The Joy and Reward of Printing Your Images

As a landscape photographer, I, like many others in this genre, take hundreds, if not thousands, of images every year. Some I like and others I love, but most of them stay on hard drives instead of being presented as prints, as they should be. However, what if we committed to printing more?

Over the years, photography has become easier and more accessible than ever before. We can capture thousands of images, store them instantly, and share them with people around the world within seconds. But in many ways, this has also made our photographs more disposable. We scroll past images on social media, we save them on computers and hard drives, and then we move on to creating the next one.

But what happens to the photographs that meant something to us? The ones that took effort to capture, the ones connected to a memory, a journey, or a moment that we experienced? Too often, they simply sit hidden away, waiting for the day we might open that folder again.

Looking back at my decade of taking my photography seriously, I have not only visited incredible places and had memorable experiences, but, most of all, I have come home with many images. That's the joy of photography, as we get to relive those moments almost instantly when we look back over a shot from an adventure.

Some of these images are meaningful just to me, while others stir an emotion in another person viewing them. But what if we could relive these moments whenever we wanted to or when we were doing everyday tasks? Well, we can when we commit to printing our shots.

Opening the Virtual Cupboard

A photograph is more than just the final image. It is the memory attached to it. It is the early alarm, the long drive, the weather conditions, the people we shared the experience with, the struggles we had getting there, and the feeling we had when we finally captured the image. The photograph becomes the key that unlocks all of those memories again. The world is a big place, and even if we tried, and I mean really tried, we wouldn't be able to explore all of it, let alone photograph it. Yet we have spent time, money, energy, and effort to visit the places we have or could, and gone the extra bit to bring our camera gear with us. We then take those images and put them in a virtual cupboard, rarely opened and even more rarely consumed.

That always seemed strange to me. We put so much effort into creating these photographs, but once they are captured, many of them never get the opportunity to be enjoyed again. They become files rather than memories, stored away rather than experienced.

Printing changes that.

When we print an image, we are forced to slow down and really look at it. We have to decide whether that photograph deserves a place on our wall, in our home, or in a book. It becomes something tangible, something we can interact with, rather than just another file among thousands of others.

Take Action

Last year, I decided to do something about that. I already have images printed and hanging on my walls at home, but there's only so much wall space and, even more so, only so much my family can take from seeing my images, even while they use the bathroom!

That being said, though, the images still resonate with them, even though they didn't visit these spots, take the long hike in the rain, or take the photograph. So it got me thinking about how images can resonate with viewers differently, and not just when they are printed on the wall.

Because that is the interesting thing about photography. The person who takes the image will always have their own connection to it, but someone else viewing that same photograph can create their own connection. They might never have stood on that coastline, experienced that weather, or walked that path, but the image can still make them feel something.

My solution was to print a lot of images that I took over more than a decade of exploring with my camera, and I chose one single subject: coastal photography of Ireland.

My passion for the coast has been with me since I was a kid. It was as if the smell of the salt air, the sound of the waves, the pull of the wind, and the beauty of the coast fueled something in me. Being Irish and living in Ireland, I have one of the best coastlines as my playground.

So it seemed natural to focus on this subject, and when I did, I went through my archives and found so many images I had almost forgotten about.

Now, when I say forgotten about, that's not exactly true, because the moment I opened the image, I was immediately transported back to that exact moment.

I could recall how I was feeling, whether or not it was easy to get there, whether there were frustrations or happiness, and whether I was alone or with someone else. I could even remember if I was hungry, tired, or thirsty.

It was amazing, and I am sure I am not alone in recalling those feelings and emotions.

This was when I started to realize that the photograph itself was only part of the story. The real value came from everything connected to it: the experiences, the challenges, the failures, and the moments of joy that happened before the shutter was pressed.

The image was simply the reminder that allowed me to go back there again.

Images Tell Stories

I then began to recall the full story behind each image and, of course, the funny moments, the disappointments, or the elation that came with capturing each shot.

I started thinking about how these stories and experiences would resonate with another viewer. Would they see just a photograph, or would they be able to connect with the journey behind it? Would knowing the story change how they viewed the image?

Piece by piece, my idea turned into something meaningful, something relatable, and something that could potentially stir the emotions of others as they viewed the images.

It was then that COAST was born.

I had my images, I knew the story behind them, and because I have created YouTube videos every week since 2017, many of these images were documented in video form as they were created.

This was something I felt was really important. The photograph alone tells part of the story, but being able to see the journey behind it adds another layer. The viewer could experience the conditions, the challenges, and the moments leading up to the image being captured.

