SO many of my friends and clients ask me where to get their images printed that they have purchased the reprint rights for from a professional photographer (these are people who are looking for something better than chain-store-one-hour-photo-desk quality but still want great prices). As professionals, we have a lot of options and have access to many more resources than regular consumers do when it comes to high quality prints and photo products. Most of our pro-grade vendors also are exclusively working with professional photographers.
So, when you have amazing images in your hands and have obtained the copyright release to duplicate them, it can be a bit daunting as a consumer to figure out where you should go for products! And to be sure....there IS a huge difference between a print from a chain-store-one-hour-photo-desk vs. a print from a professional photographer. So, many consumers find themselves searching for a happy medium...not pro grade exactly but not the poor quality cheap stuff either.
One of my favorite online consumer companies for high quality photo products at great prices is http://pinholepress.com/?prc=SHADOWLANDS.
For prints, however, my best advice is to order from the professional photographer that took the photographs in the first place because it is there job to pay close attention to the details of every image you order from them and they will know best how to match the quality of the image with quality results. (Btw, don't expect that kind of treatment from someone doing photography part time as a hobby)
But, if you are just looking for some archival 4"x6" prints to keep around the house (and not keep on display "for show"), Adorama and Snapfish have a great balance of quality and price. One obvious problem with selecting a place like Snapfish for prints which offers delivery to numerous one-hour photo lab chains is that every store prints on and uses different materials and equipment so you should not expect a consistent product (color, paper, etc. varies) if you order the exact same image at two different stores. Professional photographers on the other hand take GREAT pride in their work and do everything possible to make their artwork look as amazing as possible. My vote? Order prints from the photographer who took them. Every photographer has their own style and their own passion for creating a finished product that matches the one in their mind's eye. That's the person I trust MOST with my own images! If you can't afford to purchase ALL the images you want from your photographer, then at least purchase the big ones which you display from them so that you know they look their absolute best. After all, you made the investment to get your amazing photographs taken, so don't let that investment go to waste! : ) And ESPECIALLY don't make the mistake of buying a disc of images but never actually taking the time to get the images into physical printed form.
Try http://pinholepress.com/?prc=SHADOWLANDS -- we know you'll like what you see! : ) Have a GREAT weekend everybody!
~ Lesa (Owner & Photographer @ Shadowlands)
P.S. We want to hear what YOU think! Join the dialogue at http://www.facebook.com/ShadowlandsPhotography
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