I am a MASSIVE advocate of printing photos, rather than just letting them gather on a digital hard drive. They need be be allowed to LIVE.

And here’s why… 

I take over 13,000 personal photos per year.

Ridiculous, I know.  I’ve never counted how many I take in total. But it’s a LOT.

 

And so most of my photos just accumulate on my hard drive, until I actively diarise getting them out there into the world.

In the old days, I’d put an update album on Facebook every month to bore my friends and family. Now, not so much.

 

I have some tips on what to do with your photos in another blog post, but here I just want to talk about the why of it all.

Why it actually matters!

 

Tech Stuff

  

 

Hard Drives Die

Take it from me, this happens alarmingly frequently.

 

Ironically, I back up my client files more than I back up my personal ones, even though my clients have already got another copy of theirs.

 

 

I do get asked for them from clients long after a shoot though – as people have either forgotten where they have filed them, or sometimes their drives have died.

 

But on my personal files, I’ve had two drives die.

 

 

One gave me warning, so I could extract most of the data first, but the other one is currently not opening, and I’m in denial that I may have lost a tonne of my kids’ baby photos.

 

 

Luckily I did print some of them at the time, and they are safely in my Memory Box or displayed in my home.

 

Digital Obsolescence is REAL

There are some super interesting thoughts on this topic in an episode of the always-interesting Cautionary Tales exploring the challenges of keeping file formats usable over time, amongst other things. Well worth checking out! 

 

 

We think that if we have things backed up, maybe even to the cloud – so they’ll be safe forever.

Apparently not!

 

This documentary highlights cases where valuable data was lost due to compatibility issues over time – and it was not even realised till it was too late.

 

 

Add to that the fact that websites and service providers won’t necessarily stay in business forever, plus your loved ones may not even know where your files are stored, when you’re gone….

 

 

At least SOME of your archive needs to be in physical print!

 

But apart from this Tech Stuff, displaying photos in your home some hidden benefits to your kids that you may not realise

 

 

It creates a sense of belonging

Seeing themselves in family photos displayed proudly for all to see is a huge visual affirmation for your kids, to tell them ‘I belong’.

It boosts self esteem

It highlights how much you care

They won’t remember all the moments, and all that you did for them.

But having some photos displayed, which really really SHOW that care and attention, will really help them to see and FEEL that they are loved as deeply as you do love them.

It builds their sense of identity

Seeing themselves at various stages if their development helps them to understand who they are. Memories are more sticky when they’re helped along with a tangible thing to give them a visual narration of their life so far.

They’re also a fabulous way of reinforcing the bond that you have with them, and sharing fond memories together that might otherwise be forgotten.

Including photos of the wider family also helps to show them where they have come from, and their part in the chain of their family spanning back over time.

You can display photos to reinforce family values – “we are kind” , “we are adventurous”, “we are fun”.

Whatever your vibe is, having photos dotted around the house that emphasise that value, will help to form those values in your kids as they grow.

 All of these things really help to foster a really strong sense of identity and make sure that your kids go out in the world with confidence!

So get printing!

Not all prints are made equal though, I will have a blog post shortly with advise for you on that topic!