It’s not exactly a secret that the vast majority of media consumed by people on a daily basis is of the digital variety.  Technology has made it incredibly easy to access large amounts of digital information with little to no actual effort on our part. It’s incredibly convenient. We have access to more than any other generation that has EVER existed – more people, more art, more data, more everything – and it’s AWESOME! However, it turns out that there are some areas where the album vs. digital files debate is pretty one sided . . . and photography is one of them.

In fact, when it comes to photography, albums out perform digital files in every meaningful way and it’s not even close!

5 Reasons Albums Are Better Than Digital Files

 

#1 – Digital is Fragile, Print is Reliable

And not just because technology can break so easily. If you have ever accidentally submerged your cell phone in a large amount of water you know how it can happen. And you know how important rice is. But it’s not the only reason.

The digital files themselves are actually fragile. There are many ways that a file can become useless or unviewable. Files can be corrupted, the software that supports the files’ format can become outdated, or the files can just disappear. As professional photographers we spend thousands to make sure we have taken every precaution  – clouds, cards, external hard drives – and we still worry about it.

Basically, unless you have a pretty solid plan for backing up and maintaining your digital files AND you implement it religiously, they will go away.

 

#2 – Digital Files Are Easily Forgotten or Lost

Ever lose a file on your computer or cell phone? Yup, that could happen to your wedding gallery. The same can happen with physical storage devices like USB drives, too. Before we were professional photographers our wedding photos were delivered to us on a CD. Two moves later and it was gone! No where to be found. We DO still have our wedding album though. In fact I can see if from where I am sitting.

#3 – Albums Are Heirlooms

Albums tend to get handed down from generation to generation. In fact, they are designed for it! An heirloom album is designed with layflat pages, which means there is no binding, so it won’t fall apart at the seams. Heirloom albums use archival quality paper so there won’t be any fading of the photographs inside. And they won’t “yellow” or change color over the years. And albums are typically designed with thick pages; which means no tearing or bending which can damage the image.

And besides all of that, it’s really hard to imagine experiencing the same feelings of nostalgia about finding great-grandma’s wedding thumb drive. (If it still works, lol.)

 

#4 – A Professionally Designed Album is Priceless

Albums can be expensive. It’s true. But their price pales in comparison to their value, which is incalculable.

A well made and professionally designed album is custom to you and style. There will be no other albums like it. It is a one of a kind heirloom that takes hours to design and days to manufacture.

And a well designed album isn’t just a collection of images. It tells a story. Your story. Your family’s story.  And that’s what makes it truly priceless.

Watch any disaster movie and you can see this idea in action. When the world starts to end and the couple or family has to flee their home someone always runs back inside to grab one last thing. And what do they come back out with? Their album.

#5 – According to Science, Albums Are Better

There is actually a field of study now called, “the neuroscience of print.” Within that field professionals study the way the brain interprets signals from different types of media – like print vs. digital – and how it chooses to respond.

In the areas of memory access and emotional connection, print outpaces digital files by a large margin. Which means that when a person holds a printed photograph, their ability to connect emotionally with their memory is significantly heightened. Or, put another way, you actually feel something when you look at a printed photograph instead of a computer or cell phone screen.

Hey, don’t argue with us! It’s science!*

*If you think that actually sounds pretty interesting you can read more about the neuroscience of print here and here.

 

Long Story Short! (lol)

We all connect emotionally with printed photographs in a way that we just can’t through a digital screen and albums are just a lot more fun!

That’s why we are absolutely committed to providing our clients with the best albums available. It’s also why we include digital files with the purchase of an album. The digital files are great, but we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t explain WHY the albums are so much better.