Some people are picture people. Cell phones have put cameras in all of our hands—now all of us are photographers—but few are truly picture people. You know who I mean: their houses are filled with snap shots and professional portraits alike. Many keep wedding pictures around for years after the event to remind them of that fresh joy, that love and their deep commitment to it.
Picture people recognize that when a family sees itself in a photograph–united, content to be together, holding each other close—it reinforces those bonds. The children of picture people see themselves on the walls and know their place in the family. They feel tethered to their particular tribe in this busy world of shallow interactions.
I’m not saying it’s better to be a picture person—oh wait, yes I am. Of course I am! We have this magic ability to stop time and hold it in our hands. Why would we not want that?
If you’re thinking of becoming a picture person, here are a few recommendations:
1) Delayed Gratification is Better:
It can be tempting to rush out with your digital images, plug it into a local 1 hour photo lab, slap it into a frame and hang it on the wall—done!
Please don’t do that. The quality of these local labs is just so poor. The colors will be off, and if you’re printing professional pictures, those colors have been very carefully crafted and deserve to be printed correctly.
2) Where To Print Depends on What You’re Printing
Traditional prints for frames or scrapbooks should be ordered from an online photo service like Mpix.com. A photographer friend of mine referred me to them, and I’ve been very pleased with the quality. The colors are flawless, the paper has a high quality feel, even the packaging screams quality.
If you’re thinking of printing something larger like a canvas or a metallic print, consider asking your photographer to order it through a high quality online photo service like Bay Photo.
3) Consider Ordering a Photobook from your Photographer
It can be overwhelming to sort through images, decide which ones to hang, choose frames to match your decor, etc. A simpler approach might be to order a photobook directly from your photographer. You won’t have to worry about design, layout or quality (professional photographers have access to photobooks and albums that are higher quality than those offered by retail online-photo services). When finished, you’ll have a cohesive collection of images that your family can review at their leisure instead of a set of digital files lost on some hard drive, waiting for a spare moment to be dealt with.
Don’t be scared to become a picture person. It takes minutes to upload pictures or place an order with your photographer, and once those images are displayed in your home or office, the benefits are enjoyed every time you happen to glance at them: you are reminded of the love and commitment you feel for the people in those pictures, and that is the true value of a printed picture.
