I found some corrupted photo files from recent years, which freaks me out!

Something happened the other day that made me quite nervous.I was looking for a few specific photos from 2013-2014, and once I found them I was not able to open them up anymore. They had gotten corrupted – there was nothing in the file to see!

I used to offer newborn and family sessions that included just the digital files. It was simple, it was easy, I didn't have to deal with researching printers or labs – and digitals seemed to be all that everyone wanted anyway.

But now I'm worried about what's going on with those files from sessions I did in 2014-2016 – are they just sitting on hard drives across the Bay Area? Are they also getting corrupted? Are they already lost?

Have they been printed?

Those sessions weren't cheap! What is the point of paying so much money for photos to sit on hard drives, for photos to not be appreciated daily?

This is why I make sure that all of my session packages include a photo book or prints.I want to be sure that the photos to last longer than the Facebook newsfeed cycle. I want them to last through any new technology that pops up. Honestly, l want them to outlive you and me.

The lesson here? Print every single picture that you want to keep, and that you want to pass on to your kids and grandkids.