It’s easy to let your new photos live on a hard drive. Or worse – the “cloud”.

I’m not deluded, I know what happens when you get professional photo packages done. I know about the folder on your computer where all of your pictures go to die. All of us photographers do – we know we’re living in 2024, and we know what that means about our craft. Which sounds like me being dramatic (partially because it is!) but it’s also doing a disservice to YOU and your favorite people!!

Having your images professionally printed after your session is powerful, and important, and something absolutely everyone should consider no matter what kind of session you’ve had. (Yes, even sessions like boudoir, that might feel like they should never be printed!!) And today, we’re going to walk through some of the reasons why!

Family heirlooms are even more important now!

Believe it or not, now that we’re living in this super digital world, physical printing is actually MORE important, not less. And that goes for family heirlooms, as well! You know that one black and white photo you have of your great-great-someone? It’s treasured, right? And depending how you see that, you either have it packed away, safe, in a box of memories, or hung on the wall where you can see it everyday. Now, think back to those photo albums you used to flip through at grandmas. Or the ones your parents have on their shelves.

They’re FULL of photos of the people they love – the people YOU love. Every time photos were taken at a family event, or a birthday, or on a vacation, they were printed. Because that’s the only way they could be enjoyed – either printed, or on slides. So as a part of their production, it meant they HAD to become physical. Why does this matter?

It’s all about the Memories

When you physically see something in your space, you remember it. Actively. It’s tied to SEEING the image. So even if the images were printed and tucked away in an album, when you see that album on the shelf… you know what’s in there, and you remember.

But there are SO many things on our little headache rectangles (both the big “computer” style ones, and the small “pocket” style ones) that when we look at them we can’t possibly be reminded of all the magical things. We can’t be simultaneously reminded of every family event, every magical moment you wanted to document.

So now that we have all of those images tucked away on a hard drive instead of on our shelves… we’ve gone back to having as few PHYSICAL reminders as the generation that one, single, crumbling black and white photo came from.

I won’t pretend that we’re all going to somehow lose access to our digital images, I mean, our technology isn’t going anywhere soon. The headache rectangles are here to stay. BUT, what I will argue, is we deserve to have those physical reminders too! And to pass them down to our families, like those black and white photos of another age.

You want the professional prints you purchase to truly LAST

Now, if you’re planning on passing a photo down through generations of your family, you want it to hold up for that time, right? It’s kind of a natural part of handing it down.

But wanting your printed photos to last isn’t just about making sure they can become family heirlooms, it’s also about being able to enjoy them! Your images should be able to remind you of what the moment really looked and felt like – and to do that, they need to hold up from a color perspective. They also (of course!) have to stand up to time, without peeling, cracking, curling – and all of the other things that can happen to printed photos when they age poorly.

So from an “enjoyment” perspective, you’re going to get a lot more time out of prints done on archival materials in UV resistant ink. It’s just a matter of math, really.

Let’s be honest, kids are HARD on things. It’s just the facts.

And it’s not just about light and air, either. Although those are usually the elements people think about when we talk about things like “archival” materials. Fine art verbiage makes you think fine art things, after all! But anyway, if you’re enjoying your images in your home, whether it’s in an album or as a print… they’re going to be around your kids.

And let’s not pretend that having them up on the walls makes them safe. We all know that’s… not necessarily true. My kids are little tornados, and you know yours have their moments too, Mama! But if you’re going to invest in prints they need to be basically tornado-proof, right? Professionally printed wall art and albums usually come in a pretty “tornado-proof” format, whether that’s because they’re printed with archival materials, or because they have literally specifically been designed to be cleaned.

For example, metal prints? They’re an AMAZINGLY durable professional printing option that you can even wipe with a rag! So when your son trips while running full speed through the livingroom with a bowl of spaghetti for some reason (don’t question it, I’m a boy mom, I’ve SEEN THINGS) the marinara sauce will come RIGHT off.

Being surrounded by images of your favorite people is magical!

Without printing your photos, it’s a lot harder to enjoy them on a daily basis. I mean, you can really only have so many phone wallpapers, right? So take the step to surround yourself with your favorite people, WITHOUT relying on the headache rectangle to get your reminders.

Printing your photos professionally is just an all around good choice – it means the colors will match what you see on your screens, it means your images will last for years and years, and it means they can be kid-proof if they need to be. And I think all of those things are worth ordering from a pro printer!

When you book a session with Jessica Strobel Photography, your session gallery will come loaded with a TON of professional, high quality printing options for you to choose from. You can easily make your order yourself, from the comfort of your couch! So I’m happy to say: if you’re looking for some of those tornado-proof photos… you can absolutely order some after your photo session! If you’ve got questions about your print options through my studio, just reach out, and we can have a chat about printing your photos.