Why Printing Your Photos Matters More Than You Think

Quick little backstory about my business: When I first started, I only delivered digital images. It was simple, people loved it and I understood why. Digitals are convenient. You can share them online, save them, and gallery sharing services make them look beautiful on screen.

Then something shifted.

I began photographing school portraits, and families started ordering prints. I printed portraits that I took of my own kids and framed them. And I realized holding a photograph in your hands feels completely different than seeing it on a screen.

Having printed photos hanging in your home is honestly incredible.

Digital images truly are wonderful. They let us stay connected with loved ones who live far away. We have years of memories at our fingertips. But most of us have thousands of photos on our camera rolls. So many that we rarely go back and look at them all.

That’s where prints are different.

Printed photos live with you. They sit on mantles and bookshelves, hang in hallways, and get tucked into albums. You see them. You touch them. They become part of daily life.

And that’s why printing matters. I want to dive in to this a little more because I truly feel that it’s important.

Digital Photos Are Easy to Forget

We are busy. Our camera rolls are not at the forefront of our minds. We assume they’re safe because they’re on our phones, backed up etc.

But in reality:

• phones get upgraded

• logins get lost

• storage fills up

• technology changes

• whole folders get buried and forgotten

And most of us don’t sit around scrolling old albums with our kids. We take a picture, maybe share it, and then it disappears into the cloud.

Meanwhile, the seasons change. Babies become toddlers. Big kids suddenly look like teenagers.

Printed photos slow everything down.

Printed Photos Shape How Our Kids See Themselves

I have two 11×14 framed photos of our family. One was taken before our third son was born, and the other was taken after.

Even at just three years old, he notices. He’ll point to the first photo and ask, “Mama, where am I? Am I born?” Then I show him the newer one and say, “You’re in this one!”

And every time, his face lights up. He gets the biggest smile on his face. There’s just something powerful about a child seeing themselves displayed in their own home.

I’ve watched my own kids flip through album pages, laugh at their baby faces, and ask us questions about those times.

Those conversations don’t usually happen scrolling on a phone. They happen around on the couch, in the hallway, at the kitchen table.

Printed photos invite us back into moments we didn’t realize we forgot. And they ensure your kids will have something tangible when they’re grown because our phones definitely will have changed by then.

Watching Time Pass: A Look at My Own Kids

I’ve been taking these portraits of my kids for the past few years. Not always every year, but I try for at least every other.

Seeing them side by side honestly blows my mind. I don’t notice the changes day to day, but over time it’s incredible to see the change.
(Side note… the bottom ones still aren’t printed yet, so clearly I need to take my own advice 😆)

IN FACT, I even had trouble finding the digital files to create this side-by-side for the blog, which really proves my point. 😂

If these photos only lived on my phone, I know I wouldn’t look at them nearly as often. But we see the framed ones in our hallway every single day.

Printed, framed, or made into albums, they become part of daily life. Little reminders of how quickly everything changes and how there is always love and joy, even when things might feel heavy.

Easy Ways to Start Printing Your Photos

If you want to start printing photos, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We all have thousands of digital photos and you don’t have to print everything.

My advice would be to start small - maybe one framed photo per each child’s room. One framed family portrait on your wall if you had professional photo done. Frame a few prints for gifts for grandparents. A photo book of some of your favorites from the year from your camera roll.

Why do I feel so strongly about printing your photos? Because these photos are more than just pretty images. They show who you were at this stage of your life.

That’s exactly why I include print credit with every session.

Not as an extra, but as something intentionally included with each package. So your memories don’t stay tucked away in a gallery link or lost in a camera roll, but become something you can see on your walls, hold in your hands, and pass down to your kids.

Digital images are wonderful and you’ll always have them. But your story deserves to live beyond a screen.

My hope is that years from now, when your house feels quieter and this fleeting season feels far away, you’ll still have the printed photographs reminding you of how it was and what it felt like. We remember feelings along with images and what could be more impactful ❤️

If you’re starting to picture your own family in these moments, let’s plan something beautiful together! Click below to contact me and start the planning process.

Wondering when the best time to book family photos is in Buffalo? Read my blog on that HERE