We have become so accustomed to having 20,000 digital images on our iPhone camera roll, our computers and hard drives. Our precious family memories sit in vast virtual clouds, and whilst we can access them with one click, we don’t necessarily enjoy them around our homes every day, like we should do. The beauty of printed photos of our loved ones shouldn’t be confined to our screens.

Loose prints, albums, or framed pictures can offer a unique and tangible connection to our memories that digital photographs can’t always provide. Still on the fence about physical prints? Read on for my four reasons why you should print your photos or create some family albums that will last you for generations.

Printed Photos Become a Storyteller

Framed family photos around your home serve a purpose that goes beyond aesthetics. They transform your living space into a gallery of your life, a place that narrates your family’s unique story. Every time you walk past a photo, you are reminded of the joy, love, and bonds that are central to your family’s identity.

We have so many photos printed at my parents’ house. Every time I am there looking at them, I feel transported back in time to a particular memory. Dotted around the house, they tell our story and also honour those who are not around anymore… I also love showing them to my son who is curious about what mummy looked like and got up to when she was his age!

Tangibility: The Human Connection

Unlike digital pictures, printed photos offer a physical touch to your memories. The texture of the photo paper, the warmth of colours, and the crispness of the images can invoke a completely different sensory experience that revives the moments in ways digital photos can’t. Imagine your family sitting on the sofa one evening and leafing through your family album or printed photos – this is simply not going to happen sitting around a computer screen. Or if it does, it feels different!

With physical photographs, you can create a collection that’s more than just a random assortment of images. Especially when you have a fine art album designed by a professional photographer, it’s a book telling your story, each photo showing a coherent journey rooted in emotion and sentiment. Whether you’ve had a shoot with me or not, I’d be delighted to help you create a bespoke album to create a beautiful keepsake for your family.

Preserving for the Future

While it’s true that digital photos are convenient and easy to store, they also come with risks. Hard drives can crash, files can corrupt, or worse, technology can become obsolete. Remember floppy disks? And did you know that USBs may only last for 10 years? Precious family photos can be lost forever due to such unexpected circumstances.

On the other hand, physical photos and albums – especially fine art ones -, when stored properly and taken care of, can last for generations. They are a way of preserving your family history, a legacy that can be passed down through to your children and grandchildren. They can provide future generations with a glimpse into the lives and times of their parents, which I think is an incredible way of creating connection with their heritage. I would hate to imagine that files disappear or are lost that show our family story, when my children want to have a glimpse into their past or be reminded of certain memories we lived together.

Enjoy Custom Art Pieces

There’s something incredibly special about transforming your cherished memories into custom art pieces through printed photos. Unlike mass-produced art, these pieces are imbued with your personal history, feelings, and experiences. There are so many different options to create these pieces, from different album materials and personalising its cover, to choosing specific frames that fit the style of your home.

I work with a wonderful UK based family business to create bespoke fine art albums for you in their workshop in Yorkshire. You’ll have the choice of beautiful cover materials such as genuine leather or soft cottons which can be personalised in unique ways to tell your family’s story.

For me, printing family photos offers an array of benefits that transcend the appeal of digital convenience and I love offering beautiful bespoke prints to the families I work with. You’ll always continue to have your 20,000 images on your camera roll! But printed photos are a wonderful way of telling and preserving our legacy for generations to come that your iPhone never will.

About me

I am maternity and newborn photographer based in Chelsea, London. Specialising in lifestyle maternity, baby & toddler, and family photography, I always offer printed photos, albums and other bespoke artwork to all of my clients as a way to celebrate the images we take together. I cover Central and West London, such as Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth, Battersea, Clapham, Richmond, Westminster, Mayfair and Notting Hill. Please do still get in touch if you live outside of these areas but would be interested in a family photoshoot together. Not quite ready to book? Follow me on Instagram and let’s stay in touch.