What Should I Do with My Photos?
Whether you’re trying to figure out what to do with the hundreds of photos on your phone or you’ve invested the money in a professional photo session, chances are you’d like a few physical keepsakes to remind you of the sweet people and fun memories you’ve encountered throughout the years.
Start with your End Goal
Ask yourself a few questions:
Photo Credit: Ekaterina Shakharova
Would grandparents or relatives appreciate these photos? In an age where ads and bills dominate our mailboxes, a physical photo with a handwritten is a rare, but cherished gift. Consider photo prints for the relatives who plaster your photos all over their refrigerators.
Is your family growing? If you don’t have an existing photo collage on your wall, consider starting one and adding photos as the pieces of your family grow.
Did you move recently? What statement piece could be hung in your bedroom or living room to showcase a moment in time?
What do you want to share with your kids as a legacy for decades to come? Consider splurging on an album with a collection of photos. Even if you do it once every 5 to 10 years, an album is a beautiful keepsake for future generations.
What would brighten your day at work? When you’re overwhelmed with emails and meetings, framed photos or wall calendars remind you what (who, really) you’re working so hard for.
Are you artistic? Some companies print on wooden blocks. Etsy is a fantastic resource for less traditional photo ideas like key chains, charms interesting decor.
How to Use Your Session Print Credit
Let’s say you’ve purchased a print + digital package from me and you’re ready to roll. These are a few ideas for budget and splurge options:
Prints are by far the best value for the dollar. Professional photographers work through professional print labs, so the paper and color specs are of the utmost quality, and designed to last for life. Although prints of a higher caliber cost more than a consumer lab will, you’re paying for built-in customer service and the photographer’s time to edit photos.
While I don’t guarantee the quality of photo prints ordered outside of my client galleries, I will say that Artifact Uprising does a pretty fantastic job and I’ve heard good things about MPix.
Do you like those prints framed? IKEA, Target or a discount Home Goods Store like TJ Maxx or Home Sense are fantastic resources for frames. If you want a better quality route, look up a local frame shop. It’s a great way to get exactly the style you want to match your home decor.
Canvas prints add a touch of elegance to the home. However, not all canvas prints are made equally. I often print my artwork on canvas for paid projects and have tried to cut corners, only to be very disappointed with the results. Color skew and pixellated images that appear oddly stretched have wasted many a dollar. I highly recommend working through your photographer or a pro print lab. However, I’ve had good luck with CanvasPop for DIY canvas prints.
Consider a photo keepsake box. As your children grow, you might want to keep adding photos without dealing with swapping out images from frames. You can print a stack of 5 x 7 photos in a glass keepsake box which also displays nicely in a home.
If you have room in your budget, spring for a good quality album. When I grew up (hello, 80’s) our albums were 4 x 6 photos shoved into plastic sleeves. But I still cherish all of those photos today. An album is a beautiful legacy piece you can keep on the coffee table and share with polite guests or hand down throughout the generations. My grandparents’ wedding album is a keepsake I cherish as I age.
Create a photo wall with frames and prints. Some clients love the seamless look of all black & white photos and frames. But if you love color, go for it.
If you have elderly relatives, consider starting a memoir book with your photos. I so wish I’d known my grandparents when they were growing up, but reading their letters and looking at their photos give me a sweet little peek into their past. My grandmother had an incredible story of living through WWII in Germany. She took the time to write her memoirs and include photos, which ultimately sparked my love for storytelling and photography.
What Should You Do with Your Digital Images?
If the ideas above haven’t inspired you to do something with those digital files, consider these options:
First, you want to back up your images. I host galleries online for as long as possible, but as space fills up, so my data storage fees increase. If you’re an avid phone photo-taker, back them up via the Cloud or Google Photos.
Consider Blurb to create a magazine-like album or a traditional photo album that you can totally keep in digital format. For $5 you can have a pdf version of your Blurb album and save it to your phone. I recall a traveling mom saying how much she needed to scroll through and see photos of her kids when she was alone in a hotel room after a long day of trade show activities.
Have you done anything creative with your photos? Shoot me a line and let me know.
