Digitals versus Product
Family, Newborn and Boudoir Sessions
When it comes to full Family, newborn and of course Boudoir sessions I am very particular about what I supply to my clients. Being in the industry for 11 years now I have seen it all and at the beginning I probably tried to do it all as I found my feet. You will see digital only packages pop up in my branding sessions for good reason but In the past two years I have moved away from digital only packages for my full portrait sessions and there is are some very good reasons for that.
One of our newest Frames now available to order from your Portrait Session.
What happens when we supply digitals only to you?
Allows you to go print subpar products which is disappointing to everyone.
In the almost eleven years doing this, I can safely say less than 10% actually get around to printing them. A scary percentage don’t even back them up so they lay around on either old USB’s from the past or hard drives never to be seen. And then if they did ever get around to it they would never look like they deserve to because of course issue number one plus -
Each digital file needs to be prepared for print like the work of art it is.
Can you still get digital files from your session? Yes you certainly can, I just don’t sell them on their own for these reasons.
But why cant we have digitals ready for print?
Whether you are after classic wall art or something with more of a modern spin, we have something perfect for every home.
Any digital Images that are sold, are done so in high resolution. But what the regular everyday person does not realise is that every lab has their own settings. So although these files are fine for sharing on social media etc, printing them is a whole different story. Colour profile settings etc can all be different and it can leave you with an underwhelming print of a beautiful photo. It is impossible for me to have files ready for any labs that you may like to use or prepare a file for labs that you would like to use.
With full sessions you may have hundreds of photos so although they are all edited, anything that is going to print I spend extra time on making sure that it is absolutely perfect. This can take up to half an hour depending on the image. So if I did this for full galleries well you do the math. I want you to have the PERFECT photo on your wall but it is impossible to have ever single file 100% perfect for printing. So when you purchase product you are purchasing the extras that it comes with too.
So we kind of circle back to issue number 1.
Our deluxe albums have luxuriously thick pages built to last for generations.
You hire a professional photographer for a reason. Not getting a tangible product at the end is like going to an artist and getting them to paint you a piece of art but them just wanting a photo of the art work so you can go print it at Kmart. The sentiment is the same. Both artists who want their art work to look amazing on display for our clients to enjoy for years to come.
It has taken me years to narrow down to the very best products out there. Because let’s face it, there are plenty of cheap knock offs around. I want clients to come to me to create keepsakes that can be handed down for generations so I need to have confidence they are built to last. To create wall art for them to fit a space on their wall that they can see every day.
An old image of my Grandparents on their wedding day. Both have now passed but I will always have fond memories of the family albums he had that we all loved to look over together.
How special is it looking over old photo albums of your parents and grand parents? One of the things that my children loved to do when visiting my late Grandfather who we sadly lost last year was looking through his piles of old photo albums.
I don’t want that to be lost. When we live in a digital world I am afraid that will happen. Tell me how many times do you sit down with family members and look over old digital albums? I can pretty safely bet that it never happens. We are lucky in the fact that we can have a backup so easily with digitals but unfortunately I think for some it has made us forget how special those moments can be. Why we need tangible products that last for generations.
So next time when you are looking at hiring a professional photographer, have a think about what you are actually purchasing. Why you are having photos done? Realistically how many photos do you really want or need? And also think about in years to come when you are maybe old and grey or as morbid as it sounds if you are not here anymore. What do you want your family to have to remember you by? Digitals lost somewhere on a hard drive or a beautiful portrait or album that they can look at together?
Kristy xx
Our popular Timber Display Folio Boxes. All hand crafted from raw timber with beautifully professionally matted images inside that you can change around the display image.
