Why You Don't Want "Just the Digitals" - North Brisbane Family Photographer
As a full time professional photographer my business is focussed on delivering you an exceptional photography experience and producing fine art printed products with the digital file secondary to that. I don't offer digital only packages, and here's why.
Ask yourself:
What is the main reason
I want the digital files
and not the prints?
Take a moment ...
....
....
....
....
You probably arrived at one of these top 5 answers:
1. So I can share on social media or with family overseas
2. So I can print them myself cheaper
3. So I can make as many copies as I want to
4. So I can play with them in photoshop etc
5. I don't know what I want to do with them yet
Well, let's break it all down and by the end of this post, I hope you will change your mind and help you realise the true value of your images lies in having your photographs professionally printed as stunning heirloom products to last for generations.
What is a "Photo" these days?
In this digital time we feel like "photos" means the digital file.
But in the days when cameras captured images on film, did anyone expect to receive the negatives from their photographer? Probably not.
It was not so long ago that we considered "photos" as the prints, and nobody ever asked for the negatives.
The Life-span of a File
You get a USB of your photos, you put them on your computer and store the USB somewhere "safe".
In ten years time your little girl Quinoa wants to see her baby photos.
You have a new computer or some other device that hasn't been invented yet - keep in mind the iPad is only 7 years old - and your digital files weren't transferred. So you go to look for that USB drive.
MIRACLE!
You remember where you put it! So you have your photos ready to show Quinoa!
But...
Your computer in 2029 does not have a USB port. (refer that note about iPads which coincidentally.... do not have a USB port)
Back up plan!
You stored them on the cloud so you can download the files from the cloud!
But...
The software of 2029 does not read JPG files.
Digital File Corruption
Instead of ten years, lets just flash forward a couple of months. You plug your USB into your computer to show some family, and you see this:
or worse, you see this:
It looked fine last time you opened the file, what is going on?
Digital files can get corrupted at any time. Sometimes its just little lines, sometimes much worse like this rainbow mess and sometimes the file or USB just flat out will not open.
No body really knows the lifespan of a file, but we do know that over time, they are more likely to degenerate and then you will be left with nothing.
The most photographed generation in history
could have no photos of their childhood.
So lets address those
Top 5 Reasons You Want Digitals
1. So I can share on social media or with family overseas
Fair enough. I get that. My own family all live overseas. Just remember, with any files you share online, it is safest to share watermarked photos so that photography thieves can't steal them and use them. Also, just because you share files digitally, doesn't mean you should not print. When people look at photos on a screen some will look good and some will look awful. Like... really bad.
You should not require electricity
to view a photo of a loved one.
2. So I can print them myself for cheaper
This actually makes no sense. Lets break it down.
If you have the choice between watching your favourite show on standard definition TV or HD TV, which do you watch? HD TV of course.
You choose a photographer who's style you love. You invest a lot of time and money on clothing, hair, makeup and an hour or more at a photography session.
You pay your photographer to take and edit photos to a high, professional standard.
Then you want to take the digital images on a USB and print at a cheap print kiosk and put discoloured, mis-toned or pixelated photos up in your home to look at every day?
After all the time and money invested into the family photos, it makes no sense to sabotage the results at the finish line.
Kmart and other consumer printers are chasing price. They use the cheapest paper and cheapest inks, the products are not made to last. Those prints will come out discoloured then fade and discolour further very quickly. They're like looking at the standard definition TV channel on an old square-screen tube from the 80s that flickers with bad reception from the rabbit ear aerial.
Your family deserves better than this.
Printing through your photographer means the best quality prints available.
First I format and prepare every single print file for the size and medium of the finished artwork. The process differs from fine art paper to canvas or wood, and then again for size and image content.
I then send it to my professional lab. My screen is calibrated to their ICC colour profiles to ensure all colours and tones are perfect when printed.
The professional print labs source the highest grade inks and papers available and are guaranteed to look perfect and last generations. In fact all of my products have a full replacement guarantee should anything change. Ever.
The finished results are crisp, clear, vibrant high resolution fine art products that you have to see to believe and that literally last a lifetime with that 75 year guarantee.
This is how we can create the 4K HD flatscreen QLED TV equivalent.
I care that your photos are perfect,
and Kmart doesn't.
3. So I can make as many copies as I want to
Sure, but... well we kinda just covered why this is not ideal.
Your photographer will always have your digital files on hand to print more for you any time you need them.
However with the matching digital files included in all packages, you can print your own photos for Christmas cards or scrapbooking, so long as you enjoy the fine art products first.
If you don't think printed photos
are that important...
wait until they are all you have left.
4. So I can play with them in Photoshop
This is a hard no.
You must never "play" with a professional photographer's photos in photoshop.
It misrepresents the photographer as an artist. People will think the photographer creates work to that level and often the colour grades popular in apps such as Instagram will send the technical parameters of a photo out of whack, making it look amateur.
Respect your photographer and do not alter their work.
The true value of a photo is only realised
years after it has been taken.
5. I don't know what I want to do with them yet
You know you want this time of your life captured but you don't have the wall space for a large collection just now?
No problem!
Here are 3 ways to receive all the digital files from your photography session on a USB with matching fine art print products and without taking over the walls of your home.
1 - Pop them all into an heirloom album that comes with all your digital files on USB.
2 - Have your top 20 printed as 5x7 fine art prints in a keepsake box. You can keep some and gift some to family, and you receive all the digitals on USB.
3 - Print one medium size for the wall, add an 8x10 desktop print and receive all the digitals on the USB.
Technology changes.
Prints don't.
Print what you want to preserve.
Breathe Easy Disclaimer
Just so you don't freak out reading this blog, I can assure you I am not about to ditch the digital files from my packages, because I understand that people DO want them.
I just want to share how important it is to have your photos professionally printed to enjoy the true value of your photography session. Turning your family images into luxury artwork for you home is something truly special and something you really have to do for yourself to understand why. It gets your heart racing, you can't look away and those family memories will be beaming beautifully from your walls every single day.
Here's our family:
