It seems sort of crazy that in this digital age we would dare venture to say that people actually don’t want digitals. Seriously? Nearly every client we meet with asks the question, “And does that package come with digitals?” I totally get the desire to share your pictures on social media. More people keep up that way than in person any more. But we are super passionate about making sure that people are walking away with more than just a flashdrive of their images for a whole host of reasons. Chew on this.

Hassle Getting Prints for Family (and Yourself)

One thing people don’t often consider when getting pictures taken is how those pictures will be distributed to family. How will you determine which pictures and sizes Grandma wants for her wall? Does Aunt Cheri actually want a picture? Then do we need to print pictures for all of the other aunts too? How do I go about showing pictures and taking orders? Not to mention, the dollars can quickly add up when you start putting these pictures in your cart, wherever you are.

When we handle the sales of images for you through a gallery link that you can share with family and friends, you don’t have to mess with any of these details. This is such a huuuge headache saver (and money saver) for you. Brad and I received only digital copies of our wedding images. We actually still have family who remind us they never received any of our wedding pictures...three years later. Oops. Annnnd it was just shy of our two year anniversary before we ever got around to printing off a bunch of 4x6s for our wedding album. We had so much going on as a newlywed couple, that getting pictures printed was just one more thing on a really long to do list.

Technology Becomes Obsolete

I would post a picture of obsolete technology (like a floppy disk, cassette tape, VHS tape, etc.) … but I don’t have any of those things. Why? They’re obsolete. As great as technology is, it’s still not the best way to preserve your images. Someday, you’ll likely end up with “transfer flashdrives to ______” on your to do list, and seriously, who gathers around a computer, pops in a flashdrive, and looks through old pictures anyway? There's something about the nostalgia of looking through old prints and albums while gathered around the kitchen table. That will never be replaced, no matter how far technology advances.

We Have Access to a Professional Lab (And You Paid Us for Pictures)

The top two pictures are one of our sample albums. The bottom picture is our personal wedding album. I really don't think I need to say anything else.

One of the greatest perks of having your pictures taken professionally (in addition to the photographer’s skill with posing, lighting, composition, editing, etc.) is the fact that photographers have access to something that the general public does not: printing through a professional lab, not Shutterfly or Walmart. If you’re going to spend hundreds of dollars to get your pictures taken, we believe that you should walk away with more than just a flashdrive of your images that you eventually get printed someplace cheap.

How anticlimactic is that anyway? You've eagerly awaited your wedding pictures, and you open the box, “Oh awesome! A . . . flashdrive.” You should experience the joy of opening a beautiful box, a debossed, foil stamped, gilded edge album staring up at you, the smell of genuine leather tickling your nose . . .

Okay, I’ve gone too far. But seriously. We want you to experience that.

You May Think You're Saving Money, But You're Going to Pay Additional Money for Prints (and Receive a Lower Quality)

I’m sure one of the big draws for digitals is to save some money since professional prints tend to be costly (and Shutterfly is always running those “great” specials - watch your shipping and handling cost). Consider, however, that this is all money that you’re still spending out of your pocket for additional prints, and they will not be the same quality as the professional prints you forgo when you receive digital images.

When we were young and naive (okay, no . . . I convinced Brad that we should jump on a Shutterfly deal), we ordered a large print for our home. I don’t remember what we spent, but we never hung the picture because it was grainy, came rolled in a tube, and had a terrible color quality.

Your pictures are from a special, once in a lifetime event. We don’t want your images tainted by a cheap printer. That would be like commissioning Picasso to do a piece for you, then giving him a napkin and crayons to work with. Will it be good? Well, yeah, because it’s Picasso, but . . . just no.

Here are some perks we know you'll enjoy with our packages.

This album has an acrylic cover wrapped with genuine leather. It is a layflat album, printed on actual photo paper and matted, creating a sturdy page with the best possible color quality for your images.

Built Around Albums

Instead of being built around digital images, all of our packages are built around albums because when we thought about what we wanted people walking away with from their important day, what would make them happiest, it’s albums, something they will have to flip through for years to come. We have the opportunity to print genuine leather, top of the line, layflat albums, and we want to share that with you too. (You’re welcome. You’re also welcome for not having to spend time figuring out how to import pictures, design an album, and mess with layouts. Lol.)

This album is genuine leather with a debossed, foil stamped cover and gilded edges. These particular spreads are done on thick pages, so you couldn't bend them if you wanted to.  We work personally with every client to choose colors and styles … — This album is genuine leather with a debossed, foil stamped cover and gilded edges. These particular spreads are done on thick pages, so you couldn't bend them if you wanted to. We work personally with every client to choose colors and styles that perfectly match their event.

Print Credit with Social Media Files

I know what you’re all thinking: "Buuuut I want to share my pictures on Facebook and Instagram!"

Yes! We want you to also. That’s why we give social media files of any pictures purchased. That way you can share your very favorite pictures with your friends. It’s like having your cake and eating it too. Huzzah! By the way, all of our packages include a print credit so that you can choose the products that are going to be best for decorating your home.

The Joy of Fully Edited Pictures

Monica has PERFECT skin, but we do a light skin softening on all images that we print or put in albums because it makes them look that much better. It's subtle - none of that over-edited stuff - but it makes for a beautiful finished product. — Monica has PERFECT skin, but we do a light skin softening on *all* images that we print or put in albums because it makes them look that much better. It's subtle - none of that over-edited stuff - but it makes for a beautiful finished product.

When we deliver huge numbers of pictures for senior portraits and weddings, it’s not feasible to do blemish touch ups and skin softening on every single one of them. (That’s why most photographers specify how many images will be edited.) Instead of choosing a number and picking our favorite images, we do blemish touch up and skin softening on every single picture you order, including every image that makes its way into your album. Does this take more time? You betcha. Are you going to be happier with the results? No bout a doubt it. And that makes us happy too. #winning

I hope you walk away from this blog with a better understanding of why we do what we do. We’re not just about stellar pictures and a stellar experience, but stellar products too, and we know that we can deliver those best through our professional lab while saving you time and hassle. Your pictures will look amazing, and that’s a win for everyone.

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