Why Should Your Photographer Print Your Images for You?

When you hire a photographer, you’re looking for a few very specific things. You probably want someone who has great reviews and a good reputation in your area. You’re also looking for someone whose personality you like and who seems easy to work with. And of course you want someone whose images you adore. 

But there’s more that goes into your choice that you may not have considered. Many people can take a picture, but not everyone can create a beautiful portrait. And not everyone has the skill to take that digital portrait and turn it into tangible artwork that you can see, hold, and display in your home. As a professional portrait photographer in Fort Worth, Texas, my passion for photography is reflected in every image I produce. And for me, it’s not enough to simply allow those images to sit on a hard drive somewhere or get lost in a social media post that will be buried nearly instantly. I want each image to come alive and to last for years in a way that only a physical print can.

People often hire a professional photographer to capture special events in their lives, like weddings or family portraits. The photographers, depending on their way of doing business, may choose to sell them a USB full of digital images so the client can handle the printing themselves. Clients can take those images to Walgreens and print them all cheaply. But is this the best solution? 

Here’s why I think that’s a disservice to you and why I’ve chosen to run my business differently.

For one, you’re busy. You have so much on your plate, and being responsible for printing your own photos is yet another thing to add to your to-do list. It can feel overwhelming, so quite often clients simply never get around to it. I know of many friends who have a CD or USB of digital images from their photographers but who sheepishly admit to me that they “still haven’t gotten around to” printing them. In our busy society, that’s not a surprise, and it’s not something to be embarrassed about – but it is a sign that you should have your photographer print your images for you, so you can relax knowing it’s in their expert hands.

Secondly, when you take those photos to your local drug store or online consumer printer, what you get back is usually nothing close to how the photographer intended the image to look. The color, clarity, and sharpness of the image are often lost, and the photos lack the vibrancy that they should have. 

So rather than having professional results from the photo session you invested time and money in, you end up with prints of questionable quality. And these prints aren’t likely to hold up well with age either. The colors will likely fade, they may warp or tear due to poor paper quality, and you probably won’t be happy with them down the road, much less be able to pass them on to your children or grandchildren someday like you can with professional archival prints.

So what’s so different about professional prints?

Your photographer doesn’t simply upload your photos to a printer with the push of a button. To take a great photo and turn it into a piece of printed artwork, your photographer should:

• Retouch the details in the image. This may include things like removing distracting elements, removing stray hairs, removing blemishes, and even performing “head swaps” if needed to get the perfect expression from each subject. 

• Use a high quality, calibrated screen to ensure the image has the correct color, quality, clarity, and contrast. 

• Crop the image to fit the intended usage. If you’ve tried ordering your own prints, you know that a 5x7 or 8x10 may cut off part of the image, which can be extremely frustrating. This is because the image produced by our camera is a 2:3 ratio. So if you choose a size like 5x7, which does not match that ratio, something will need to be cropped or even digitally extended so no important parts of the image are affected. Your photographer can do that using professional software like Photoshop.

• Size the image properly based on the dimensions chosen. This is key to producing a sharp print.

• Sharpen the image if needed depending on the medium it will be printed on. An image sharpened for print paper may look soft if printed on canvas. So those adjustments need to be made and your photographer will know exactly how to do that. 

• Work with a professional lab not available to consumers. Professionals have access to special labs which only work with photographers, not with the general public. They can obviously offer high-quality and highly specialized products, and they also work with the photographer to ensure the color reproduction is true.

• Choose the best paper or material for the image to ensure its durability and aesthetic look. Some images look best on matte paper, others are perfect for a glossy metal. Your photographer will know what is best and be able to guide you so you’re sure to love the finished product. 

As you can see, a lot of skill and knowledge goes into producing a beautiful print. It’s more than just pressing a shutter and uploading the image to the lab. As a portrait photographer with years of experience, I put my heart and soul into each image I take, and I know how important they are to you. With all that care taken to create the images, why wouldn’t we want to ensure they look their best during that final stage of production?

If you’re ready to work with a photographer who will handle all these details for you, shoot me a message! I’m excited to turn your portraits into beautiful works of art featuring the people you love most!