11/26/2021
Something to remember this holiday season 💗
The importance of printed imagery
It's true, we live in a digital era. Nothing will change that fact and the digital world has benefited us all in so many ways. But even with the benefits there are some things that have fallen to the wayside.
28,989 – The number of images I have in my phone
4 (maybe) – The number of images I’ve printed off my phone in 2021
One of my fondest places from my childhood home was the top shelf of the closet in the guest bedroom. The spot my mom stowed away all the albums and loose prints from the years. I could look through them for days. Asking my mom who this or that was. Learning about my family’s history, remember fun moments that time had led me to briefly forget. Having the opportunity to know my mom and dad before they were my mom and dad.
Those photos gave me the chance to know my big brother that I never got the chance to meet before God brought him home. Each photo we have of him holds a story. So now I know the cute phrases he was known for. How much he adored his Papaw and his Boo Bear. Those photos are important as ever.
As I’ve gotten older our world has changed. We went from disposable camera’s you had printed after filling a roll, to CD’s, to USB’s, and now Facebook and the Cloud.
➖Technology changes… and fails.
How many of you have had a phone crash? Computer? External drive? I bet you’ve experienced one of these. Most computers now-a-days don’t have a slot for CD’s and some not even for USB’s.
What happens when Facebook becomes myspace?
What about when the cloud becomes too expensive or the company goes out of business?
When you die do you have all your passwords written down so family can get into your account and still have those precious photos?
Will you remember where you saved these images in 15-20 years?
It sounds harsh but the reality is technology isn’t fool proof.
➖The psychological benefits for your kids
Studies show that children who grow up in homes where photos of them are displayed grow up with greater confidence and sense of belonging than those who didn’t. They have stronger sense of value and a better understanding of where they come from. That is powerful.
“When a child see’s a family portrait with them included in the photograph they say to themselves: ‘These people have me as part of what they are, that’s why I belong here. This is where I come from.” – Judy Weiser
➖You deserve to be remembered
Back in the day (I mean way back) it was traditional to take very posed perfectly curated photos with everyone looking at the camera and smiling (or sometimes not…) You may even have an old photo like this in your house of grandparents or great grandparents. Now just imagine… that same photo with them wrapping their arms around each other, belly laughing, pure joy. Wouldn’t you rather have that image in your house? The one that shows their genuine happy. I think the obvious answer is yes!
When you look at those authentic photos you see the true person, you see them as they are or were. You’re reminded of how strongly they loved and laughed and those feelings you got in their company. This type of imagery is what we should be creating, preserving, and displaying. You not only deserve to be remembered, but you deserve to be remembered by how you made people feel, not just how you look.
➖My challenge to you
•Don’t use technology as your only source of storage for photographs
•Make sure your in these images, not just behind the camera
•Display your artwork for you and your children
•Make it a point to print and set aside images for your children and grandchildren. Whether it be with yearly albums, or a shoebox of loose prints.
You’ll never regret having photos of the people you cherish most in life.
