I remember as a child how every now and then my siblings and I would open up that big door to the coffee stand and peer upon all the family photos, many of them of my grandparents and even great grandparents. We would pull them all out and giggle as children are prone to do. Me kissing my cousin at the age of 2, my brother wearing a football helmet 4x’s too big, etc. That coffee stand full of photos traveled with us wherever we moved. They are the tangible memories of our past.
My mother recently went through those photos and put together individual photo albums for my brother, sister and me. These are our stories, pieces of our pasts. Fleeting moments capture on film, printed and preserved for generations. I cherish these photos and now enjoy sharing them with my daughter.
I wonder, with today’s fast paced changes in technology, will future generations have photographs of their childhood. Do you have a box of vinyl albums and no turn table? Do you remember vhs tapes, 8 track tapes, floppy discs? When is the last time you took the time and printed photos off your digital camera’s disc? In fifty years, will your children be able to open up a drawer, spread the photos on the floor and start to giggle? Or will they open up the drawer, find a bunch of unreadable discs and wonder what unobtainable treasures they hold. I fear the latter will be the most probable. I fear they will be unable to find the necessary access hardware. And even if they do have the hardware, will the software still be readable? Discs go bad, get accidentally reformatted, or even thrown out.
All my wedding couples receive discs of their wedding proofs with reprint rights, but I fear many will never take the time to produce prints. As a complimentary service to my wedding clients, I am now offering to upload a 4×6 proof gallery for them with MPIX.com where they can easily print all their wedding proofs with ease. I love MPIX for their quick, inexpensive service. Shipping is a flat fee, no matter how many photos are printed. Color correction is complimentary and often times your order will be shipped the day it is placed. I want their children to sit down one day and share a little giggle.
