"turn your money into investment"
Did you know that most of us have an average of 2,000 photos minimum on our phones.
Now be honest, how many of those do you actually look at?
In this guide, I will tell you 3 reasons why you should print your photos, but better yet, why you should start thinking about that before you hire your wedding photographer or at least budget for it in advance.
Safety & Longevity
Before understanding why it is important to print your wedding photos, let's touch base on the various digital methods that your photographer will be delivering your photos.
CD / DVD
There is very little to be said here, NO NO NO! Avoid these like the plague. Technology has evolved so quickly that CD and DVDs have almost become obsolete. You will not be able to enjoy your photos if you do not have a CD or DVD player in 5 or 10 years time.
USB
USBs are great for storing large files, and they free up space from your computer.
However, just like CD & DVD s they are already on their way of extinction.Apple do not produce laptops with USB ports anymore. USB's also get corrupt (especially when not ejected properly), so you run the chance of loosing your photos if you do not store them in a secondary place.
Dropbox / File sharing
These methods are great for delivering large files, however the photos will take up A LOT of space on your computer especially if you are getting the Full Resolution files which can be as large a 64GB to 100GB.
It will then be your responsibility to keep your photos safe in case you encounter any technical failures in the future. You could store them on a USB or external hard drive (but then we are back to square one) or you could pay a hefty monthly fee to store them on the cloud (and I would avoid doing this as you absolutely no control over the host server and you will end up spending a lot of money on storage or loose your photos forever).
Online Album / Facebook / Instagram
An Online Album is the most current method of delivery, as photo access is INSTANT. It can also be accessed by anyone who has the link, which means you can easily share it with friends and family.
The PRESENTATION is also super sleek. You can DOWNLOAD any photos you love.
Ok so now you have downloaded them on your phone, and your wedding photos have gone buried with the rest of your everyday photos.
The other thing you might do is to share them on social media, which is a great way of sharing your photos with friends however don't get seduced by the sense of false expectation that your photos are ever safe on a social media platform.
You do not own any of these social media platforms, and your profile could be deleted without notification at any point, and it happens. I learnt the hard way when instagram shut down my cats' page and ended-up loosing all photos.
Online albums can also give you this sense of false expectation that your photos will be there forever. This is dangerous because all it take is the photographer missing a payment on his host servers fees or the host server closing up shop.
Don't get me wrong, online albums are great, but you need a FOOL PROOF method that guarantees your photos will be safe.
Print & Display that is the way!
We all know that digital technology is great, however there are cons to keeping your wedding photos digital only and this is why you should be printing your photos.
1. Digital is fragile Prints are tangible
I've already hinted at how digital can be fragile in some cases.There are things you could do to compensate for those fragilities, and one of them is to have hard copies of your Wedding Photos.There is nothing more satisfying than holding a tangible photo in your hand and reminiscent on that beautiful moment.
2. Seeing is Remembering
Did you know that you forget a moment 20seconds after it has happened. The benefits of having a print is that you can display it anywhere in the house to keep your memory alive and vivid in your mind.
A print also stand the test of time, especially in this ever evolving world of technology.
3. Turn your Wedding Photography into an investment
Only by ensuring that your photos are safe, and you are making the most of them will you turn that £3,000 wedding photography budget into an investment.
Invest in your memories,
♡ because it is beautiful to wake up in the morning and see your Wedding photo on display and be reminded of that,
♡ because you will want to share those moments with future generations to come and or simply
♡ because sometimes a picture is all you have left