My dear friend was in tears. Her phone had been stolen right after the computer she had it backed up to had crashed. The heartbreaking result was that all of her photos were completely gone. Pictures of people she loved, who had since passed, gone forever.
It was an absolute worst case scenario but I’m terribly worried about where ALL of our memories will be in 10, 30, or 100 years. It’s not a case of IF but WHEN you will have a computer failure. The devices and social media networks we’re viewing our precious history on will be a fuzzy memory – along with the images we love. Where does that leave our grandchildren?
I mean, does anybody have images on a CD or DVD somewhere around their house right now? When’s the last time you purchased a computer that actually had a disk drive? Have any VHS tapes? Know anyone with a wedding video that was created in a no longer viewable format?
I’ve been saying for years that we don’t even know for sure that JPEG will continue be the preferred standard format. A couple of years ago, Apple quietly started using a different file format called HEIC instead. Take any picture with your iPhone today and it’s not likely to be in JPEG format at all.
It’s going to keep changing and The Cloud will not save us! 🌧
The only method of viewing these images that we can count on is viewing something printed. It’s a pretty safe bet that humans will still have eyes in 100 years!
Soooo, I implore you…
PRINT. YOUR. PICTURES. PLEASE.
All those smart phone pictures of cute kid moments, favorite trip memories, your grandmother drinking a beer? Use whatever method you can to make actual prints or better yet, albums.
Want to know that a couple of professional photographers (AKA Keiji and I) do? Throughout the year, I put the little hearts on my favorites, separating them from a HUGE pile of images. In Apple’s Photos app, that automatically adds them to the Favorites folder for easy viewing. Then, we make a book from those favorite images each year. We don’t even Photoshop them because it would just slow us down!
We all know the cheap online printing services, and those are way better than nothing, but here are some that are a cut (or more) above:
Annual Albums A high end LA portrait photographer created this service. Editors look through your photos to pick the best. They crop, color correct and create a luxurious album.
Artifact Uprising Well made and designed albums plus much more. Started by 3 photographers.
Mimeo Photos We use this affordable service. The quality is adequate and integrates with Apple’s Photos app.
Chatbooks Super affordable. Can import your photos from your computer or right from social media.
Flagstaff Family Portrait Photographer • Flagstaff Maternity Pregnancy Photographer • Flagstaff Newborn Photographer • Flagstaff Child Photographer • Flagstaff Senior Portrait Photographer • Flagstaff Couples Photography
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
