Growing up there was always a camera in our house. That's where my love of photography began. I'm lucky enough that I have photos of my family going back generations, including large wall portaits of my great, great grandparents. Even though no one ever came out and said it, to have photographs taken and have them to hold was important to my family. Now that so many are gone, its even more important.
Today, trillions of photos are taken every year. Unfortunately, only a small number ever get printed, ever graces a wall, a table or an album. There are some really obvious and legitimate reasons for not having photos printed. How amazing is it that we can share something so fun and awesome instantly with everyone we know? Across multiple devices, programs, services and social media, we can now send photographs to our friends and family, sometimes with only a click of a button.
Like most technology, platforms like social media, devices like smart phones or storage options like thumb drives will be replaced by new versions or a completely new technology. Are those the best places to store something that can't be replaced? The anwer is yes. And no. Obviously, the shot you took of the beautiful meal you had last week isn't something that's truly precious. It is however, a memory. Are you going to put it on your wall or in an album? No. Maybe its the coolest photo you've ever taken and you want to hang onto it for that reason alone. Now imagine along with your beautiful meal, your grandma was in that photo and you'd taken her out for her birthday. Now that photo deserves a place of honor somewhere. If it never gets printed and only exists on your phone or Facebook there's a danger of that photo, the one will come to mean so much later, will get lost or become inaccessible. That's why printing your photos, even if its only a backup to your technology, is so important. Print it. Put it in an album. Even a shoebox is better than it being lost forever. Better yet, send it to your grandma in a frame, because you know she lost her password to Facebook and still has her phone mounted to the wall.
0 Comments