographs printed onto archival papers can be preserved for a long time, to be displayed, enjoyed, and to connect with future generations.

I want everyone I photograph to have physical printed images of some kind whether it’s an album, a folio book, or wall art. Print images and keep them in a beautiful box! Get family albums made frequently! That’s not to say that you should not keep digital images. In fact, when you order a print from me you will get a digital copy of that image so you can share your photo online with your friends. Digital images are also good for personal branding as you may need to send digital copies to get printed in a magazine or put on your company’s website.

A print, when printed using archival material, can last for over 100 years when stored properly. Printing for archival reasons is a logical thing to do, but the real reason you should get prints is emotional. When done correctly, seeing a high-quality print of an image of you can be mesmerizing. There is just something about holding a finished print in your hands that is infinitely more satisfying than seeing your photo on a screen — especially a pocket-sized one. I recently did a print for a client and when she got it her comment was “I absolutely love it !!!!!” She is now looking to get a much bigger print of a different image.

When you get a print done then get it done right. Then mount it, frame it, display it. Take pride in it. Heck, print two three or four, maybe more.

Thanks for reading. Please be in touch to learn more about my work and to book a portrait or personal branding session with me.