This topic may not necessarily pertain to wedding planning, but it is definitely something I am passionate about and has almost fallen to the wayside over the past decade or so.
That is printing your photos.
You have all these photos taken by these professionals. They are delivered via online galleries. You’ve downloaded them, saved them to your Amazon Photos, maybe even put them on thumb drives. But then what? What happens to all these digital files when USB ports are no longer a thing (just like CD drives)? What happens when computer hard drives fail? What happens when your Amazon limit is reached?
Print your photos, my friends.
Obviously, not every single photo. With the amount of images we capture on our phones, that would be nearly impossible. So, print your favorites. The ones that help share your legacy. The moments you adore and want to be reminded of over and over.
So, how do you choose?
For the every day moments you capture on your phone, I love Chatbooks and the Social Print Studio app! Both can be done directly through your phone, and Chatbooks will sync with your Instagram to automatically print your Instagram posts every 35 photos. The Social Print Studio app will print lots of things, but I use it for mini prints and will usually do 42 at a time!
For moments you hire a professional for but are not monumental moments (annual Christmas card sessions, mini sessions, trash the dress sessions, etc.), there may be a couple favorites generated from these you may want to print professionally. If you’re printing a large quantity of smaller prints here, I would recommend Mpix, but if you are wanting something sized 8×10 or larger, I definitely recommend printing professionally through your photographer.
Now, the big moments like weddings, babies, cool vacations, etc. can be the art that decorates your home for decades. Those moments deserve an album or a book to tell the story in full and some larger prints to hang on your walls. Those moments deserve the investment because you’re not just investing in your memories, you’re also investing in your legacy. Those books will be what you show your children. What your children show your grandchildren. What is passed on through generations to come. These photos are great representations of the love and passion and joy overflowing out of your life in these moments. All things you want to remember and relive. With every single image, there is a story surrounding it. A story that will run through your head every time you pass that frame hanging on the wall. A story you will share with your children every time they point up at the canvas decorating your hall. I love when my clients print their photos. I love when my clients allow me to design a book to share their full story.
Although I am not a fan of many retail printing companies like Walmart, Walgreens, Costco, Snapfish, Shutterfly, etc., I would rather you print through these companies than not print at all. I need to warn you, however, that when you print through these companies, they often do not calibrate their printers to match professional cameras. When printing through them, you might experience granulated, oversaturated, desaturated, or high contrast photos. Again, better that than nothing, but just a heads up!
If you are a client of mine and this post spurred some excitement for some prints and wall decor, you can order some straight through your online gallery, and I even have a nice little promo code to get 20% off! Just use code PRINT20 at checkout! It expires in two weeks! If you need the link to your photos again, just shoot me an email, and I can resend it! If you are interested in a book or album, email me because I personally custom design each one of those!
I’m a Knoxville Wedding Photographer that loves to travel…I shoot anywhere! Click here to contact me with any questions you have about pricing or booking! If you liked what you saw above, go ahead and follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see my daily updates of the latest sessions!
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