The Importance of Printed Photographs, PART 1
Athens Atlanta Engagement Wedding Photographer

February 15, 2015

claire diana photography albums prints physical productsThe first time I actually started thinking about the importance of printed photographs was when a bride came to me a year after her wedding and requested another CD of her weddings images (way back when I delivered wedding images on CDs).  She said she had put the CD in a box and somehow it had gone bad, and she hadn’t even had a chance to look through the photos yet

My heart ached.  Photos of such a special day, photos that I put so much love and effort into creating, and let’s be honest, photos that cost the bride a pretty penny — hadn’t even been looked at?

I then started being super observant (and it’s helpful that most of my brides become good friends of mine).  Which brides of mine had put their photos on Facebook?  Which had printed photos to display in their homes?  I started finding that many of my clients had never done anything with their precious wedding photos.  But don’t worry, they said, “It’s on my list of things to do!”

I understand that life is busy.  Trust me.  And life doesn’t get any less busy after your wedding day is over; Now you have even more things to devote your time to.  Which brings me to my point — or one of them at least:

That’s what I’m here for.  :)  My job as a professional photographer is to be in charge of providing you with images that you’ll cherish forever.  Not images on a CD that will be placed in a desk drawer (click link to watch hilarious video or scroll to the bottom), but images that will sit out in albums on coffee tables and be the topic of conversation when you invite guests to your new home.  Images that will be displayed on walls that you walk by every day.  Images that you can touch and feel and pass around.

For a long time, I wasn’t providing that service.  I was okay with just handing over a CD and hoping my clients would get around to doing something with their images.  I didn’t realize that putting more work on my clients‘ shoulders was a huge disservice to them.  I don’t blame them for not getting around to doing anything with their images — it isn’t their job; It’s mine!

I’m happy to say that the service I provide to my clients now is MUCH better than what I described at the beginning of this post.  I’ll always be looking for better ways to serve my clients, and I’m happy to say that for the last year, I’ve hugely increased the amount of physical products and printed photographs I deliver to my clients.  I love hearing that my clients cherish their albums, love the canvases above their beds, and have framed photos on their desks at work.  I’ve also introduced “Photo Reveals” into my service, which I’d love to tell you about!  In 2015, one of my resolutions is to, again, move even further away from “just digitals” and leave my clients with images they will truly enjoy and cherish.  The albums above were delivered today to a wedding couple and to each set of their parents.  :)

Finally, you NEED to read the most touching & amazing article on this topic by fellow photographer Kathleen Trenske.  She takes the words out of my mouth and my heart out of my chest, and I couldn’t say it any better if I tried.  And be on the lookout for PART 2 of “The Importance of Printed Photographs” in the coming days… it’ll be less emotionally-driven and full of fun (and scary) facts.

Claire Diana