It wasn’t so long ago that we were all recording to tape cassettes, video cassettes and then burning to CD’s. Now most new computers don’t even have cd drives but instead have usb drive saving options. It’s incredible how fast these new technologies develop. In contrast looking at painting, drawings and photographs that have been displayed for centuries it’s clear that to get true preservation it’s best to always have a print – or hard copy.
As a professional photographer it breaks my heart to think of all beautiful photos held captive in a memory drive. I always make sure that all my packages include some real, tangible professionally edited and printed images so that my clients have some ‘ready to frame’ images of their baby. For those clients who also choose to purchase files as well as more prints I always advise that they back up the files on their hard drive (and ideally on a cloud backup too) and to print them as soon as possible.
Why Go Pro?
I send my files to a professional printing lab and I use the same profile as them for the specific paper they use. This means that any editing process done on my computer will print out as I see it on my screen. The colours will be accurate and the contrast will be as I have edited it to be. When you print through other retail printers they do some standard adjustments and often the colours will vary from those you view on screen. In short, if you print through a high street printers you may be disappointed with the results. Similarly with the canvas frames that I order they are a superior quality, beautifully made and very sturdy.
There is so much choice of how to print your photos these days. From Art Blocks where the image is presented on a wooden black or white edged block of wood, to Di-Bond aluminium panels for a chic modern finish, to acrylic float mounts and of course the trusted canvas. For my own family prints I make a point of printing in a variety of mediums so that there is a mixture of depths and textures to our family photos. However you choose to print your photos remember to back them up your files and keep a few hard copies just in case!
How big?
The bigger the better! Most photos will be displayed on a wall where you sit or walk past at a fair distance. To get the most out of your images I advise to print at least as big as 12 x 8 and then place in a nice frame, or for canvases and wall pieces at least 12″ x 18″. Here is a guide to show you how print sizes would compare when hung on the wall.
