We live in a digital age, sadly. I mean, for social media - it's great! There's nothing like having info at your finger tips instantly, updating friends on a special event or purchasing something and having it tomorrow (... this, coming from an Etsy addict). But what about the prints and photo albums our parents handed down to us. The ones with the crazy ugly covers and sticky backgrounds filled with old polaroids. My mother gave me one she put together and it's honestly a prized possession, filled with my favorite childhood memories and people I've loved and lost. But what are we giving our children? Certainly not CDs or flash drives filled with digitals, am I right?
It's sad, but true - most people today want digitals over prints. I used to be one of those people. I'd look for a photographer who only offered digitals... because that's what we're supposed to want, right? Um, no. Now I know different. Do you know how many digitals I printed from the session when my boys were 2 and 4? Two. I printed two. Do you know where the other digital files are from that session? I have no clue. No idea. Probably on an old CD somewhere covered with scratches, unreadable.
Do you know what images are my most prized possessions now? Those two photos I printed from that session when my baby boys were tiny. It's in my kitchen and I look at it every, single, day. I smile and remember how fast they are growing. It's a constant reminder to slow down, appreciate them and snuggle them once more before they are grown and gone. Time goes way too fast and sometimes we need a visual reminder to knock us back into reality.
So, it's with this post that I stress the importance of printing your beautiful artwork. Print. Your. Art. No matter if it's a 4x6 or a beautifully printed album. Print it and save it for the day that you can hand it down to your children, or your children's children.
And, the next time I see you in the studio, let me show you all of the beautiful printed pieces I offer for you and your family. Trust me, you'll thank me for it. xo, Nicole