In today's digital age, I get requests for digital copies of the images I create. I have no problems with this but there is a downside to having digital images that many people don't realize.
I know from my personal experience that having the digital prints is great to have so you can resort to it whenever you need to, most of the time it's for media sharing. However, when the novelty has worn off and the pictures are no longer a highlight, the digital images are put away and forgotten until they are recalled upon.
The situation in that example is that the pictures after a while, are no longer shown and no longer a thought. When the image becomes a print, it gets framed and placed somewhere in the home where people can generally see it therefor the image is enjoyed by those who view it.
If you've had a wedding or a baby, or a special event takes place, sometimes albums are a great choice to have so you can see all the images that your digital copies provide. In time that album becomes a keepsake. Especially to those who travel - get those images printed into an album because they show your experiences and do no good sitting on your hard drive.
Digital flash drives have been around for quite a while, and in time soon that technology will become obsolete (just like the floppy discs and soon the CD) and when that time comes your pictures will not be retrievable. With printed products, you won't have to worry about the technological aging process because you will have your prints at your finger tips. Looking back to 30 years ago when photo albums were made and cherished (still are to this day). Today those pictures might have yellowed over the years or the adhesion from the album pages have glued your pictures to the very cellophane that covers them. Today's printing technology has come so much farther in developing a print that will last the test of time. Better quality printing products that fight the aging processes, and albums that won't go yellow, split the pages or wreck your pictures.
Some people prefer not to deal with printed images and that is OK! As a matter of fact, I'm just as guilty. But from my personal perspective, I don't spend a lot of time on my computer looking at pictures from yesterday, I'd rather see them on my wall. The best way to enjoy those precious moments of years gone by is to print them and put them up in your home so when you pass them, they make you smile and feel good about your life. They also are an excellent way of making conversation points for guests when they visit your home, as such it brings a sense of comfort to your guests so they too can see who you are as a person or as family. A good friend of mine has a wall in her front entrance plastered with framed pictures. Each frame is different and each picture represents their family as they have grown from babies right up to the current day and the adventures they've had together. I love it, I think it brings you the knowledge of who her family is and what they are all about without saying anything.
Now you don't have to go plaster your walls with pictures - but you can! If you want to develop a vision of what your family is all about, find a space to show it then you can start small with an odd number of prints in different sizes and go from there. The choice is all yours and when you have accumulated these images that represent your life, how you use them and show them to your loved ones and those who want to know you is entirely up to you.
"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still"
- Dorothea Lange