It’s the second time in as many days that we’ve seen an article pop up declaring that USB’s are becoming obsolete. Whilst this isn’t something that seems to be imminent, it doesn’t come as a surprise that one day, they might be gone for good. However, I wouldn’t panic. They don’t seem to be going anywhere immediately.
Floppy discs, CDs, records, cassettes. With mobile phones now having the technology to charge wirelessly, it may only be a matter of time before other devices catch up and USBs get the boot.
What does this mean for us as photographers?
For us, this is something that we’ve long anticipated. It’s been 3 years since we got married ourselves and our USB hasn’t come out of the box once. There’s been absolutely no need. We have an online gallery which is so much more convenient. For us, the USB has always been a back up. “Just in case”. We’ve long suspected this to be the case for many of our couples too. Sure enough, when we asked, the vast majority said they preferred their USB. Given the choice, not a single one of our couples said they would pick their USB instead of their online gallery.
For this reason, we no longer include USBs in our standard photography packages. If they are not being used it is a waste of resources. If they are on their way out, it’s a pointless investment for couples. As a result we want to make a conscious effort to move with the times and minimise this waste. We like to try and be as environmentally friendly in our business as possible. We already use recycled and bio degradable packaging for example. Additionally all of our business paperwork is available online, meaning less paper waste.
Cutting out USBs will not only help to further minimise our impact on the environment, but will also help to minimise business spending. This means there’s less need to increase our pricing annually to reflect increased product, packaging and posting costs. Cutting non essential and non desirable elements of our packages means we can provide the best possible, most cost effective service for couples.
Making sure you’re covered
We are fully aware however, that wedding photographs are not something that can be delivered and forgotten about. We know that weeks, months and years down the line, couples will still be looking at them. That’s why our galleries are live for 10 years. We guarantee they will be live for 12 months from the date of delivery, but galleries should remain live for 10 years. Giving you plenty of time to do something with them, back them up and enjoy them.
What does it mean for you, as a consumer?
Probably not a great deal to be honest! If you’re anything like us and the majority of our past couples, a USB will somewhat of an invisible addition to your package. As above, our online galleries are live for 10 years anyway. As of summer 2017, online gallery is now our standard method of delivery of images. All bookings placed before this revision was introduced will of course still include a USB as promised. They are also available as an add on, should you still want to order one.
More importantly however, the announcement that USBs will one day be obsolete, will hopefully come as polite reminder to do something with your photos. We are as guilty as anyone of leaving our photos online. We have a few prints up around the house, but we still haven’t quite got around to ordering an album.
Professional Albums are a fantastic way to future proof your photos. No matter what technology comes and goes, albums really are forever. We use only premium quality albums, handmade in the UK, to ensure that they will stand the test of time. Not only are they hand bound, but they also use fade resistant inks so you can be sure that anniversary after anniversary, your photos will look as good as ever.
If you do find yourself wanting to order a wedding album at any time, just pop us an email and we’d be glad to help. Hello@samandlouise.co.uk
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