5 reasons why you should print your photographs.

5  reasons why you should print your photographs. 

We live in an amazing digital time where we have everything stored on our phones and laptops and in the cloud – I mean It all feels a bit willy Wonka at some points dont you think? But, non the less here we are and it’s amazing.  But, there’s always a but, we have all these beautiful pictures that we take or invest money in for someone else to take and thats 9/10they stay on a laptop or a phone, only seen when we have a memory reminder, of a Facebook reminder or when we are intentionally scrolling. But , what if I told you that on displaying our images doesn’t only make our houses look pretty and real, it actually helps are children and has some other benefits too. 

 

1.TECH WILL CHANGE

Let’s get techy first. With the ever paced speed of tech changing, they have the potential to rot in some reposts where we store them. Some day a jpg might not be accessible because the format becomes obsolete and we don’t have devices that recognise it. I mean we are talking the further here, but why risk it. When you put the time, effort and Money into documenting a certain time, don’t let them sit in cyberspace. If we are using social networks as our digital photo-albums they only exist as long as those providers are still in business or want to keep them there. When we look at our family’s old albums and shoeboxes full of prints we know prints are proven to last.

2. PHOTOS TILT YOUR MEMORIES

Photos tilt your memories toward the good experiences you’ve had, simply because you’re more likely to take photos of joyful times. That’s important, because due to a phenomenon known as “negativity bias,” it’s easier to recall bad times than good ones. Having snapshots of the latter keeps them vivid in our minds. How amazing is that, they can direct us towards happier emotions?! 

3. CREATE SOMETHING TANGIBLE

If you phone or computer crashed, how would you feel? All those years of memories gone. The very thought of it makes me actually break into a cold sweat. There are so many platforms now that allow you to print from your phones – why not create a book of your phone pictures? Then you have something to tangible hold.  And if they are solely on your phone no one gets to enjoy them and isn’t that s shame?!

 

4.TALKING POINTS 

Photo albums are kept, looked at, talked about and serve as a bonding tool for years, decades and by multiple generations. They are the things we look at when mourning a beloved family member or friend who’s passed away, they’re the memories we review for anniversaries and birthdays, and photo collections are the means of introducing our children to past generations or individuals they never had the honor to meet.

When you don’t print those photographs out, document them and save them in physical form, there is no way others can appreciate them or reclaim their own memories in the future. In our own family my children have never met their grandad, Jims dad. He passed before they arrived. But, they know about him not just because we talk about him, but because they see him. Pictures of him and Jim sit proudly on display near the dinner table and we often have conversations about Grandpa Peter, which I know wouldn’t happen half as often if they didn’t see him. 

5. INCREASED SELF ESTEEM

A recent study by HP & Chatbooks, found an overwhelming number of families agreed that printed photos strengthen families and have positive benefits for children. Parents reported their children experience increased self-esteem and stronger sense of identity from looking at printed photos. The parents surveyed reported that looking at printed photos of their family increases their belief in their capabilities as a parent. Leading to positive outcomes for families including reduced parental anxiety, higher quality parent-child interactions, and higher self-esteem for children. In this study, parents reported that looking at printed photos ignites family conversations and find them reminiscing about past memories.

Evidence shows that when parents discuss the past in detail, with emotion and a collaborative way, there are positive benefits for kids such as improved language and literacy skills, improved memory development and stronger understanding of who they are. Additionally, knowledge of past history is linked to several positive outcomes for children and adolescents including higher self-esteem and lower rates of depression and anxiety

So, let’s get printing our pictures and see them our home! 

If you feel like you would love to have a photoshoot and create some beautiful art for your home – let’s chat. Get in touch and let’s get a shoot booked in.  If you would like to see more of my family shoots, have a good nosey around the blog or my Instagram.