Remember the days of the “1-Hour Photo” labs? What about the drug store photo departments? You would drop off your rolls of film, wander the aisles, continue to shop, go run another errand, and then return back to the lab to pick up your little envelope with 24 or 36 prints — a collection of 4x6 inch glossy images from whatever vacation or family function it was that you had documented.

Naturally, as digital imagery became more and more popular, printing your photos changed too. Instead of having a print of every image, we could pick the best ones and we could print them bigger and better than ever. We could be more selective, print on more materials, or we could skip the printing part altogether just for our images to be saved online. Times have certainly changed.

Regardless, we’ve made drastic leaps in technology since the times when you could ONLY get your prints done at a drug store, so why bother? If you’re going to spend money on prints, you should make it worth it.

When it comes to printing your photographs there are a lot of options out there. As someone who personally gets stuck in my ways, I understand that branching out from the convenience of drug store prints can seem daunting, overwhelming, or just kinda unnecessary. Why order prints through my wedding or engagement photographer when I can just email them to Walgreens and pick them up the same day? It seems silly to have to wait for them to come in the mail today’s day ‘n age.

But I’m here to tell you, buying prints directly from your photographer makes a world of difference.

When you buy prints directly from your photographer, you’re buying the photographs as they are intended to be viewed.

Wedding photographers invest thousands of dollars into their gear and their editing software to deliver the highest quality images possible. When your photographer is sourcing a printer to print photos for clients, they’re looking for someone who can match that high quality. There are so many online print shops to choose from, and Wedding photographers do all that work vetting the print labs for you. We find the labs that we trust and produce consistently beautiful work. So, when you choose to order prints, it’s really as easy as everyday online shopping. We want the quality of your prints to be as beautiful as the quality of your images, and mostly we want to make it easy for you.

“But Courtney, can’t I just download the photos and then take them to Walmart for prints?”

Sure you can! What you decide to do with your wedding photos once you’ve downloaded them is really up to you. However, the biggest (and most important) difference between the prints from a drug store and prints from your photographer is going to be the color. Back when the 1-Hour photo lab printed your images directly from film, it was harder to compare what was intended vs. the final result. Now, though, your photos might look a whole lot different when you get them printed at the drug store versus how they look on your computer.

Your images are edited in a specific way, and that means they’re meant to be printed in a specific way.

Not only does the photographers’ print lab make a better high-quality print, but they also know how to properly print the colors in your wedding images. How sad would it be to have a beautiful, crisp black and white image on your computer, only to receive a muddy, grainy print from the drug store? Or to have the beautiful greenery come back yellowy-neon in your print? When your order prints from your photographer, you can have peace of mind that the print will look like the image on your computer — beautiful and timeless.

“But Courtney, isn’t it more expensive to print my wedding and engagement photos through a professional photo lab vs Walgreens?”

The short answer is yes, ordering prints through your photographer is going to cost a little more money. That’s that. But consider this: you’re paying for a higher-quality print, and you deserve to spend a little extra moo-lah on your images! ESPECIALLY if they’re your wedding pictures! Not only that, but when you spend the extra money to get your photos printed at the highest quality, you’re supporting the artist you originally hired.

When you spend the extra money on prints from your photographer, you’re choosing another way to support their business.

When you invest in prints through your wedding photographer, you’re giving money to someone you already know. Personally, I love the idea of supporting an artist or business even more when I have a personal connection to them. I would much rather support my photographer than a stranger at the national drug store or superstore chain. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it until I’m dead — your wedding images were not meant to live on a screen. So get them printed how they were meant to be printed: from your photographer!

Okay I’m sold - now what?

If you’ve made it this far and you’re ready to ditch the drug store and browse your printing options, the best place to start is just asking your photographer what they suggest! If you’re one of my clients, you can shop directly through your online wedding/session gallery by clicking on the little shopping cart whenever you’re viewing an image! From there you just pick the size of print, pick how many you want and boom, it’s that simple. I also offer albums/photo books to my clients so if that’s something you’re interested in, let’s chat. What it all comes down to is that your photographer (especially if she is me) wants you to have the most beautiful images possible so trust their advice - your photog knows best!

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