The downside to the digital era.
Consider the following picture.
Digital files are convenient and portable but you need a device in order to see them. Now consider the next photo. Which do you think looks better in your home?
When I look at photos hanging up in my home, I'm constantly reminded of the days when my kids were babies, of when my husband proposed to me and the time my oldest tried on my wedding dress. If these photos were just stored on a USB drive or a computer folder I wouldn't see them everyday and I would eventually forget they existed. I'm constantly surprised by the photos I rediscover on my external hard drive.
One of our family's favourite things is to sit down and flip through a photo album together. I tell my kids all the funny stories behind the photos and they get to see the photos whenever they want, rather than begging to use my iPhone to flip through the photos.
Think for a moment, if someone handed you a floppy disc with a few photos on it and said "Here are your family photos. Enjoy." If you were born after the 90s, you won't even know what this is or how to see your photos. 20 years from now, the USB may also be obsolete and while there is technology that allow you to retrieve the photos off these outdated digital storage devices, you may not have access to one. I'm sure there are hundreds of discarded floppy discs full of pictures that people wish they could access, and yet, the first photo ever taken (in 1826) is still on display at the University of Texas.
Photos are meant to be seen. Why take a photo if you never look at it? If the above photo has lasted for almost 200 years, I think your family photos will last long enough for you to hang on the wall for your lifetime.
RW Photography