So you just got your portraits done and the photographer only offers a CD because it??™s the best way to save your images for life…. Or is it! After all we have all been led to believe digital storage will be "safe forever,” right? But now that I got your attention, your most precious memories are at risk because that photographer only offered a CD…
MURPHY'S LAW
I am sure you have heard of Murphy??™s Law, "What can go wrong will go wrong!” These things happen; you get busy after your portraits shoot and forget about printing for some time. You finally find that disk sitting in a drawer only to open it up and find a giant scratch on it. What do you do….? If you??™re lucky your photographer who you only paid $100 dollars for will have a backup drive with your images on it. But chances are, they don??™t, because there pricing doesn??™t allow them to afford backup drives. If you??™re lucky they will still be in business if at all. The unexpected happens all the time. Kids think CDs are Frisbee, UFOs spaceships, and mirrors to play dress-up. To help you make it simple, don??™t just get digital files. Have your photographs printed professionally. You will enjoy your images that much longer.
OBSOLETE.
You heard me right… Don??™t think that the CD isn??™t going to go extinct. 
There are plenty of examples in the computer/ software industry to force devices to go extinct. Going extinct, they will bring down what-ever files they have with them. I??™m sure you rem
ember the floppy disk, which was replaced by the zip drive, when then went extinct to the CD. What??™s next? Depends on costs and that cost can cost you much! Because even if you found an old computer to read that old floppy disk, that CD, you still won??™t have the capability to print it. So to be safe always chose a photographer that prints there work and offers you digital.
Think 18 years from now! There is discussion about new digital photo formats. This could be the beginning of the end for your typical jpg format. It??™s no surprise that a brand new file format would be superior to a nearly 30 year old format. But standardization must take place first. If Bpg demand increases and is added to the general software use, jpg, may slowly dwindle away destroying millions of images as less and less people use the jpg format.
PRINT.
Just remember, the best thing you can do to save your portraits is have them printed professional by your portrait photographer. Not only will they ensure it looks good, but they will ensure it is the highest quality.
