Today’s digital world
means that people rely on storing digital photographic images on a disk etc,
without feeling the need to print them. Or, believe just having a disk of
images is a simple and economical way of owning professional quality
photographs.
Whilst images on disk
have their place, where professional quality photography is concerned images on
disk should never be seen as a replacement for a printed end product. I am also
passionate about the photographer being the one to source and supply the end
products on behalf of their clients. Here’s why………
“Why is a
disk is not enough”?.....
1. Technology becomes defunct.
Facebook, websites, email
all serve to share and spread images quickly and easily. I personally love how
the internet allows me to share my work to a wider audience. But what happens
when the current social media sites, software and technology becomes obsolete?
You might be left in a few years time with a disk of images you can’t view
anymore. Or worse still, what if you accidentally delete or lose your images
off your PC. What happens then? If you have invested considerable money in
professional quality photography how would you feel if you suddenly ”lost”
those images?
I have amazing
photographs that were taken by my grandfather over 70 years ago, some of which
are now in a national museum. I have them now because they were brought to life
as prints. You must print your photographs in order to preserve and enjoy them
for years to come. The only technology you need to view a print is your eyes…..
2. Taking the images to
the next level.
There is a world of
difference between a professional quality photograph that has been enlarged and
printed by experts and the low resolution version that has been modified for
web / screen use. Without taking the photographs to the next level you simply
cannot fully appreciate them.
OK, I understand it’s important to print my images, but
I’ll just do it myself at Tesco / Asda / use that Photobook offer on internet
that’s cheap…….
1. Firstly, will
you really get round to organising the printing?
Will you? Really!....
2. If you do
eventually get round to it - will you know where to have them printed for the
best results?
There is a huge selection
of consumer photographic services on the high st and internet, at seemingly
cheap prices. But not all of them have exacting technical standards or offer high
quality products. To get the most of professional quality photographs they need
to be printed by experts who understand the product. I recently printed some
black and white images as an experiment at a supermarket and also
professionally. The supermarket ones were simply not as good, all the lovely
shadow details and tones I had carefully preserved in my editing – all lost in
a block of solid black! But the professional copies were perfect and retained
all the artistic elements I had worked hard on……… As with most things, you do
get what you pay for….
3. Access to professional
suppliers
Professional / semi pro
photographers have access to suppliers that the general public don’t. This
means you will get high quality durable products that will withstand years of
use, as well as a larger range of photographic papers and display options to
choose from.
4. Protecting your
investment and my work
I invest a lot of time
and love creating / editing my images and I want to ensure that your images get
printed exactly as I made them, without any loss of quality or artistic
intention. The only way I can do this
for clients is to be involved in sourcing the end product.
5. Providing a full
service and experience for clients
Put simply just putting
images on a disk and not doing anything more with them doesn’t feel right to
me. It almost feels it is devaluing the art of photography and what I am trying
to achieve as a photographer as well as for my clients. Capturing and editing
the images is just the beginning of the process, turning them into printed product
is the end.
So, if you have some
important photos currently sitting unloved on a disk, make a promise today to
have them printed and work with your photographer to get the best products and
results for you.
