How many of you remember playing a super rad game in elementary school called Oregon Trail. It was always the highlight of the school day. You’d get a break from lectures to try and triumph over small pox or having your covered wagon taken out by a flooded creek. It was awesome!! I’m not sure I ever made it to Oregon. I always ran out of money buying an ox…#shoppingissues. A few summers ago after (another) move, I found a box of stuff from my elementary school days. Notes, worksheets, crafts …and then, the mother load! My own copy of Oregon Trail!!!! I was so excited to share it with my kids. But since my Apple 2e had long been outdated and replaced, we could just marvel at what a floppy disk was!
Are JPEG’s Taking Over Your Computer? This is what scares the photography community so much about technology. As a collective voice, we try to educate our clients on how important it is to print your images. As technology changes, we photographers are having a harder time being able to give digital files, let alone guarantee you’ll be able to access them. You may have noticed new Apple Computers do not even come with a DVD drive.
We, as photographers, want digital files to act as negatives and not the only way you have your images. Lets face it, how many of us do anything with the disk but let it sit. I’m totally guilty at times!
I’m forcing myself to print the images I love and that make me smile so I can display them around the house!
To help you do the same, here is a list of places & services that make it easy to print.
My first recommendation is to order professional prints from your photographer. We search high and low – testing out all the professional print labs out there. It may sound crazy, but we test out 5-10 labs to find the right match. Checking things like color, quality, longevity & products offered. We want those colors and skin tones to be as true to our creation as possible. The paper our labs use is archival safe for 100 years to pass down. That’s not always possible when you use quick kiosks.
My favorite consumer lab is MPIX, the app or online store. Their turn around is pretty fast…most packages show up in a few days…and their product range is pretty wide. The nice thing about MPIX is you can have the app on your phone but also order via your computer. All of your orders can be kept in one place.
Another fun app is Groove Book. You can send the images from your phone to upload and get a bound book mailed to you. The edges are perforated making it easy to rip out and tack on the fridge or for grandparents. This wouldn’t be a good option for professional quality prints…think a little more like your home printer on nice paper. It’s perfect for “snapshots” and cell phone photos.
Locally, I like Dodd Camera – The Austin Landing store and Indian Ripple store both offer printing services. You can upload images via their website, pick out sizes, pay and send. Or you can pay at pick up. Personally, I like Dodd because they are local. You can get nice prints in a pinch, sometimes the same day, and you can call to ask questions pretty easily!
