What to do with all those digital photos

One problem that I have being a hobbyist photographer is what to do with the thousands of image files that I have. Sure I have them saved on a cloud drive in addition to my computer so that they are secure and at anytime I like I can whip out my phone or computer and look at them, but in effect they’re hidden and seldom seen. But other than the fact that I know the photos are reasonable secure, I really seldom see and appreciate the photos that I have enjoyed taking.

So, then there is printing and I have printed out several of my favorite photos to hang on my wall, but there is only so much wall space I have. And each print + plus framing can get expensive, as in >$100 for a large print. That is fine for a few select images that I am particularly fond of but there is only so much wall space in my office to hang all of these photos. I have thought about doing more of a collage style wall, but I find that to be a bit messy. Below are two large, 12×18 I think, images that I had printed on fine art paper and framed to hang on my wall.

Two framed photos taken at Big Bend that are associated with happy memories

After my trip to Patagonia, I thought about this issue and decided that I would make a nice book that I could keep on my table and look at whenever I like. There are no files to dig through or tiny screens to look at. The book would be there for anyone to pick up and look at without trouble. And the images being on paper would make them more real than some formatted bits on a storage drive somewhere. So, I set about the process of making a book.

I have made photo books before, but they didn’t seem to be very high quality to me so this time I decided to make a more professional book if I could. I went to a company called Saal Digital and they do make products for professional photographers and would seem to be of higher quality than most. There is a tool that you download and use to create a project on your computer. When you are finished with the project, you upload it and order your book. There are also videos that come with it that give you tips on creating a good finished product. You get a preview of the finished book, but you don’t really know until you have it in your hands, so I ordered the book with the acrylic cover and waited for two weeks.

The book finally arrived and I have to say I was quite pleased with it. I took the above photo on the back porch on a cloudy morning to get some good light. The photo that I used for the acrylic photo was from my favorite morning on the trip with the morning sun on the distant mountains. Not sure how well this shows in a photo of the photo on the book. I used a polarizer in an attempt to cut down the glare.

Inside the book are 42 pages of photos on glossy paper. I chose glossy paper as I thought the colors would look better compared to the matte finish. I put captions with most of the photos to remind myself where the photos were taken when I look at the book years from now.

The book is a “lay flat” style book and I took advantage of this by putting some panoramic type images spanning pages in a few instances (see above). I also created some pages with multiple photos that showed images that I wanted more for the documentary aspect than for the full-spread view. For instance, I wanted to remember all of the wildlife that I saw, but didn’t really have very many large glorious photos of them.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the product and really enjoy having physical copies of my images readily available without plastering my walls with prints. And if anyone want to see any of my photos, we don’t have to huddle around a computer screen. Rather I can just hand them the book to page through.

Not sure the photos that I took of the book for this blog really show the quality of the book, but I am quite happy with it. You can look back through my Patagonia blogs and see these photos if you like. Anyway, I think this might be the best way to print and display my favorite images and I will probably look into this for other photos; maybe an annual book to showcase my best photos of the year. Which reminds me, I need to get out and shoot some photos. Thanks for reading.

32 thoughts on “What to do with all those digital photos”

  1. My sister lives with her daughter and two grandkids. She prints a book each year, after Christmas with all of the most significant pictures of that year. The past year is on the coffee table, with the rest in a bookcase for grabbing and looking. I like the idea, but as a single person with my sons living in their own homes, I don’t see the books as being as beneficial. I like that my kids will be able to just press “delete” with all of my photo files when I am done with this life.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I like this idea, as very little reading is involved. I hate reading. However, my wallet trembles when I dare to ask, what’s a ballpark figure for a book like this? Did you have to take out a second mortgage?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You and your “hate reading”, my ears cringe, and I 😶🤚! Someday I will find you the perfect book and you won’t be able to put it down. LOL!

      He didn’t take out a second mortgage. I heard he started a second job, opened up a coffee shop.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I recently read a book about helium. It was such a light read I couldn’t put it down.

        But then he went bankrupt after his waitress kept driving away customers, spilling food and drinks on them.

        Liked by 2 people

  3. Creating a book is creating a tangible slice of history. Memories. Picking it up and looking through it brings back memories for those who lived it and shows others what someone else witnessed.

    Kids and grandkids will have these memories even if they don’t look at it daily. Photography books shouldn’t be limited to those “ known” photographers but to other talented people.

    Nice job, Jason.

    Liked by 1 person

      2. Happy Father’s Day, hope you are enjoying it. Maybe you should take some photos today, since it is your day to do what you enjoy. Though melting in the sun, may not be one of those things.

        Like

  5. I like this idea! And a couple of the images are very impressive, especially the two-page pano and the view across Lago Nordenskjold. Add a little pseudo academic text and an ISBN code, and you might be able to sell enough at $200 a pop to cover the tickets for your next photo-journey.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. You could market to high-end interior designers and model home decorators, luxury home staging services, and exclusive party organizers as sophisticated coffee-table décor. And with the photos you’ve already collected, I’d recommend a box of five variously themed versions… “Patagonia”, “Chihuahuan Desert”, etc…” for say $2,000.

        Yeah… I’m being a little facetious. But also, not. 😉

        Liked by 1 person

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