“We don’t need prints or anything, just the files”
… a commonly made statement.
But no one ever ever displays files,
and MANY are eventually lost – before ever being printed.
* USB drives become unreadable
* Phones completely stop working
* Hard drives fail to ‘show up’ and become bricks
All HORRIBLE experiences!
Having come just over 25 years with digital
we really have no idea how many years a file will last.
We DO know they can be lost,
and we take chances based on where we keep it.
A file is only as safe as the method used to store it,
only available if you have what’s needed to read it.
Digital files are not archival.
On the other hand, cared-for archival prints will last 100 years or more!
Real value is in a print given a place of importance.
One day, future generations will go through our things,
hold up a disc or USB drive, and say
“What do you think this is?”
That’s what happens with passing generations. Technology changes.
Unless you’re some kind of vintage collector,
reel-to-reel tapes are gone, 8 tracks are gone, floppies are gone, CDs and DVDs are ‘going away’ and everything now goes into ‘the cloud’.
Where is that exactly?
When it comes to digital, we hold and physically own nothing.
Take care of your pictures!.
One of the best ways to preserve a favorite is to print 2 copies.
Display one out of direct sunlight and store the other flat,
between acid free tissue in a cool safe place (NOT the attic).
You can ALWAYS take another picture of a picture,
and even if water damaged or torn it can very often be restored.
But a lost corrupted file that can no longer be opened – is GONE.
Back up and print your favorites!
* One copy on display
* One copy in print storage
* One copy OFF site, online or in ‘the cloud’ – in case of ‘natural disaster’
Your photographer should do the same with your pictures
… and I do!
