Why printing pictures is so important to your children

I grew up in a film-only world. We bought a roll of film and then took photographs on holidays or of special occasions. Because you couldn't instantly see the photographs on the back of your camera, I vividly remember the excitement of waiting until the prints arrived in the post. They were then put in photo albums, either in little plastic wallets that you flipped up or in scrapbooks secured with tiny sticky triangles (remember them?). We looked at them and cherished those memories. They were a slice of our life and for many, if our house caught on fire, they would be the one thing we would try to salvage first. I loved, and still do, looking through the photo albums that my mother put together for us as children - all the way from when we were babies to when we left home.

But now we live in a digital age, and we have hundreds of thousands of photos stored electronically on our phones, computers, hard drives, CDs, USBs and of course in the cloud. But then what happens to them? In most cases, that is where they will stay. It is estimated that less than 1 out of 100,000 photographs taken today actually ends up being a printed photograph. Wow. I used to make photo albums of our travels, but once we had children life just got busier, and putting together photo albums of our children is still on my ever-growing list of things to do. Sound familiar?

So what happens when we don’t print? We make it difficult for children to access and enjoy the memories that make up the rich tapestry of their lives. And we also risk losing those images. Now imagine you have a world of pictures saved on your phone, and you want your child to find their favourite. What do you think they’ll choose? Do you think they’ll find one at all? Would they understand how to get past your security password and navigate through the folders?

So once you have taken those pictures with your children, why on earth would you want to make them inaccessible to them? In this digital age, we are in such a rush. Everything has to be instant. Within a few moments, you can take a picture of your child on your phone, post it and instantly start seeing likes roll in. But what about your child? They are probably one of the most photographed generations, with the least to show for it. Let that sink in for a minute. They are growing up in a society of picture takers, but not photo printers. There is a worrying disconnect.

Let me tell you why printing photos is so important for your children. Whilst researching scientific papers on this, it really opened my eyes to the value of printing. Firstly, by displaying photographs of your children at different stages of their lives, you are making a very public statement that you love them and are proud of them. Secondly, studies have shown that displaying photos can significantly increase your child’s self-esteem, helping them to understand where they have come from and giving them a deep sense of belonging. Thirdly, photo printing makes memories tangible and easily accessible, so your child can enjoy them together with you. Put simply, printing and framing your photographs makes your children feel happy, safe and loved. It is kind of like putting cuddles all around your house!

So get those family photographs up on your walls where your child can see them every day, without having to turn on a device or click around on a computer or tap around on a phone to find them. Taking this a step further, why not put family photographs on the wall in your child’s bedroom so they are one of the first things they see when they wake up and one of the last things they see at night before falling asleep?

Having them there on the wall in plain sight really embeds that sense of reassurance and comfort for your child.

If you have invested in having photos taken on a professional photoshoot, print them! It’s why this year I have started to offer professional printing and framing for my clients. I want to make it EASY for you to transform your images into prints in this busy world, and I want to ensure your images are printed beautifully through a professional lab. It seems a huge shame to pay to have professional photos and then print them cheaply on the high street? The quality difference between professional printing labs and high street labs is huge - if not printed properly the images can come out ‘muddy’ or green or dull. My equipment is calibrated to the professional lab I work with, so the images look exactly as they should.

So if you would like to get your images off your hard drive and out of the cloud, and onto your walls for your children to enjoy, I would love to hear from you. I am so excited about this new part of my business, and I am more convinced than ever that it is something really meaningful I can offer to my clients.