“If there are photos you really care about, print them out.” This is a quote from Google VP and one of the fathers of the internet. You can see the full article here. In a nutshell the article is saying that we in the 21st century are going to loose so much information because it’s all being stored digitally and in the future there may not be a way to read it all.
What’s that got to do with me & wedding photography? Since I started shooting weddings back in 2007, my packages have always included an album with them. They still do today, and part of the reason is when you have your album, you have your images! You do not need a machine to look at them. They’re physical, the leather cover has grain, it’s in your hands! Look after it well, and you’ll always be able to look at it!
While I was photographing Erica & David’s wedding a couple of July’s ago, Erica’s mum brought out her wedding album and not only did it allow me to get some great images of the girls chatting & reminiscing but it was one of the nicest moments I’ve photographed. This image below sums up everything you’ll read here!
I place a huge emphasis on wedding albums…it’s what you’ll look at in the future, not the digital copies, and when Erica’s mum brought out her own wedding album for the girls to look at, that just confirmed everything I’ve said about wedding albums! This moment could not have happened if it was just a USB stick of digital images!
I like to get to know the people who choose me to photograph their wedding, that’s where the engagement shoot comes in handy, as it gets you used to being in front of the camera, so when I’m there on your wedding day, you’re already comfortable with the camera & how I work, and this allows me to tell the story of wedding day through my pictures. Afterwards, is when we get down to creating what will become one of your most cherished possessions. It’s over time that the album becomes a family heirloom.
So although, yes, I do include a USB with images in all my packages which you can print & share from, it’s really the album that is the most important item. That album may be a matted (a modern take on traditional) album, or a new style coffee table album. Either way, the album should be your storybook.
