Why You Should Buy Prints Through Your Photographer

This is a topic that I am pretty passionate about. Not because I want to make money, of course I do, after all this is my JOB and I can’t have a job where I don’t make money, BUT this one is all about the client. Truly, seriously, I want you to buy prints from your photographer because I care about YOU, and I care about you getting the best quality for the investment you made on having photos taken by a professional.Ok so you invested time and money to have your photos taken. You get the link to the gallery and you absolutely LOVE the images. You are giddy about them and can’t decide which ones you love most. Yeah sure, some of the will land on your facebook. Maybe one as your profile pic and another as the banner. You choose a few to hit instagram, and then what. Is that is? Did you legit just spend hundreds of dollars on photos just for them to sit around in cyber space? I didn’t think so. What about that spot on the mantle that needs an updated photo. Or that one wall you have been dying to create a gallery for but you just haven’t gotten around to it?What about the grandparents of the children in your photos? Don’t you think they would love to have a framed photograph?Your husband’s desk at work…. Okay okay I think you get the point.

Its easy to see why printed images are important but who cares where they are printed? Does it really matter? I’m here to tell you, yes, yes it does. As a consumer you see dollar signs. I get it. Why print through the professional photographer that you just paid tons of money to when you could run off to some online print shop and get them for a fraction of the price? One word: quality.The strongest argument for printing through your photographer is simple and seems pretty obvious to me, its quality. Plain and simple. When you print through your photographer they can guarantee the quality of the image, the paper, and that the colors will be accurate to what you received in your gallery. All too often I have heard people complain to me that they loved images they received from their photographer but when they had them printed they were less than impressed. They were “fuzzy,” the colors were “funky,” they didn’t “look as good as I had hoped.” My first question when these conversations start is “did you print through your photographer?” No….. #facepalm. This is where I have a hard time biting my tongue.If you hired a photographer, they sent you a gallery, that gallery is linked to a PROFESSIONAL lab (unless they do their own printing which is even better). Those labs have the highest standards for paper quality, color matching, and the integrity of the image. Only professional, working photographers, are allowed to print through these labs. Guys, we aren’t running off to Shutterfly to print your photos and up-charging you. We are working with professional labs, with high standards, and delivering the best quality to keep our product/images top notch.Many photographers are passionate about you printing your photos. They desire for you to have hard copies of the images they made with you all over your home and in albums. Its not just about the money. It is about preserving something in a place that is NOT your computer hard drive. Its about thumbing through shoes boxes of proofs and walking by family portraits in the hall. Its about flipping through albums as a family and sending a framed photograph to grandparents. We want you to have those images all over your house but we also want those images to last. Only the finest paper and ink can stand the test of time.My final point is this, support your photographer. You paid them well to spend time with you capturing your family. You should also pay them well for the art they created while they were with you. With each print, you are not just purchasing paper and ink, you are purchasing a piece of art. Something they have worked years to master, hours perfecting, spent money for inspiration and learning. They are a small business, support that small business. Don’t run off to the corporate mogul just to save a penny. You support that little bookstore around the corner don’t you? Why wouldn’t you support the small business in the form of a fellow human with a camera?

Do you have a gallery with me? Ready to purchase those prints? I would love your support and for you to have quality heirlooms. I also have a lot of beautiful art prints for sale that would look incredible on your walls. Check it out!