Are Printed Photos Still Relevant?
In a day & age where the majority of our lives center around sharing photos with friends and family through social media, the question of “Are printed photos still relevant?” stands to be disputed.
It’s true, that sharing on social media is the quickest and easiest way to catch the world up with the current status of our lives. Not to mention, the best way to keep out of town family up to date. Especially with the past two years where travel has been restricted, and often unsafe, I know most of us were grateful to the technological advances of the internet for letting us stay connected in a time when we physically couldn’t.
I think it’s true that humans are picking up a camera, of any sort, now more than ever. Photos for the gram, Facebook photos, Instagram (and just about every other platform now) stories. The internet is exploding with images of people, places, and things all over the world. Truly, this is the most documented time period in history as it stands. And I love that!
Obviously this can come with it’s downfalls though. When does it become too much? Are photos as sacred and important as they once were, now that there are so many? Do printed photos even still matter when we have the power to share them instantly at our finger tips?
The short answer? Absolutely.
Growing up, I too took photos of everything. The difference was that I had to wait for my mom to get the disposable film developed to see them. We’d add them to the giant bins of photos that she kept stored under her bed, and let me tell you, I loved that bin. I still do! It still sits in the same spot in fact, joined by a few new ones from us adding to our collection over the years. It’s quite impressive really. Even more impressive is my grandmother’s though. She has shelves of rubber made bins practically bursting at the seems with photos through the decades. My favorite thing to do at family gathering, or any time new friends/partners came over, would be to grab the bins and show them a glimpse of all the highlighted moments throughout my life. This passion has not died, for I now have my own collection of multiple albums and a small box of overflow photos in my very own, very tiny, rubber made bin. In addition, just as my mother did, I have filled the walls of my home in photos of me and my friends, my husband, and our adorable pets. These are the types of details that really make a house, a home.
But how many other people love the feeling of a printed photograph in their hand as much as I do? Again, is it really that important?
I will say, the emotions connected to a physically printed photo can never be replicated by a digital one. Neither can the style or the nostalgia of it. Seeing them all collaged together in a photo album or a scrap book, organized by major events/time periods, is a feeling that is irreplaceable. Photos have this wonderful ability to tell a story, and printed photos make that story feel more real, more tangible, because they’re a physical thing that you can hold in your hands. Have you ever had your bestie over and pulled out the albums, grabbed a glass of wine and sifted through all of your childhood memories? Because if you haven’t you really should. Printed photos give us the chance to create an experience, to form a bond, to really connect with the people that we are sharing them with. And there is something beautiful, and very important, about that human connection that it grants us. It’s easy, convenient, and even fun to view a stranger’s life through a screen, but it’s never going to going to be the same as being able to sit face to face with them and hear the story behind each photo.
As a little girl, I just adored going through my parents wedding album. Even though they were divorced, it gave me a glimpse into the people that they were before me, two people still in love and celebrating that love, and that was beautiful and fascinating to me. So naturally when I got married myself, I was absolutely insistent on creating our own wedding album. I love it and I know that I’ll be able to pass that feeling on to my own children one day.
I really think that if you aren’t printing photos still in 2021, you’re doing yourself a disservice. It doesn’t just have to be the important events either. I have photo albums dedicated to trips with friends, weekend hangouts, and every day mundane snap shots taken through the years. Whenever I need a reminder of the good stuff, or if I’m just feeling nostalgic, I pull out the bins and reminisce. They don’t have to be the best quality prints, and they don’t have to be strictly film either. They just need to mean something to you. Not to mention, printing is incredibly affordable. My favorite every print store? The local Walmart, as they normally have 4x6 prints for as cheap as 9 cents. They must be tired of seeing me there by now.
So, the next time you have a beautiful family session, get some stunning personal portraits, or save that really good selfie of you and your best friend, get it printed. Store them in a sealed, dry environment, event water and fire proof if you’re wanting to be extra cautious. And the next time your important people are around, make some coffee, pull up a seat, and make that human connection, the one that we are all craving.
