In this day and age, it’s so easy to just take a picture and then forget about it as it gets pushed back into the archives of your digital photo album on your phone or computer. I get it. I’m a photographer and I’m just as guilty of this! BUT, I will give myself credit for one thing. I have a folder on my desktop that is labeled “To Print” and I make sure to put all of the photos that make me feel something in that folder so that they will eventually be printed. It doesn’t happen very often, not even a couple times a month…last year I think I printed that folder of photos maybe twice. That’s it! But at least I did it 🙂
There’s just something to be said for physical prints. I remember taking endless pictures with disposable Polaroids and the anticipation and excitement that went along with waiting for them to be ready from the printer and then going through each individual photo. I loved it! I made countless scrapbooks with the photos I printed and still flip through them to this day! When the “point and shoot” digital cameras became big, I started taking videos on my camera and putting the photos I did take to music and making slideshow movies. I should have known I was going to grow up to pursue some type of career in the photo/video world 😉
So why bring all of this up? Because as a photographer in the 21st century who shoots with a digital single-lens (DSLR) camera and then delivers client galleries via an online gallery system, I know first hand how easy and convenient the digital world can be. You have all of your photos on your computer and at your fingertips for organization purposes and for whenever you may need them or want to take a walk down memory lane. It’s just easier than pulling out a big scrapbook to flip through, but think of it this way…when your future children as to see your wedding photos, do you want to pull up your wedding gallery online and flip through all of the photos? Or do you want to bring out the physical leather album with your names and wedding date embossed on the cover, open it up and relive one of the best days by looking through the best of the best images? The days of letter writing are a thing of the past, even thank you cards are becoming few and far between, which means when I do get a letter or thank you card in the mail, I get so excited because it’s different! It’s personal. That’s how wedding albums are viewed. They are your first family heirloom that can be physically passed down through the generations. It’s something special, it’s the official start of your life together as one. Don’t let that day live solely in the digital world.
Do I look at our wedding album all the time? No, not even once a month. But I can tell you, I’m so glad we invested in one, especially now that we have baby Grace and seeing her joy when she flips through her books. I won’t let her touch our wedding album just yet because drool…but I can’t wait until I can sit on the couch with her on my lap and we can flip through those memories together. Last year, I started offering wedding albums to my couples as optional add-ons to their wedding photography package because I want them to have a way to keep those special memories on hand and pass them down through the generations of their family, in a high-end, leather bound album that will stand the test of time. It’s an investment, but one you won’t regret making. It’s also why I discount them when you add on an album at the time of booking your wedding date. I value them, I want to get more albums in my clients hands in 2020 and moving forward. And of course, if you decide you want an album after the fact, no worries! I work with an amazing team of people who are always ready and willing to design the next masterpiece, no matter how long ago your wedding was!
Have questions about albums? I’m here to help! Ask me in the comments or send me a message if you would like to invest in your first family heirloom!
