They say the older you get the faster it goes ... money, hair, moments of time. And every day, deeply immersed in the Digital Age with ready access to powerful cameras on our mobile phones, we are busy trying to record these memories. Everywhere you look people are taking images of their breakfast, themselves,their kids, their fur babies, hanging out with their friends or family ... well pretty much everything really.
In fact it is estimated that over 1.2 TRILLION photos will be snapped this year, 85% of those taken on a mobile phone. And there are estimated to be over 5 Trillion photographs stored out there on hard drives and in clouds. That's a lot of pictures!!
So what do you do with yours? When was the last time you looked back through your old images? On your phone or on your computer? Do they just get taken and forgotten about, forever trapped in a device such as a mobile, tablet, hard drive or computer? Do you share them on Facebook or Instagram for friends and family to share the moments in your life worthy of a comment, a like or a conversation?
It seems contradictory to take so many photos, and capture so many memories and yet to do nothing with those images afterwards.
So what do I do with my photos? Well firstly I back everything up, I then back it up again. Your phone is not going to last forever, hard drives break down or get lost and damaged, Facebook could turn around tomorrow and tell you that you can't see your pictures anymore. So, don't lose them.
Importantly though, the best ones get printed. Let's face it, of those thousands of pictures on your phone, how often do you actually look at them. How often do you look at them on a screen bigger than 4 inches high?
Printing your pictures has so many benefits;
- It allows you decorate your house with beautiful art that has so much personal connection to you
- You are creating memories for yourself, your children and for generations to come. Physical evidence of a time and a place and a feeling - a tangible source of comfort that can be cherished forever.
- You are actually creating a true sense of home- this can be vitally important for children especially in terms of boosting their self-esteem and shows them that your family and those in it are important to one another and that those memories are valued and cherished.
- It might just make you happy - we have a beautiful canvas print of our pup Macie on our lounge wall, sadly she passed away earlier this year but seeing her picture up there never fails to remind of the happiness she brought to our family.
There are now more ways than ever to get your images printed, its never been quicker, its never been easier, and its never been cheaper. So there really is no excuse, of course not every picture is going to be one that you want beautifully framed and hung on a wall but there are so many other ways. Albums, collages, canvases, books, mugs, t-shirts, key-rings, etc.
We recently had a family holiday to Borneo, we created a simple photo album using a cheap deal from Groupon. The quality may not be perfect but that book along with another made of family portraits sits proudly on the coffee table and gets looked through regularly with the holiday remembered fondly.
There are many places to get you prints done from cheap online retailers, to your local office supplies store, to a local print shop and all the way up to professional photo labs.
There is a time and a place for all of them and technically as long as you are getting your photos in a physical format any can be fine. The quality can be very varied however, I use pro labs for all of my client prints and all of my personal favourites. Yes, they cost a bit more, but the craftsmanship, the quality of materials and their personal attention to detail means that I know I am going to get a beautiful piece of art that will last for many years to come.
I have had a couple of happy clients recently who have ordered prints of mine. Josh wanted to get some framed prints for his wife for Mother's Day. I had recently done some family portraits and photographed their sons first birthday party and there were a few images that he really liked.
These will have pride of place in the new extension that they are building.
I also get an email out of the blue from somebody that had found one of my photographs on line. A picture of the Barrenjoey lighthouse at Palm Beach. Her son had a real affinity with the place and she wanted a framed print to give to him on his 40th birthday.
I was only too happy to help and they were thrilled with the result
So please do get in touch if you want advice about the best print products or if you want me to arrange printing for you. And of course I offer flexible portrait packages including digital and printed images and I'd be more than happy to help you create those treasured memories to hang on your wall for many years to come.