The problem with digital files

Can I ask you a question? What have you done with the digital files from your last photography session? I have a few ideas… let me know if any of these sound familiar:

• You never downloaded them.

• You downloaded them to your phone, but now you can’t seem to find them (or you found them after quite a bit of searching).

• You received them on a USB drive (or even a CD?) and they’re sitting in a drawer somewhere, collecting dust.

• You did print some of them, but the colors look off, or you had to crop the image to fit—and the crop just wasn’t right.

Digital files often get lost. There is a very real “here today, gone tomorrow” feeling about them. They get mixed in with the digital noise and chaos of everyday life.

Digital files are also not as timeless as you might think. Files get corrupted, technology changes, and formats become obsolete—think CDs. Does anyone even have a CD reader anymore?

I think the worst part is the digital guilt. There’s often a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you really should do something with those digital files, but you’re not quite sure what—or when—you’ll have the time. That feeling can linger for years, until you either finally print your photos or book another session, telling yourself that this time you’ll do something with them. And then the cycle begins again.