With photo labs on every corner, inside of drugstores and grocery stores, you may think about printing your professional family portraits from one of these locations. Here’s why you need to reconsider.

So you’ve recently had your family portrait session with a professional photographer. My guess is that you’ve invested a lot into that session; your time and money, to begin with.

You spent time…

• Searching for the perfect photographer for you
• Discussing your needs with that photographer; maybe emailing, or meeting for a consultation
• Planning your session- location, date, time, wardrobe, etc.
• During your session with your photographer

Another thing worth mentioning, is that while you’re paying your photographer for their time and your photos/products; you’re also paying for their talent. In my business, I regularly color calibrate my monitor to my lab’s specifications. This way, photos come printed exactly how I edit them, and see them on my monitor.  There is no way to do this with the below retailers from your computer, which is why each of the retailers have their own distinct color issue. 

You’ve put a lot into this photo shoot. When you go to a pharmacy/grocery “lab” to print your photos from that session, it’s almost like throwing away all of that time and energy.

I use the term “lab” loosely, because they aren’t actually labs. There are no technicians trained in color development. In my experience with getting the below samples, the employees are just barely trained in using the piece of machinery for printing. When I asked one “Photo Lab” employee why the print was so yellow, he responded with “That’s how the picture was taken.”

WRONG. Dead wrong. Check it out for yourself.

You’ll notice that some of these stores print this really awful yellow tint, some with a blue hue, green casts, and some oranges. Another thing that I noticed, was inconsistency in sizing between the stores. I printed 8×10’s of all of these photos, and some came back slightly smaller.

Most professionals offer their clients prints. Kellie&Jean Photography does, and the prints are of the highest quality that you can receive. My prints are printed on archival quality materials, mounted on heavy duty matboard or styrene, and made to last a lifetime. Prints from one of the above retailers come printed on a flimsy, tearable piece of paper. Below is the thickness and durability comparison between Kellie&Jean Photography prints, and a drugstore/online photo lab.

So there you have it! I would say good enough reason to think twice before dashing to the pharmacy to print your photos from a machine. You do want them to last for a lifetime, after all. They are some of your most precious memories!

If you’re ready to book your photography session, contact me today for a free consultation. I’ll bring these print samples, along with other samples of my products, and we can talk about your ideas for a session!