There was a time not too long ago when we would actually keep 2x3 inch "wallet" photos in our wallets. If someone asked about our family members, we'd whip out our wallets filled with photos to show them off. Today we simply whip out our smart phones and scroll through the photos we've taken with our cell phone cameras. I don't even think they make wallets with space for photos anymore. Cell phone cameras are super convenient for taking and sharing pictures, aren't they?
My young grandson-in-law, Dale, is the father of two absolutely adorable twin girls. He has taken hundreds of photos and videos of his little girls with his smart phone. Some of them end up on Facebook and Instagram. Others are sent by text to his loyal "Photo of the Day Club" members. But, if I want to see more of the pictures he has taken of my great-granddaughters I would have to scroll through the pictures on his cell phone. Which means that he would have to be available and not using his cell for something else (such as playing games). Out of curiosity, I recently asked him if he had been printing the pictures he's been taking of the twins. His answer? "They're on the cloud Grandma." Today I'm going to address the issue of why it's important to print our photos instead of just leaving them on the cloud. First I want to tackle some practical reasons for printing your photos.
There are many companies and internet sources that offer to store your images on the cloud for you. Some for free, some for a fee, and some only as long as you use their printing services. It's great to have options for backing up your digital images! But, I'm not sure the cloud should be the only place we keep our photos. My concern is this - technology is constantly changing. Companies and devices and internet sites come and go. What was useful yesterday is no longer usable today.
Case in point - my husband and I own a large number of VHS tapes that were filmed in the late 80s and early 90s. They are fun to watch but the problem is that VCRs are practically obsolete. As far as I know, new VCRs are no longer available. Most of us who own VHS tapes are planning to have them loaded onto DVDs. Problem solved, right? Not really! Very soon DVD players will also be obsolete and no longer available. So what then? Something to think about, right? Don't get me wrong, I think the cloud is great! But only as a back up to your printed photos.
I'm not saying that you should print all of your digital photos. We take a lot more pictures with our digital and cell phone cameras than we did in the days of the film camera. If we printed every picture we took we would soon be overrun by too many photos. Be selective and print your best photos - the ones that mean the most to you. My friend, Julie Tambrini, deals with that subject and has some great advice for organizing your digital images on her blog today. If you haven't read her post yet be sure to visit Julie's Creative Memories Blog.
Okay, now that I've dealt with some practical reasons for printing your photos, I want to share some more compelling and important reasons for printing your photos. According to psychologist Dr. Kenneth Condrell "photos and albums might be a parent's secret weapon. There are few tools out there that are more powerful or effective in helping to raise confident, happy, well-adjusted kids."
According to Dr. Condrell, "Photos are proof to children that they are loved. Sitting down over family photographs is one of the best ways to show them the special place they hold in your heart. And that gives them confidence and a sense of self-worth, which are critical to development." He also says that "Keeping photographs around the house is a form of validation for children. It lets them know they matter and they are loved, and these are the kinds of feelings that empower them to feel confident and self-assured."
But, guess what folks? That's not going to happen if your photos are only posted to facebook or some other social media site and never printed. To do something truly meaningful with all of those beautiful photos you've taken of your children and grandchildren, you have to start by printing those digital images. And once they are printed, put them on your refrigerator; frame them and hang them on your walls; and put them in an album along with your journaled stories. I guarantee you that you will never regret having printed your photos and you will never regret creating an album with your photos.
Speaking of journaling, Fran Smitherman shares some great ideas for journaling in your albums on her blog at Celebrating Your Beautiful Life. Be sure to check it out. And, if you are one of those people who don't feel like you have time to scrapbook .... welcome to the club! Seriously, you don't really have to spend a lot of time creating a photo album! Come back to my blog on Monday and I'll show you some ways to create an album without spending a lot of time (or money).
Before I conclude today's post, I want to share some photos with you. I wanted a few photos to illustrate what I'm trying to say. Since I had to pick up my two youngest grandkids from school the other day, I decided to take pictures of the two of them looking at a photo album. They, of course, objected ... at first. I even had to bribe my grandson into being one of my models. But once they started looking at the album they became so engrossed that they paid no attention to my camera. My grandson's best friend was visiting at the time, so Austin took the opportunity to introduce his friend to members of our family he hadn't met yet.
So, am I going to print these photos? You betcha!!! This is why I print my photos! This is why I scrapbook!
That's it for today. I hope that today's blog post inspires you to print your photos and that you do something meaningful with them. Don't forget to visit my blog on Monday, Oct. 12th for some album-making ideas. And, if you haven't done so already, be sure to visit Julie's Creative Memories Blog for help organizing your photos.
For more information about Creative Memories products visit your advisor's website. Of course, if you don't already have a Creative Memories Advisor, I'd be more than happy to be your personal Creative Memories Advisor. Just visit my website at www.creativememories.com/user/dbrinsley to create an account.
Have a good day and thanks so much for visiting my blog!
Excellent article. I haven't used the "cloud" or other online services, but your points are very good. And how true, how true that family will sit down and look through a scrapbook. My son is 35, and whenever he comes to visit (about once a year), he will sit down and look through a few of my albums while he is here. I don't know if he has no memory of his childhood, or if he just wants to verify those things truly happened, but he WANTS to look at them :-)
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