Digital photography has opened up the world to a new way of taking and storing photos. The photographer quickly snaps memories of his or her trip to New Hampshire or Oregon and retains them digitally until he or she decides their fate. More choices can be both liberating and confusing. Yet, with so many storing options available, digital photo printing still remains popular.
No clear single reason explains this. Rather, it is a combination of factors. They range from habit and tradition to the need to actually hold and touch the image the camera has produced. Overall, printing out a photo, digital or otherwise, is a more meaningful way to explore and enjoy photography.
Prints: Nostalgia and Practicality Combined
Printing off a photo, whether at your home in New Hampshire or at a shop, is exciting in and of itself. It is an act of birth. The camera has created the picture. You can then give it life by printing it off. You have a sense of expectation as you watch the photo emerge into the actual world. On a film or in digital form, it lacks the sense of reality with which a concrete print provides it.
The sense of touch is powerful. While you cannot touch digital, you can touch, feel and hold a print. Digital photo printing allows you to hold your creative moment in your hands. The digital printing process, with all its technological capabilities, also allows you to remake, touch up and alter the original photo. You can improve upon the shot. You can heighten colors. You can erase extraneous items that have creeped into or are detracting from the moment.
Other practical reasons exist for printing off an image. The initial image you run off is the expression of the image at the time it was taken. It is the most realistic representation you have. As such, if you want to judge the quality of your work and the image, you have no option but to print it out. This way, you can closely examine it, looking at such things as:
- Technique
- Camera’s capabilities
- The colors of the shot – Perhaps it may be better as a black and white photo
- The angle and orientation
- Whether any extraneous material is present that requires removal
- The impact of the photo
Overall, for photographers, one very important reason for printing is to improve. By seeing the outcome of your shot in print, you can analyze your capabilities. You will see your strengths and weaknesses.
Digital Photo Printing: A Helpful Process
Photography is both an art and a craft. In order to improve your capabilities in this field, you must be able to look at it closely. You need to examine this photo of, say New Hampshire, from all angles and have others also do so. The only way to accomplish this is to make the work concrete. Digital photo printing is the means of achieving this.
