Where should I get my photos printed?

Oh hey! I’m receiving questions via the “Contact Christine” spot in the upper left hand corner. See it? Up there in the left… higher …a bit higher.. yeah – right there!

So – this actually presents a quandry for me. I guess I didn’t think too far ahead about this – so here’s the plan.

Questions received on the Wootness™! website will be answered in a blog post.

So – our first question is:

I am looking for a good photo lab to print my photos. WalMart just is not that great. Any info would be great.

Thanks, Teresa

Dear Teresa – You are SO right. Go to the head of the class for recognizing that one hour photos labs and kiosk type photo finishing services are not that great.

Now, because a very good photographer friend of mine works at a WalMart and has managed the photo center with a high level of competence, I’m not going to say that they are all bad across the board. BUT, for the best possible printing of your photographs, you will want to find a professional-level lab to  work with.

Here’s the catch. You’re going to have to let go of your need for instant gratification. Unless you live in a town that is home to a lab, you’re going to have to wait to receive your photos in the mail. BUT, believe me, it will be worth it.

There are many reasons why a pro lab is a better choice, and we’ll get into that as time goes on (so many topics so little time!).

For now – I recommend that you explore the following online lab:  MPIX

The reason I am recommending this particular lab is because it is a “little sister” to two professional labs “MpixPro” and “Miller’s,” and have virtually the same level of quality as the pro labs.  You need to be a professional photographer to utilize the services of the two pro divisions, but MPix allows anyone who wants to open an account with them to do so. As a bonus, you will find that the prices are comparable to WalMart and other 24 hour labs, so aside from paying for shipping and waiting an extra few days for your prints, I think you will be quite pleased with MPix.

Now, I do want to say that giving you this information may irritate some of my professional photographer friends, but here’s the deal. I want you to have nice photographs. I want you to know where the good places are to have your printing done. If you keep getting subpar quality printing done, you will end up frustrated with your photography. At least this way, your photos will look as good as possible and you will learn the difference between pro labs and consumer labs.