Printing your Images Part 1 – Go Big or Go Home

This is Part 1 of a 3 part series on printing images from your professional photography session. 

One of my favorite things to do as a kid was pulling our photo albums off the shelf, spreading them out in front of me on the floor, and flipping through all of my baby photos. I still enjoy it to this day! It’s one of the reasons I’m glad I didn’t grow up during the “digital era”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of technology. I’ll be the first to admit I am addicted to my iPhone and I’d rather spend money on new gadgets than clothes or shoes (I’ve never been a shoe gal). So I completely understand why clients want the digital files from their session. You can share your photos instantly on social media with family and friends. You can store them on your computer or your phone and flip through them with ease. It’s a wonderful convenience!

But here’s the thing with digital files – they won’t stand the test of time. Computers crash. Flash drives, memory cards, and other media storage devices can be misplaced. Files can go “corrupt” and suddenly become unreadable. And there’s no telling what the inevitable advances in technology will mean for your photos. Will computers 10 years from now even be able to read jpeg files? Who knows. What I do know is that the baby photos my mother had printed for me almost 29 years ago are still around. They’re archival pieces that I will hopefully be able to pass down to my own children some day. This was the driving force behind the restructuring of my Portrait Collections  last year –  so every client who walks through my studio doors leaves with printed copies of their images in addition to their digital files.

Ok, was that enough to convince you to print your images? Hopefully the answer is yes 🙂 Now I want to challenge you a step further and encourage you to print BIG!

The first thing you see when you walk into my studio space is the large canvas display I have up on the wall in my seating area. It serves two purposes. The first is obviously to showcase some of my best work. The second is to show you how much more amazing your images become when you get them up on your wall. If you’re not used to purchasing prints or canvas in large sizes, the thought might be little intimidating. Anything bigger than an 8×10 seems huge! It’s all about perspective. The example below is a true to life sizing guide. This is what two large canvases would look like over a standard sized crib.

Now let’s see what an 8×10 would look like in the same space. It’s too small to make out any of the details in the image unless you stand up close. The crib completely dwarfs it in size.

In order to create impact in whatever space you’re decorating you have to let yourself think big. When you invest in professional photography you aren’t just paying for pictures of your children, you’re investing in art. Picture yourself walking into your local home decor shop. You’re looking for something to hang above your bed since all that’s there now is a blank space. Do you choose a small picture or a big one? Chances are you’ll choose the big one because it’s going to look better on your wall than something small. The same thing applies to your family’s portraits. Photos of your children are more special and more beautiful than any art piece you could purchase in the store. You’re investing in an heirloom that you can pass down to your children as they grow, and you can be sure they’ll value a large canvas print of your family far more than some abstract painting or stock photograph.

This year it’s my goal to do a better job guiding clients in the right direction when it comes to selecting and purchasing wall art. Nothing gives me more joy than seeing photos my clients send me of their images up on their walls. If you’re having a hard time visualizing what your photos will look like in your own space, leave that part up to me! I can help you find the perfect images that will work best with your decor.

You can find more information about my session offerings and pricing here. Stay tuned for part 2 of this series, coming soon!