Why not print your photos 2

In Part 1 I had a passionate discussion with Adam Scorey about why it’s so great to print our photos and put them on the wall to inspire us and remind us of what we can achieve, instead of letting them gather digital dust on a hard drive.

Adam has been one of the UKs top photography journalists and editor of many national photography magazines. I’m excited to say we’ll be working together more in the coming months, but that’s another story.

Here in part 2, Adam shows us around the truly amazing facilities at One Vision Imaging where he is now. What impressed me most was the absolute hive of activity OVI is. There are specialists rushing about preparing image files, printing, canvassing, framing, mounting and dispatching photographer’s work around the world.

And that’s a delight so see, because it means people do still see the value in printed work. And it’s not just professionals selling photos. It’s also photographers who recognise what a great motivator it is to see your most recent favourite image hanging in the house. To look at it, think to yourself, “I did that.” And feel good.

And how cool is it when a visitor asks where you bought it from - and you can tell them it’s all your own.

There are so many options for us photographers to enjoy and share that enjoyment with others. Personally, I love photo books. They keep our images all neatly catalogued and displayed and make it so much easier to leaf through them than that old tin of loose 6x4s my parents kept in the cupboard.

It’s great value too because the price hasn’t changed much in ten years. If anything it's reduced when you think how many images you can print in a photo book. Some of us (me included) remember a time when after paying for the film, developing and printing, just 36 images cost around £10.

And that’s just to get to see them. How many of those 36 were ‘keepers’?

Now, shooting the images costs almost zero once we’ve paid for the camera, computer and software. Now we can choose the very best out of thousands (possibly tens of thousands) of shots and have them made into a beautiful book. All that good stuff for less than what it used to cost just to take 108 exposures! Never mind do anything with them.

What if you don’t think your photography is good enough to be printed?

I don’t believe you. Sorry, but I don't and I think you're being too hard on yourself. You may not think it’s as good as you want it to be, but the best photographers are usually their own harshest critics. I think you have at least one or two images tucked away you secretly like, but you’re not brave enough to have them on display.

So here’s an exercises for you. It will will help you grow as a photographer, motivate and inspire you to take better photos.

Have those one or two images printed, framed and hang them on a wall somewhere you’ll see them regularly. Along the hall, up the stairs, doesn’t matter - so long as you’ll keep seeing your prints.

Then, when you shoot your next favourite, print it and hang it with them until you have a row of five framed prints. Each time you shoot a new favourite, print it, take your least favourite out of it’s frame and replace it with the new one.

That's around £5 to be excited and motivated, great investment. No one can even learn photography, never mind shoot eye catching, emotive photos if they don't feel inspired and motivated. Better to spend £5 on that, than buy the latest gadget for £-----s of pounds.

Every time you go past that row if beautiful framed prints, you’re seeing your own evolution as a photographer. What will that do? How will it make you feel? You'll be hungry to lean, practise and shoot more images you’re proud to have taken.

Eventually even you, the super tough critic will begin to see you’re actually becoming pretty good.

And as always, I’m delighted to be your guide.

There's loads of free stuff on my site and others, but without someone to guide you through what you need now , help you get it in the right order and coach you, you're likely to suffer from information overload.

My Masterclass in Photography, The 7 Building Blocks of Photography, workshops etc are structured to help and you'll develop so much faster than on you're own.

Sure, I want to sell courses; it’s how I make my living. But I also want you to feel great about your photos when they get 100s or even 1000s of likes, comments and praise from others. It has to work for both of us which is why there’s a 100% refund guarantee…