Being A Family Photographer is all about Family!
I took these pictures of my daughter in the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort over near my old house. I’ve passed this little spot thousands of times and not thought too much about it. One day while I was out for a walk I noticed how gorgeous the leaves were as they hung lit up by the sun. In true photographer form I ran home, dressed up my daughter, and headed over for a few quick pictures. That was last year. I’ve shared one or two of these on my Instagram account, but honestly I hadn’t really looked though all of them. I’m in the middle of printing albums of this years photos and last years photos because I really didn’t make printing for myself a priority over the past 10 years [insert gasps]. What’s the saying? ” The Cobblers children have no shoes.” Yeah, well I don’t want to be the family photographer who has no prints of her own family… so, no more! I have a few resources I love for printing so I thought I’d include some of my favorite EASY ways to keep my memories printed. Grab a coffee, a tea, a beer, or whatever floats (oooh did someone say float? Root beer float? Who am I kidding I don’t have the macros left for that today!) your boat and settle in for some mind blowing goodness.
Insta Goodness!
In the day of the iPhone, there is a lifesaver I adore by the name of Chatbooks. Seriously, Chatbooks is the best thing ever for a busy mom like myself. I subscribed to their Instagram books and because I’m very particular about the images I share (hey! they have to be perfect! Check them out and see for yourself! here and here lol) not all of my beloved pictures make the “Instagram” cut. Enter Chatbooks iPhone favorites subscription. This makes me feel like I am on top of all of life’s snapshots. I love it! Pro tip: These little albums make great little gifts for loved ones!
Procrastination Kills!
My next area of printing organization is QUIT PROCRASTINATING! Yes, that’s me yelling at myself. Seriously though, find a system that works for you to keep your digital images organized. This makes printing a breeze! So just do it. Personally, I am still figuring out the best system for myself. I think I’ve found a great way that works for me, but that doesn’t mean it would work for you. My suggestion for non photographers would be as soon as you upload your images to your computer, cull through your images and get rid of the snaps that aren’t worth printing. You know, the images that are blurry, the one with your cousin’s eyes closed… you know. Once you have the images you would want to print uploaded, you have a few choices. You can print everything as a 4×6 and buy a cute insert album from Michaels, you can use Chatbooks to print little books, or you can save those images in a folder and create a huge book at the end of the year. All of these are good options and aren’t that hard to manage. Either way just make sure you are backing up your pictures (especially if you are waiting to print them all at the end of the year in a giant book)! I’m getting a little ahead of myself, so hold tight and I’ll get back to backing up your photos. My favorite printing resources for my non photographer friends for these options are Mpix, Blurb, and drum roll please…… Chatbooks. Seriously, they aren’t paying me for saying this. I just really love them. Also, they’ve teamed up with Rifle Paper Co. and I’m obsessed.
Back That Thang Up!
Let’s get back to backing up your images. You know those CD’s, USB’s, and external hard drives that you’ve been using to back your stuff up? Those have a shelf life! They aren’t meant to be long term storage for your digital photos. In this day and age we have so many resources to back our photos up so make sure you take advantage of those! I have backups of my backups. Personally, I have a method that has worked for me thus far and here it is. I store my images on my computer, then I copy them to two different external hard drives, then I run my Mac time machine, then I make sure all of this is also being backed up offline by an off site company, then I throw salt over my should, click my heels three times, and wish upon a star. I mean business when it comes to my memories yo.
They were framed!
I know there are a thousand and one ways to do things so I hope this, in the least, will give you some ideas when it comes to printing and organizing your own photos. My final pro tip is this. If you know you aren’t going to print the photos you pay a professional to take immediately after your session, invest in them. As a professional family photographer I can tell you this. We know what we’re doing when it comes to turning your digital photos into functional heirlooms. What do you mean by functional you ask?? For instance, I don’t love canvases hanging up in my house (don’t hate on me lol), but I love framed prints. Framed images can change as quick as my children grow and at a lower cost. Life hack! Perhaps you feel the same way and didn’t even know it? Talk to us, we can help. I’ve never regretted the money I’ve spent on professional photographers. The only regret I’ve ever had was perhaps not investing enough. Going the cheap route for important pictures, never pays off unfortunately. AND it makes me sad to think that your beautiful photos aren’t being adored the way they should be! So there you go! Cheers if you made it all the way through this post! Now feast your big, beautiful eyes on these fantastical pictures below! xo
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