I still remember the day I got the news that she was gone. It seemed impossible. She was so young, just barely out of her 20's. Two young boys that called her mama, still in the early years of her marriage and 4 best friends that had been through every life changing event together since adolescence all left behind to wonder why.
I may never know the answer to that "why". One thing I do know is that this photograph was mailed to me after my best friend passed away with a sweet hand written note and was one of the only things that brought a smile to my face in the raw painful days following her death. A mutual photography loving friend had taken this photo almost 20 years prior, developed the film and printed the image in our high school dark room. She had kept it all of these years and thought I might like to have it. She was right. To this day it's one of my most valuable possessions.
When potential clients inquire with me about photography services, one of the top questions I get asked is "do you offer digitals"? The answer in short is - yes I do. But I'd love to expand on why digitals are NOT what I focus on, and why you shouldn't either!
Naturally we want to be able to see, and share our images as soon as possible, and when we share them, we want others to see them. Immediately. As in-right now. We have at our fingertips the ability to give the entire world a glimpse of where we are, who we're with and what we're doing in real time updates, with as many pictures and words as we see fit. Technology truly is amazing.
It's also ever changing. We mustn't take for granted that Facebook, Instagram, External Hard Drives, and the Cloud could be gone quicker than we can save our photos from them. Don't believe me? Let me ask you this. When was the last time you saw one of these?
When was the last time you logged into MySpace, Friendster or your Kodak Gallery? Even our most current and modern electronic storage devices could become outdated, and unusable. Did you know that most external hard drives are made to last about 5-7 years? I don't know about you, but I want access to my memories for a lot longer than that!
“Right now technology doesn’t have an easy solution for long term storage. Digitally storing photos is no guarantee that your grandchildren or even your children will be able to look at these images”
Did you know that a printed photograph can last as many as 100 years?
Who do you care more about sharing these memories with? Your Facebook friends? Or your children, and their children and their children?
When you rely solely on electronic devices and modern technology for storing and sharing your precious memories you're playing a risky game.
If you're anything like most busy moms...you're probably fooling yourself into thinking that one of these days you're going to print all of those cell phone photos. One of these days, you'll finally sign up for the latest printing app and get everything printed in handy little books that will store neatly on your book shelf. One of these days the family photos that you hired a photographer to take will be uploaded to the Costco, or Walmart or Shutterfly photo lab and printed out, and framed, and put into albums. They won't always sit in that online gallery waiting to be held and admired in your great grandsons dimpled hands.
Maybe you have a little anxiety because deep down you know that you may not ever get all of your printing caught up...it's just too overwhelming. You don't know where to order from, or what to print, or how to display and store them.
Now imagine this. You hire a photographer to take family photos, and within one month those images are beautifully displayed in your home. You have stunning wall art of the people you care about most. You have image boxes, albums and prints that are easy to pick up and flip through as your children grow older and ask to see pictures from when they were babies, or want to show their children what grandma and grandpa looked like way back in 2017. Instead of outdated technology that may or may not be accessible, you have keepsakes.
Your memories are now tangible heirlooms that are ready to be passed down from generation to generation.
And guess what? You didn't have to lift a finger. Your super awesome photographer being the professional that she is, took care of your order for you. She walked you through the entire process of choosing your images, ordered from her professional photo lab to get you the highest quality product and hand delivered them right to your door.
I still digitally back up my own personal photos. I still offer digital files to my clients. But I do not depend on those mediums to preserve my memories. Just like that photo at the top of this page that can never have a price put on it, they're far too precious for that.
Print your photos. Choose a digital platform to back them up, but never underestimate the value of a printed photograph.
This is one service that you will not regret investing in, because lets be honest, as moms we all know that the days are long but the years are ever so short. If you would like to get on my VIP list and get priority access to all future photo shoots (and be first in line for model calls, promos and other deals) drop your email below and I'll get you added to my newsletter.
The snuggles won't last forever; lets remember them, shall we?