Why you should print photos!
I have had a nagging worry in the back of my mind for a couple years.. I have talked to family, friends and even strangers about the importance of printing photographs for the generations that will come. I ran across this article,, “Why your digital photos might die before your grandkids see them” and it really spoke to me and explained my concern..
O.k. – here it goes……
In this digital age, I challenge you to find images that you have actually printed in the last 10 years. Most people share on Facebook, Instagram, email and other ways, but no one seems to actually print photos anymore. It’s really fast becoming an epidemic!
I remember as a little girl how excited I was to sit on the ground with my grandmother to look through her photographs to see my mom when she was my age, or even my grandmother. Seeing the generations that came before me seemed to make me more real somehow.
How will your children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren look back over your life and actually see you growing up? Think about it. Facebook could close its doors tomorrow (think Friendster, Kodak Gallery or MySpace) and every single one of your images are gone – GONE!?! Can you imagine?
It’s bad enough that when you change phones, you sometimes lose images or when you go to take a picture and your phone’s memory is full – you quickly look for images to delete to make room for the one you want to take now. How fleeting to know that your images can be gone in a second.
I truly believe with my whole heart that we as a generation will look back at all the great things the “digital age” has brought us, but we will mourn the loss of a decade or more of images because we simply stopped printing.
O.k. – so now you are “sold” on printing – good for you! Your grandchildren will thank me one day! But how should you print? Here are 5 ways you can print images to share with generations to come.
- Create Wall Art – Take a favorite image from your photographer and invest in a large canvas. It will be an investment, but is a beautiful image of your family less important than a great pair of shoes or handbag. It will almost certainly be passed on to generations in the future, since people just aren’t printing images right now — the ones you do print will for sure be family heirlooms.
- Create an Album – You can do this with your photographer. Especially if you love a ton of images. You aren’t going to print canvases of all the images. Why not create an album to share all the wonderful memories you made. What about the images you post on Facebook or Instagram? There are a ton of companies out there that can help. They may not be as nice as your photographer’s, but at least you’ll have them printed. Think about printing an album for each year. Here is my favorite that you can print for Facebook or Instagram – My Social Book (where you can get $15 off right now!).
- Print a Keepsake –You can put your picture on so many items like calendars, hat, key chains, puzzles, playing cards, mouse pads, and so much more. Grandma will love looking at her darling grandchild while sipping on her coffee or tea. My clients love to buy holiday cards or thank you cards with their family photo on them. Then you can not only share the image with your immediate family but with all your friends too.
- Photo Box – A photo box is a box with a photograph as the finished top. The great thing about this is that they double as a box to hold a ton of photographs. I can imagine my grandchildren looking through my photo boxes with their pictures of their parents growing up. The thought melts my heart.
- T-shirt – This is great for a family reunion, holiday party or just because. I still have a white t-shirt with a black and white photograph of my grandparents when they were first married. My family made them for us to wear on a family trip for my grandparent’s wedding anniversary. They loved the surprise of seeing the whole family wear them. I have to admit that it brings a tear to my eye when I come across it in my drawer, especially since my grandmother has passed on (puffy paint and all).
No matter how you choose to print your photographs, PLEASE just print them. I promise you will be some of the very few people with actual printed images from this time in our history.
I’d love to hear from you about what your favorite images are, stories about you looking through photographs, and/or how you like to print your images, please comment below.
