Studio News: the *Client* Print Store
[Owen Sound & Area Photography Studio]
In my opinion, an image isn’t enjoyed to its full potential until it is in a tangible, printed form.
-Dana
Nothing satisfies my photographer heart more than seeing my clients print & display their images! Although digital files are part of our session packages, the studio has always prided itself on offering our clients high-quality, professionally printed products as a means of archiving and displaying their favourite portrait session images. Many clients have enjoyed and used this service over the years, and I will happily continue to offer it. However, some prefer to take care of the ordering and printing aspect themselves (which is totally ok!), and over the years it has become one of THE most asked questions I get …
Where should I print my images?
It’s a challenging question for me to answer, for a few different reasons.
Professional photography is an investment, and as such, I believe that my clients’ images deserve to be printed through a lab that delivers quality products.
In addition - the actual portrait session is just a small fraction of time that is devoted to creating my clients’ imagery. A lot of of time behind-the-scenes is spent editing and perfecting the images. However, many big box stores and consumer lab machines actually “undo” these adjustments by adding in their own generic “colour correcting” and sharpening during the printing process. Often times this results in the printed image looking drastically different than the original that was created and digitally delivered by myself … which is both frustrating and disappointing.
I have done my own experiment in the past by having a single image printed through multiple consumer labs and the results were astonishing (and rather cringe-worthy, to be honest).
[See comparison below: 1st Image - my preferred Pro Lab, 2nd Image - Walmart and 3rd Image - Costco]
Not one of them looked the same. Some were very contrasty and saturated, the paper felt cheap and flimsy, and the colouring varied across the prints. When compared to the pro lab print, nothing compared to it’s quality. When my clients print their images that we create together, I want the printed result to reflect what I am seeing on my screen at the end of the editing process.
And so that is why I happily offer my clients another printing option - the Client Store! Clients can use this complimentary service to order pro-lab quality prints and select products at very affordable rates. Once final digital images are delivered by me, the Client Store is accessible directly from your personal online gallery and is available for 7 days. This printing option enables clients to personally manage their own print orders, and it’s a “win” for me because I know that the resulting images will come out looking like how I had intended.
Because technology is always changing - regardless of where or how your images are printed, my sincerest hope is that they WILL be printed and enjoyed via a tangible product, and will not be forgotten amongst computer files or expire on a USB.
