On the left, I have three 8X10 Gallery Mounts that I took of our kiddos. I love the plate rack my SIL gave me as a birthday gift. It made a great way to display these images. I normally wouldn't put 8X10's on the wall unless there was more than one. They are just too small by themselves unless in a really tight space, so this worked out beautifully.
In the center of the wall is my favorite--the 20X30 gallery wrapped canvas of our family. I swapped family sessions with fellow local photographer, Amber Fischer, and she captured a beautiful moment for us. I love it and it makes me smile EVERY time I look at it. That's what art of your family is supposed to do. :0) And that's why I think ART of your own children or family should be on your walls. What a great way to share the memories of them and show your kiddos how much they mean to you? My girls love the collages I made for each of them to sit on their desks from their birthday sessions.
I admit, I used to be freaked out about large wall portraits and thought 11X14 was large. I'm a big scrapbooker too (well used to be-I'm so behind now, but am determined to get caught up!). If it didn't fit in a 12X12 album, I thought it was too big. However, I knew when we did this session, that I wanted to order a big canvas. In fact, I really wished I'd ordered a larger one, 24X36 or even 30X40! And once I hung it on the wall, I was hooked! We have several other large (16X20 or bigger) canvases and Gallery Mounts on other walls of our home now too. And again, every time I looked at these images I just smile and remember.
Well, what if I have a small home or little wall space, you ask? Well, I realize that can be an issue. And there are a few options. Either get the biggest wall portrait or canvas you can to fit the space to give a big impact with just one image (really don't be afraid of going big) or try using several smaller prints together to create a collage look on the wall. You can put them in the same frame with matting, identical frames or mix and match frames, depending on your style and decor. However, I would recommend keeping the space between frames small, as that will also give the images more impact. If you think you have to spread them out to fill up space, you probably need a bigger print size. As a service to my portrait clients, I can also help them create wall groupings with portraits from their sessions. I can even show you what your prints will look like in different spaces in your home.
I have used Gift Prints (8X10 or smaller) together in several places in our home, either on the wall or a shelf, piano, dresser, etc. In this photo, you can see I put two 4X6's from that same family session on a small magnet board. Normally, I believe 4X6's only belong in a scrapbook or on a desk, but grouped together they can make a nice display.
Finally, on the side table is a Keepsake Album I designed from that session. I wanted to have all of our images in one place. It is a hardbound press-printed photobook with a leather cover and UV-coated hinged pages. I love how durable it is; I don't get as nervous when our two-year-old wants to look through it as I do the paper albums I've printed from scrapbook places. (Still glad I have those, but there is a big difference in quality between the two.) The girls love looking at it also! I don't worry about the pages getting torn or how it will last for several generations. I know that it is a keepsake we can enjoy for years and pass down through the family.
Whether you have big wall portraits or small gift prints in frames, or even have done something totally different with your favorite memories, what really matters is that you are capturing them, displaying them and enjoying them! I'd love to hear and see about what creative things you do, so please share! Thanks!
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