Printing Your Images

I have also discussed this topic in a video. As a photographer, printing your own work is extremely important. A major part of the creative process involves selecting your own images—"engaging with your own photos" in order to grow, and recognizing your own mistakes. It means holding onto your best work while continuing to improve. Anyone who fails to look at their own work—and engage with it critically—will not evolve as an artist. Categorizing photos in digital folders is a great practice. However, it is even better to hold the actual prints in your hands—to see them hanging on a wall. That experience does something to you; it is a completely different sensation than simply viewing images "only digitally."

Photographers: invest a little money and start printing your images! I can highly recommend the portable printers from Canon (such as the CP1500) or Fujifilm. These devices allow you to print directly onto high-quality paper—in postcard format, for instance. You don't necessarily need to start with large A4+ prints right away; a print on a high-quality postcard is perfectly sufficient. Just think back to the old Polaroids—thanks to these modern printers, that experience is now possible again.

In this context, I always fondly recall the film Perfect Days. In the movie, the protagonist prints out his photos and stores them in small cardboard boxes, taking them out every now and then to look at them and find joy in the images—even if they are just simple prints made at a drugstore photo kiosk. I simply encourage everyone to take the step of bringing their work into the physical world. It truly has a profound effect on you. And it’s a lot of fun, too.

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