Every shoot I do, from a one-hour portrait to a two-day editorial, ends the same way: I hand over a small box of instant prints before I leave. People always ask why, so here is the long answer.
Files disappear, prints stay out
The edited files arrive two weeks later in a private gallery, and they are the real delivery. But files get downloaded once and forgotten. A print gets passed around the table the same evening, and then it lives on a fridge or in the corner of a mirror for years.
It changes the shoot itself
When people know the prints are coming, they relax. Waiting a minute for a photo to develop is a small ceremony, and it slows everyone down in a good way. Some of my favourite frames were taken while a family was crowded around one print.
So yes, it costs me a few packs of film per job. I think it is the best money I spend.
