5 reasons a USB stick of wedding photos is a really bad idea

by Maine wedding and portrait photographer, Scott Linscott

I’ve been photographing people for almost 40 years. People started paying me for it in 1981. I’ve photographed news, sports, reunions, concerts and album covers. I’ve told stories of factory openings and new babies through my photographs. I’ve traveled across oceans and photographed different cultures. I’ve photographed more weddings than I can remember and I have no idea how many households have my portrait work hanging on their walls.

Some things have not changed. Grandmas still want to buy every photo of their grandchildren and brides still want to be sure I capture the timeless moments of she and her dad, the kiss and the first dance. But one thing has changed so drastically that it sometimes makes me wonder about the future of the art I love. The digital revolution has changed almost everything in photography.

How? People take thousands more pictures now than ever before. Everyone always has a camera with them as part of their cell phone. Good, right? Not necessarily. People now lose thousands more pictures than ever before because they print so few and digital images are easily lost in crashes, glitches and when new phones and computers are purchased.


USB Sticks are lousy art

We’ve moved from printing and hanging our favorites to storing them on hard drives, memory cards and USB sticks. Files are lost amidst thousands of images with file names like IMG-9038.jpg. The digital revolution has impacted all aspects of photography, especially wedding photography, as many brides now want photographers to deliver the files on a USB drive rather than in print and album form. Why is that a bad idea?

  1. You will procrastinate and never do anything your wedding files except dump them into a massive Facebook album. You say you will, but you won’t.
  2. Trust me, no one wants to sit through 1200 of your wedding shots on your laptop no matter how great it was. No, not even your mother.
  3. The dreaded “drive not found” message. USB drives fail. Your images are gone. Oops.
  4. USB drives get lost. They are small and have a tendency to turn up missing.
  5. USB sticks look ridiculous hanging on your wall.

Seriously, you’re spending a bunch of money on your wedding, right? Does it make sense to get a beautiful gown, a great caterer, an awesome DJ, a gorgeous wedding venue and then trust your wedding photography to your college roommate and Groupon deals? Your wedding photos, album, canvases and prints are all that will remain years later.

Even if I wasn’t a Maine Wedding photographer, I am pretty sure I’d still be anti-USB stick. There is just something special about walking into a home and seeing gorgeous photos on display as prints or canvases.

Brides who value their wedding memories see preserving them and displaying them as a top priority. They can’t wait to receive their custom-designed, showpiece wedding album to display on their coffee table. They envision a wall displaying their gallery.  Getting handed a USB stick is a disappointment in comparison.


Scott and Robin Linscott are award-winning Maine wedding photographers who have photographed weddings from Maine to Maui. Linscott Photo and Maine Pro Photo will introduce readers to their approach and style. Through numerous five star reviews it becomes clear that they bring a unique strength to wedding photography.

*Fully insured    * Professional Photographers of America        * MPPA

Now booking 2017 Weddings and Portrait Sessions


About Scott Linscott


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