Last night, Vaughan and I drove to the AT&T store to look into upgrading my iPhone. I was excited and nervous (making big purchases always makes me nervous – I think I’d feel that way even if I had a million dollars). As we drove to the mall, I started to panic – what if they couldn’t back up my photos? What if my iCloud storage wasn’t working correctly for some reason?! What if ALL my phone pictures were just gone forever. Cue panic attack.

I have a photo album almost full of Finn pictures already, but there were so many photos that I hadn’t printed yet that would be gone forever. I could cry thinking about this happening. Now, I didn’t end up upgrading (they didn’t have the phone I wanted in stock) and no images were lost in the making of this blog post. Hallelujah! BUT it really made me think about all of the people who don’t have a backup system set up, don’t print their photos, and could find themselves in this situation very easily. Even if you’re not planning to upgrade your phone, what if your phone unexpectedly breaks? I’ve had my fair share of incidents where my phone comes out the other side in less than great condition. I’ve dropped my phone more times than I can count and if one of those times I happened to be standing over a sink or a lake or a giant puddle of quicksand, what would happen to my pictures?! 

So. I pose this question: do you have a plan for your images? Are they backed up? Are they printed? How would you feel if you lost them all? I encourage you to print your photos and don’t wait! Even your blurry or grainy phone pictures are special. They are memories. Imagine how fun it will be to show them to your children one day, or to reminisce with the people you love, or to remember the people who are no longer with us. I know that as a child I used to love to look through our photo albums and see old photos of my parents and their friends. I want to give that same gift to my little Finn one day.

Because I’m so passionate about this, I’ve created a list of apps and websites that will help you #printyourphotos (follow this hashtag on Instagram and share your own photos!):

1. FreePrints App – This app for iPhone and Android is amazing! You can print up to 85 FREE prints every month and you only have to pay for shipping! I’ve ordered so many prints from this app and let me tell you, the quality is great! I would suggest ordering the matte prints (they look a bit more professional than the glossy ones, in my opinion). As I mentioned before, I’ve already filled up most of a photo album with photos of Finn so this is a very necessary tool for mommas!
2.  Artifact Uprising – This company is wonderful. They make beautiful albums, prints, calendars, and even have a mobile app so you can easily print your phone and Instagram photos. They use 100% recycled paper for printing and also offer handmade wooden products to compliment your images. Once I ordered an album from them and it came with a minor scratch on one of the pages. I expected them to apologize, but they went above and beyond – they sent me a whole new album! The wonderful customer service is just the icing on the cake!
3. mPix – This site is a great option for affordable prints. When you just can’t afford to have your prints professionally printed (which will always be my number one suggestion, especially professionally taken photos), this is a great alternative. Their prints are high quality and if you sign up for their emails, they send lots of discount codes. Definitely give mPix a try!

I hope these tips will help you get your photos off your devices and into your homes. It’s so special to have these moments adorning your walls for years to come. You won’t regret it, I promise. If you’re interested in more information on professional prints or how I can help you print your photos, please feel free to email me at lauren{at}laurenjollyphotography{dot}com.

Happy Wednesday!