But when it comes to providing images for my clients, my main objective is to have them hang these images on their walls right away so they can share them with their family and friends in ‘real life’. Photography is best appreciated and enjoyed only once it is printed, and we can enjoy it most when it is hanging on our walls or printed into albums to sit and reflect upon. I don’t want my clients to take home their disc of photos, put them aside and then never get around to printing them! It’s not very nostalgic to sit on the lounge and flick through images on a laptop with your kids... and it doesn’t create that same bonding experience as looking through an album together.
Technology changes so rapidly too, that the images you might receive and store on a disk today are very likely going to be irretrievable in years to come. Not only does the technology date, but the quality of the images stored on the technology will very likely diminish over time.
We all want our photos to last forever, they are the memories we look back upon and pass on to our families. They are more often than not, the single one thing a person will choose to take with them from a burning house (after their spouse and children of course!)... Our Photographs are PRICELESS! So why do we then put so little value on having them printed and displayed where we can enjoy them EVERY SINGLE DAY!
My children love to pull out the albums of photos that tell the stories of them growing up. They like to see what they looked like, what they enjoyed doing, and who they spent time with. They develop a sense of who they are and where they have come from by looking through these images. Unless we print our photos, our children miss out on this extremely valuable part of developing their sense of identity.
Displaying images of our children engaged in positive everyday moments communicates to the child that they have a meaningful place within a family.
"It's important not only to be photographed in ways that indicate caring, nurturing, love and success, but also to see those images and take them in," says David Krauss, Ph.D., co-author of Photo Therapy in Mental Health.
Dr Krauss says that those children who see images of themselves displayed within the family home feel more loved and valued. Isn’t this enough reason to print and display our photos? I know I want my children to feel that they are a loved and valued member of our family.
Prints are tangible, they are ‘real’. You can hold them in your hands, you can send them as gifts, you can slow down and connect with people all over again as you share some quiet time reflecting on special moments together. A digital file may be ‘cheaper’, but can you truly put a price on what a printed image can convey?
I came across this video on YouTube by photographer Bryan Caporicci that highlights the value of a printed image over a digital file... Take a look and then decide for yourself.
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