Anyone remember 8 track tapes? How about cassette tapes? Or LPs? Floppy discs? Still have any CDs around your house?

Our generation will be remembered as the technology generation. Things are changing so fast, even in our lifetime, what was considered new and advanced is now obsolete.

When I bought my first digital camera over 10 years ago, I was saving my digital files to a CD. I bought a new computer two years ago and getting a CD reader wasn’t even an option. So now I have to transfer all my digital files to another version just so I can even see those photos.

One of the most common questions I get is do I sell digital files. While the answer is yes, I want to share with you today why you shouldn’t care.

Don’t get me wrong. I think there’s a place for digital files. Social media is a a great example. I have a digital photo frame in my house. I’m surprised these aren’t more popular than they are, but I suspect one day you’ll see one in almost every household in America. Digital files are convenient when you want to share a photo with everyone in your family - just email it or send it via dropbox. Viola! Now everyone has a copy.

But it’s also important to get these images printed. While I now save my digital files to a thumb drive or an external drive, it’s quite possible, soon these will be obsolete too. If you’ve ever experienced a drive going bad, as I have, everything you have on it will no longer be accessible. Yeah, I know what they say. Back it up. Then back it up again. While I’m better at this than most people, I get lazy too and put off doing this with my own personal photos.

It only takes one time to learn a lesson. But do you want it to be the time that you photographed the entire family right before your grandmother passed away? You can’t recreate that scenario again. Ever.

Let’s talk about the cloud. I know more and more people are using the cloud. I haven’t been able to embrace it nor do I plan to. Maybe one day I will, but right now I think the cloud is a bad idea. Yes, it’s unlimited. Yes, it makes it easy to think you are covered and don’t need to create a backup plan. But all these stories of stolen identities from using credit card machines and online banking make me nervous. It’s not a matter of if, but when the cloud will fail us. And I don’t want my or my client’s precious memories to be the victim.

In today’s digital age and camera snapping happy society, we takes hundreds of photos. Every. Single. Day. But digital files have a tendency to end up on a hard drive never to be seen again. Do you really take the time to organize your photos so when you want to find a particular image, you know just where it is?

Prints matter. Hang wall art of your family on your walls. Make your workspace more personable with prints of your favorite vacation memories. Tell the story of your loved ones with coffee table photo albums. Aren’t these more meaningful than some random artwork or home decor item you picked up at Home Goods?

I hope this helps you think differently about digital files. As I said earlier, they have their place, but should not be a substitute for having prints made.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Why you don't want digital files