Pictures aren’t meant for scrolling…
Okay, moms, we’ve all had the request – for a specific type of photo for the classroom collage, for grandma and grandpa – and you KNOW you have just the right picture for the occasion. You can see it, right there in the corner of your mind’s eye. So you do what every modern mama does and search your hard drive, thumb through the one million and one photos on your phone – maybe you even do the dreaded social media scroll. Surely you’ll find it, because surely IT’S THERE.
But, you find rather quickly that the sheer mass of digital images is overwhelming. Heck, it’s MORE than overwhelming and you find yourself giving up after burning precious time and energy searching all of your digital diaries.
While digital imagery has given us the allure of instant gratification, enabling us to quickly share favorite images with our friends and family at the touch of a button – what happens after?
For now, Facebook and Instagram still serve as our preferred highlight reel of the snapshots and moments we deem memorable, but …it can’t be long until these mediums are replaced with whatever social media channel is coming up the pipeline. When I think back to not-too-long-ago (or so it seems!), a photo session my family had not even 10 years ago is on a thumb drive somewhere and I couldn’t place it if I tried. And wedding photos from ceremonies barely 15 years go may have even been delivered via CD-ROM. What’s a CD-ROM, you say?
Exactly.
But you know what hasn’t changed with technology’s rapid advancements, and as the years have marched on? Prints.
Tips on printing…
I have photographs of my grandparents and great grandparents from 100 years ago. These cherished memories are mine, and I can hold them in the palm of my hand. My children can hold them in the palm of their hands, and one day THEIR children can do the same. Prints stand the test of time and ensure your memories don’t fade with the latest trends. Printing your photographs doesn’t have to be overwhelming – there are tons of services that can help you quickly and efficiently turn your digital files into prints you’ll always hold on to. Here are a few to consider:
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Chatbooks – if you’re an Instagram devotee, who never misses a chance to update your feed with a sweet snap of your kiddos – everything from the first day of school to Sunday morning pancakes at the diner – this is a great option for you. Chatbooks takes your feed and turns it into a small-but-sweet photo book of these moments so you can have them and hold them forever. There’s even a monthly subscription offering, where you can sign up to have a 30-page album made for you each month – so you don’t even have to think about it.
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Mpix.com – While there are more photo sites and services than I can count, many are riddled with quality control issues and color casting woes that can render your beloved images unrecognizable in print or canvas. Mpix.com, however, is the rare exception. They have color experts on-hand to ensure consistency and quality, and their shipping team works miracles in the turnaround department, so you can get quality prints and photo products of every variety at fair prices and impressive speeds.
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Your Photographer – I may be biased, but I think I’ve saved the best for last. My strongest recommendation is to work with a photographer who values the printed product and photo album not only as much as I do – but as much as I know you will over time. Professional photographers (myself included) work with print labs that ensure the highest quality prints and archival photo albums – the kind of labs that you can’t access as a consumer. Not only do I hand select the print lab that I know delivers the highest quality prints and products, but I will work with you to select favorite images, and place them into products, like heirloom albums, that will be treasured forever. And after all, isn’t treasuring your photos forever exactly the point? Printing your images ensures that you always will.
Have more questions about prints and photo products?
And come say “hi”!
