Prints in a digital era?

We are all guilty of not printing as much as we should. Living in a digital era we can get instant gratification from simply posting our memories to a social media forum. Social media provides us with an almost immediate self-esteem boost. But at then at the end of the day, your uploads album is full but your walls are empty. Why aren't we filling our homes with the same abundance as we do our Facebook feed?

Now I know this isn't the first blog post on this topic. Google it and I am sure you will find over a dozen similar posts, but I felt compelled to write this for my clients.

(This is one of 3 wall displays in my living room. It changes the whole vibe of your home when you put your memories up on display)

Printing is important. Ever notice that when natural disasters strike, prints seem to be the few things left standing? I stress the importance of printing, and I am always beyond thrilled when a client prints our session. I do not only stress the importance of printing itself, but WHERE you get your prints. Not all printers are made equal. I decided to test this out by printing one of my images from 3 different drug stores as well as from my professional print lab.

Here are the results:

Walgreens: Totally oversaturated. Honestly they ruined this portrait. Totally ruined

CVS: There was weird cluster of black dots all along her nose (which are NOT there in the digital image I sent over). They also added this white border which I didn't ask for. So that's weird

Target: Targets print paper itself wasn't terrible, but they print a little too "cold" for me. I like my images warm

My print lab: Pretty much identical to the digital image.

I am so happy I did this because I was really starting to feel like people didn't trust me when I told them not all print labs are the same; that spending a few extra dollars on a professional print was worth it. Now I have my proof.

Value your memories!! I know I sure do!