Jessica Ross Jessica Ross

Why I Print Photos (And Why It Matters More Than Ever)

Recently, I’ve had a few quiet moments with my family looking through old photos.

Not on a phone. Not on a screen.
But sitting together, holding them in our hands.

Some of those faces are no longer with us.
Some lives have changed in ways we never expected.
Some moments can never be recreated.

And it really hit me — this is why photographs matter.

Because Life Changes. Sometimes Suddenly.

We never know how much time we have with people. Or how life might shift.

In our family, we’ve lost loved ones.
We’ve seen life-altering accidents and injuries.
We’ve watched seasons of life close and new ones begin.

And the only way to truly revisit those chapters is through the photos we took when we didn’t know how precious those moments would become.

Holding a Photo Feels Different to Seeing One on a Screen

Looking through printed photos feels completely different to scrolling.

You slow down.
You talk more.
You remember stories you’d forgotten.

You notice details — the way someone smiled, the way a child looked at their parent, the small moments that felt ordinary at the time but now mean everything.

Digital files are easy to ignore. Prints ask you to feel.

Yes, Digital Photos Are Still Important

Of course, I love having photos on my phone too.

They’re easy to access.
Easy to share with family.
Easy to keep close in everyday life.

Digital images absolutely have their place — they let us document life as it’s happening and carry our memories with us wherever we go.

But We Still Need More Than Screens

Phones break. Technology changes. Accounts get lost.

But more than that — screens don’t create rituals.

Sitting together with a box of photos does.
Albums on the coffee table do.
Framed images on the wall do.

They create moments of reflection. Of storytelling. Of remembering together.

Photos Become More Valuable As Time Passes

When we take photos, we’re usually thinking about the present.

But their real value is in the future.

In five years.
In ten years.
In the moments when someone is missing from the room.

Printed photos become comfort. They become connection. They remind us of who we’ve loved, where we’ve been, and what we’ve shared.

This Is Why I’m So Passionate About Printing

As a photographer, I don’t just want to give families images.

I want to give them something they can hold when life feels heavy.
Something they can share with their children.
Something that will still exist long after the devices we use today are gone.

Because one day, those photos won’t just be “nice memories”.

They’ll be pieces of your family’s history.

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