It would allow someone to feel as if they were standing right there next to me when I pressed the shutter.

So I set about putting all of these ideas and concepts together as a cohesive collection of images and, ultimately, as a book.

This was when the real fun began, as I was not only able to go through my images, but I was also able to write the story behind them and share the process of taking every single one of them.

Pretty soon, I had the framework laid out for what I felt would be a very solid first book.

However, what was unclear at this point was whether or not anyone would be interested in seeing and reading about them and, even more so, whether someone would be willing to spend their money on picking up a copy.

Photography Books

I own many photography books. I collect them, as they not only give me insights and inspiration, but they also kind of show me more about the style of the photographer.

But did I have a style? Were my images even good enough to showcase as a collection?

The curiosity was beginning to get the better of me. The images looked good on screen, but how would they translate when printed?

This was something I had never really considered before. Looking at an image on a monitor and seeing it printed are two very different experiences. Some images that look impressive on a screen don't always work when printed, while others suddenly come alive when they are sitting in front of you.

This was when I realized that printing wasn't just about displaying photographs. It was also another way of understanding my own work and seeing which images truly connected with me.

This was when Kickstarter came in, a crowdfunding platform that would effectively allow me to test the idea and see if there was an appetite for such a book of images of Ireland's amazing coast.

I can still recall the anxious feeling I had when I was putting the campaign together, and even more so when I pressed the go-live button on the campaign.

However, when I did, something amazing happened.

Not only was there an appetite for this book, but there was an insatiable appetite, and the book reached its funding goal in under 24 hours.

I had done some of the groundwork before this, finding and choosing a printing company that could do this book the justice it deserved, and I was even happier that it was an Irish business too.

Far too often, I see books being printed in Asia, and I understand why. It's a cost thing. However, because of the Kickstarter campaign, I knew how many books I would need to order, so I could match that need to the print run.

Instead of committing to a few pallets of books and paying extremely high shipping costs, I could instead have the orders in place before I even pressed the print button.

The campaign finished, and I sent the order. Weeks later, my Kickstarter backers had their books in their hands, and it was then that my dream was realized.

The feedback I received was amazing.

The images had resonated with people, the stories had filled in the blanks, and the videos had made the viewers feel like they were indeed standing next to me.

It was both amazing and humbling, but more than anything, I felt proud that I had achieved it.

This was the moment that really confirmed to me the value of printing photographs.

These images had existed for years on hard drives. They had been captured, edited, and stored away. But when they became physical, when people could hold them in their hands and connect with the stories behind them, they took on a new life.

The photographs were no longer just mine.

They had become part of someone else's journey too.

Despite this incredible feeling, I knew I wasn't done.

The Stories Continue

There were so many more images to show, stories to tell, and places to discover and even rediscover. So I immediately started working on Volume II.

Almost as fast as I started, I began to experience the same raw emotions as I did while creating Volume I, and I knew that these images and stories would also resonate with viewers when they picked up Volume II.

Fast-forward to now, and I am in the middle of my next campaign, COAST Volume II, on Kickstarter, and the response has once again been amazing.

It didn't reach its funding goal in 24 hours this time, and I never expected it to, but it is almost at its goal and looks like it will become a reality and go to print.

That's the risk with Kickstarter.

If the campaign doesn't reach its goal, then it doesn't get made.

Thankfully, these new stories and images look like they will be making their way around the globe once again, just like Volume I.

And just to think that the idea came from wanting to print more, evoke emotions in viewers, and take them on a journey with me.

I can't think of a more amazing place to do that than my playground, the incredible coastline of my home, Ireland.

Have Your Say

So I ask you this: Do you have images that need to be printed? Do you have stories that need to be told? Do you have emotions that need to be revived?

Perhaps printing more can help you realize this.

Your photographs don't have to become a book. They don't have to be displayed in a gallery. They don't have to be seen by thousands of people.

Sometimes, printing an image is simply about giving yourself the opportunity to experience that moment again.

It is about taking something that happened once and allowing it to continue existing long after the day has passed.

A photograph stored away on a hard drive might be forgotten, but a photograph printed and placed somewhere you can see it becomes part of your everyday life.

If you want to be part of my journey, then I would be honored for you to join the campaign on Kickstarter and help get COAST Volume II made.

I can't tell you what feelings or emotions you will experience, but I can tell you that you will get to see some of the most impressive and raw coastal landscapes in the world, all because of the joy of printing more.