Making the Most of Your Images

A lot of effort goes into a family session: coordinating schedules, preparations, purchasing outfits and a financial investment. Once the big day is over, the work is not done. Taking on a few further steps can help you make the most of your session with Amber Roy Photography.

While the desire to share family photos is high, often clients fail to display their photos in a way that provides the greatest enjoyment. Internet sharing and small prints from commercial printers are often the place clients start, but these methods often fail to meet expectations.

Make the most of it. Following these few steps can help you get the ultimate return on your session with Amber Roy Photography.

Step 1: Print

While the internet is an excellent way to share your images with a broad audience quickly, there is no substitute for holding a final product in your hands. Showing off your family within your house makes it a home. Nobody pays a photographer just to get their picture taken. Keep the final product in mind. Don’t leave your images on your computer.

Step 2: Print Big

Have you ever walked into a friend’s home and found yourself in love with their décor?   When presented well, home décor can change the mood in your home, making others feel invited.

Spend a moment to walk around your home. Do you have artwork you love? Does it need an update? Is there a place that could use a large wall display?

Often times, clients think an 11×14 image is “the big one”. Unfortunately, when you hang this on your wall it, fails to produce a wow factor. If you are looking to print for a wall display in your home I recommend a 16”x20” print or larger. If matted and framed a 16”x20” provides a lovely 20”x24” wall piece. Prints even larger than that can look more “at home” on a large living room or bedroom wall space.

Step 3: Order Professional Prints

Many clients choose to forgo professional prints. This is often driven by price, but many are unaware of the degraded quality and service of the large commercial printers. It seems easy. Just upload your digital files to your local one hour printer and you can have a beautiful wall display in your home that evening!

But wait….. 

That may not be entirely true.

Each one of my sessions includes 25-30 fully edited images. This means I take the time to carefully correct blemishes, contrast and color on each photo in your gallery to ensure the image looks its best. The printer you choose may, and probably will, destroy these careful corrections. Whether you are printing large or small, you’ll notice stark differences in many images.

A picture speaks a thousand words, so, below is an example of one of my images printed through Walmart.

It’s difficult to miss the difference between this print and the original image.

And for those of you thinking that your favorite online vendor (Shutterfly anyone?) does a better job, you’re wrong. Unfortunately, even online vendors can degrade the original image.

Want to see for yourself? I have samples of various prints on hand from different vendors. I am happy to show you the difference between my prints and those other guys.

What Else is Different About Professional Prints?

Not only does my professional printer take special care in producing your final product, but so do I.

When you take your digital file to your local print shop or online vendor, you are uploading an image that has not been individually prepped for printing. I am unable to prep full resolution images provided on disks as this is a process that needs to be completed on each unique image based on print size. Taking individual care in preparing each image ensures your photo displays as beautiful art in your home. Image sizing, aspect ratio and sharpening can be a hassle to manage at times but should be done on every printed image. Unfortunately, frustration can lead to settling for a mediocre result. Don’t settle! Allow me to tackle the task for you!

Additionally, Amber Roy Photography provides complimentary mounting for large prints.  

Sounds Great, but, I Don’t Know Where to Start…

At times, it’s hard to know where to start. Framing, matting and wall galleries can be frustrating to design and can quickly become overwhelming.

This is where I come in. I desire to provide clients with beautiful images of their family and assist them in displaying these images in their home.

If you are having trouble determining print sizes for your home, I am happy to discuss with you the wall space you want to fill with an in person ordering session. From stairway galleries to nurseries and living rooms, I have available several framed and ready-to-go collections! Need inspiration for a unique design in your home? My complete Inspire Guide can help you come up with the perfect gallery for your space.

Amber Roy Photography offers several options for prints. Prints can be ordered A La Carte on an as needed basis. However, if purchased at the time of booking, two print packages are available that provide various discounts.  Please contact me for Print Package details, a copy of my Inspire Guide and additional information on product pricing and collections.