Why It’s Important We Still Print Our Own Photographs…and Why You Should Be Taking More in the First Place

We live in an era when everyone has a camera in their pocket at all times. One that would have cost $500-700 a decade ago. And you can use it literally with a click of button, and chances are, you'll get a decent exposure.

So it’s easy to see our photographs as only pixels on a screen. This is why a community like Instragram works so well: it makes photography special again. When you can take a photo of anything at any time absolutely free and be able to send it up into the cloud with zero effort, editing, curating, and capturing become the new acts of care that give smartphone photos a new sense of meaning.     But, yes, even in 2018, whether you’re one who simply snaps on your phone or a full-on photographer with lenses galore, I still believe we should be making physical prints of our best images. 

Printing a photograph is similar to holding a handwritten note rather than a message on your phone. Whilethe contents of the note or message say the same thing, you cannot deny there’s an authenticity to the paper and the thought behind it. It’s the same with a printed image: it's way better to walk a houseguest around and show your stories, rather than hangout in the same spot scrolling through the Photos app.

You know what makes great home decor? Photos. You know what makes an awesome gift. Photos. You know what makes a great way to customize your creative space? You get the picture. 
 

Of course, the real benefit of digital photography is that you don't have to print every single image. You can shoot with abandon, and then print the ones you love the most. Not only will you be able to interact with them on the regular, you'll have a hard copy (and a printing service) for a backup. 

So, should you buy a photo printer? Hell no. There are hundreds of cheap websites that you can order prints of nearly any size, and the standard 6×4 cost but pennies. Print the highlights from your life. 

Living in a time when we can take more photos than ever is a beautiful thing. Anything that stands out to you, stands out for a reason. Capture it. Take more photos of everything: from the campfire with friends, to that new car you buy and your face when you got it. These all attach themselves to memories. It’s your history book.