You’ve invested in professional photographic memories of the pets and people you love most. Now it’s time to decide, with the help of your photographer, which photographs you want to own.
Your photographer asks “How would you like to display your photographs?”.
If you didn’t know any better, you might have said something along the lines of “Can I just get all the digital files?”.
(And yes, you can absolutely purchase all of the digital files).
But that’s not REALLY what you want. And here’s why:
Remember that CD or USB of digital photos you invested in? Where is it now?
Is it kicking around with some random pennies and unidentified keys in a drawer somewhere? Even if you found it, does your computer even have a CD drive or USB port?
The harsh reality is that a memory stick in a drawer is pointless.
Technology is always changing. That’s why I had to throw out my VHS collection (and I’m still not over it, to be honest). Even if you could find your CD or USB of digital photos, does your computer have a drive to open it? Apple laptops haven’t had USB ports since 2018.
We also know that technology fails. Hard drives just give up and get randomly wiped, USB drives get corrupted. Phones take a trip through the washing machine, and anything stored on the Cloud is basically at the mercy of whatever company is saving it on their servers.
When technology fails and your photos are lost, they are gone forever. Any photographer will tell you a story of when they backed up their images 3 times, and they all failed.
Is that a risk you’re willing to take with your memories?
Basically, best case scenario is that your memory stick becomes obsolete and your photographic memories are demoted to a useless technological artifact. Worst case scenario is that technology develops beyond human control, revolts against us and enslaves humanity.
(But also that your memories that have been captured in photographs are lost forever).
Even the most beautiful, meaningful photos only last a moment on social media. We are constantly bombarded with digital images on social media, and the overload of imagery means that our digital photos are not fully appreciated. When a photograph lives in the digital world, it’s almost immediately scrolled past or swiped away and forgotten forever. Even if you post your photographs to your feed, it is soon overtaken by new posts, comments, news, etc.
Digital photos have their place. They’re great to email to loved ones who live far away. They’re great to get inspiration from, or to learn about something new. They’re great to document quick, candid, everyday moments.
Sharing your photos to social media is fun – I do it, too! But when you invest in professional pet photography , sharing a digital file on social media is secondary and complimentary to displaying your photographs in your home. That’s why, as a professional pet photographer in Ottawa, I gift my clients a complimentary social media file, optimized for Facebook and Instagram, of any image purchased in product form.
Digital photos aren’t actually photos. It’s just data. Information. A digital photo is one of the raw materials that is required to produce a photograph. Having just a digital photo is like having the movie script for Citizen Kane, but never actually filming it (absolutely tragic).
Almost no one does anything with their digital files. Digital photos get stored somewhere on the Cloud or on a hard drive and they disappear. The Cloud is where digital photos go to die…
Why? Because in order to get any enjoyment from digital files, you need to:
If you successfully find them, then what? You look at them for 30 seconds, close them, and do that all over again in 4 years when you’re reminded they exist again? YIKES.
Printed photographs are real and tangible. You can touch them. You can see the texture of the paper and smell the ink and the wooden frame. You can feel the linen cover of the album. A printed photograph is an actual piece of art.
Printed photographs in your home are enjoyed every single day. You get to enjoy them even when you didn’t realize you wanted to. They are a welcome interruption that catches your eye and holds it there, even just for a minute, to brighten your day and remind you of what’s important.
Plus, printed photographs are great décor. The only way a digital photo frame would be cool décor is if you could time-travel back to 2007. A gallery wall of printed photographs will never go out of style. And custom artwork of your pets creates a one-of-a-kind aesthetic and makes your space unique to you while honouring your furry family member.
To see all the different ways to display your photographs, Click Here!
