Hi Lloyd, so many people don’t print images nowadays, do you think it’s important to print wedding photos?
I think it’s vitally important for people to have some form of ‘hard copy’ of, not just their wedding photographs, but all their valuable family memories. Previous generations may have drawers full of postcard size prints that never see the light of day but at least they have them.
Digital storage is still in its infancy by comparison to traditional printing technology. The longevity and security of hard drives and cloud storage has not been truly tested and for peace of mind I would recommend that you print out your most prized photographs, even if it is just to postcard size.
Printing can sometimes be quite expensive, how much should I expect to pay for printing?
In fact photographic prints are one of those rare commodities that have actually decreased in price over the last 10 years or so. If you look around online you will find print prices starting at around 10p per print or sometimes even less! At the quality end of the market you can pay several pounds for a copy on archival paper but there is no reason why you can’t get your wedding photographs printed out at a reasonable cost.
What types of images should I print?
For the reasons mentioned above, I think you should have all of your wedding photographs printed to a reasonable size (say 7×5 inches) and perhaps a dozen or so of your favourites even larger.
What is the best way to store wedding photos?
Damp and humidity are a paper prints worst enemy so try to find somewhere in your house that is cool and dry, perhaps a closet or cupboard without an outside wall.
How many copies should I buy for relatives?
It really depends on your budget and how many relatives you have. It might be nice to buy prints of some key shots for your parents as gifts but nobody will expect you to be buying multiple copies for distant cousins. If you have received a disc from your photographer containing the high-resolution files then perhaps offer to email relatives (and friends) copies of particular images so they can have their own prints made.
Do you prefer matte or glossy photo print?
I prefer matt. Yes, gloss has that, well, glossiness to it but when you are viewing a gloss print it can be difficult to get it at an angle where it doesn’t reflect the light, obscuring the image.
Anyway, if you’re thinking of framing the print, once it’s behind glass, a matt print will look glossy anyway and a matt print is so much better at hiding the inevitable fingerprints!
Lloyd Dobbie is a London based photographer working across the UK and Europe. You can see more of his work here on his website and keep up to date with his latest wedding work by visiting his blog.
