Digital vs. Print Proofs

In the new face of digital technology, almost all weddings are photographed entirely with digital cameras. After the wedding, some couples need to choose what form they would like their proofs in - online, digitally represented in a proof website, or in print, something tangible that they can hold and sort through.

For the average wedding photographer, the cost difference is negligible. Depending upon what proof website your wedding photographer uses, your wedding photographer could be paying a hefty monthly fee to host his or her proofs online and enable a number of options for the proofs (options to print, save, sort, etc.). Similarly, it costs for your wedding photographer to print proofs, particularly if they are editing them or color-correcting them. There are low-cost options for both digital and print proofs, but really, which works best for you?

	Pros	Cons
Digital	Can share with anyone Can see a range of styles (black and white, sepia) of the same image Can often use a “favorite” tool to have the computer remember your choices for you Can be password-protected	Not tangible (Can’t physically hold them) Often online is a low-res version of the true image Different monitors can render the images differently, so you may not see a true representation of the image
Print	Can hold them, sort them by hand Can use proofs later for your own scrapbooking, albums, etc. Easier to compare side-by-side	Can be harder to keep track of (as compared to digital “favoriting” or “bookmarking”) If lost, will take much more time for photographer to send you new ones Overall turnaround might be longer (time spent with a digital workflow is significantly shorter) Guests cannot order prints from your print proofs easily Harder to share with family and friends

So if sharing with your family and friends is important to you, I’d suggest you go with online proofing. If you’re a kinesthetic person who really wants to hold the pictures and spread them out to look at them and make your selections for your album, definitely go with print proofs. Talk with your wedding photographer or civil union photographer about the options to see what he or she prefers and why. In the end, it’s about getting you the product that you really want and feel good about!

An important note: Turnaround time. Be sure to ask your wedding photographer what his or her average turnaround time is. Some wedding photographers take a very long time, and this may be for a number of reasons. He or she may have booked many weddings, or he or she may be devoting significant attention to your proofs. Post-processing takes a large amount of time (something clients often forget; remember, this is a big part of what you’re paying for!) and if a wedding photographer wants to edit each photograph and perfect it before sending you the proofs, then it may be longer until you receive them. So make sure you ask and talk about it before signing your contract.

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