So you got married, you hired a photographer you loved, (I hope) and now you have your wedding photos probably getting buried in your email. Now what?
DOWNLOAD THEM.
Download them. Save them to your computer, your phone, a thumb drive, but most importantly, an external hard drive. You can buy an external hard drive at most stores that carry computer equipment. Or, you can get one on amazon for as low as $50. Sure this is an added expense, but after investing thousands into your wedding photos, shouldn’t you have a safe place to store them? I’ve used seagate and western digital hard drives and recommend both. For those unfamiliar with external hard drives, they are smaller than your phone and can be stored easily. I personally suggest getting two, and storing one in a fireproof safe or at a location other than your house. (Your parents house, your office, your friends house, a safety deposit box….etc) This ensures that if anything were to happen to your home such as fire, flood or theft, you’ll have a safe copy of your wedding collection.
BACK THEM UP
Back them up. We talked about having multiple digital copies saved in physical places. But you can also utilize online storage or “clouds”. There are several different choices with many price points. Some are even free like google drive or in some cases, dropbox. This is added security that should anything happen to your MULTIPLE copies of your gallery, you have them ready to download again. Ask your photographer about how long they store your photos, where they store them etc…..but don’t rely on them to have your photos for you after they’ve delivered. Most photographers keep multiple backups of each gallery, but it should be up to you to keep your gallery safe.
PRINT THEM!
Seriously.
Print them. Print them. PRINT THEM. You’ve spent thousands on them, you downloaded them, you backed them up. You’ve looked at them a ton on your phone, so you may be tempted to hold off on printing. Don’t. Print them right away. Give them to your parents as gifts. Hang them or put them in a frame on the shelf. Depending on your photographer’s method of delivery, you probably have a link to a gallery from a host website. These websites offer printing more often than not. Use this to your advantage and print them directly from the gallery. This not only benefits you because you won’t have to re-upload them to another printer….but you get QUALITY prints that are the same pretty colors your photographer worked so hard on. This also makes it so easy for your family to print without you having to be a middle man. Send them the link and let them choose their own, and it will get delivered right to them! Maybe you grew up printing at CVS or you got a bomb coupon code from Shutterfly. Don’t do it. Your photographer may or may not have stipulations in their contract about where you can print. I promise this is so that you get prints that don’t look dull or turn you orange. Find out where your photographer wants you to print. I bet they will give you great advice that has your best interest at heart.
SHARE THEM.
And don’t forget to tag your photographer.
Share the hell out of your photos. (If you want to)
It makes my day when my couples and families share on Instagram or Facebook. I sometimes sit on the couch in the mornings, grasping coffee like a gremlin under a blanket and reading all the wonderful things your friends and family have to say about the photos I worked so hard on for you. Do I refer to it as “reading my fan mail?” Yes, but that’s my business.
Tag your photographer! This saves you the steps of having to give their information should another friend ask you “who did your photos?!” and it makes them really happy to know you’re thinking of them when you post.
Don’t edit them. Don’t filter them. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it will seriously ruin your photographers day to get that heart sinking feeling of a filter placed over the photo they spent hours perfecting. Sometimes putting a filter or an edit from an app on your phone can just be habit. Make sure you hire someone who’s work you LOVE and don’t feel the need to change. It’s also likely in your contract not to do that.
Bottom line, keep them safe, make them into art for your home and as keepsakes to stumble upon years from now, ENJOY them. Don’t let them sit on your phone to share on your anniversary or a birthday. Photos were around long before social media, and you will still want to enjoy them long after you care about instagram clout.