You had your studio session, your photos have been delivered. Now what?
Break the cycle of letting your photos live on your hard drive. These portraits were meant to be printed! It's easy to get analysis paralysis when you see all of the print product choices in your gallery store, and then print nothing!
Bookmark this blog post as a guide to printing and displaying those timeless photos of the people you love.
First things first, what's your design style? Are you a minimalist? Or do you love the ornate? Are you more traditional? Look around your home and identify reoccurring themes in the design choices you've made.
Figuring out your style was probably pretty easy. Now it's just knowing what print products work best with your style. Luckily, the print store in your gallery has options that fit every style.
A canvas is a popular choice for those whose style is a mix of modern and traditional. I'm a big fan of the square canvas. Unless you are displaying a cluster of photos, you'll want to stick with canvases no smaller than 12" in width.
If you feel like a canvas doesn't quite do it for you, you can also buy custom framed prints right from your gallery. You'll just have to decide on a frame that works in your space, and to mat, or not to mat!
A matted print looks a little more traditional and finished, while an unmounted large format print has a more urban and modern look
Black and white or color? Black and white galleries are my favorite, and I personally have a collection of black and white photos of my own kids hanging above my fireplace. Monochromatic prints take away the need to worry about coordinating the colors in your photo with the colors in the room.
That said, the simple studio portraits you just had taken are mostly neutral in color and will work with most color schemes.
Where to hang your photos? This will largely depend on where you have the space. But where do you spend a lot of time. Where do your children spend their time? Kids love seeing photos of themselves around the home, so try to choose a place that where your photos will be seen every day.
If you're deciding to go with a gallery, or a cluster of many photos to hang together, you can get creative by mixing and matching frames, or go with a cleaner look and stick with one style.
You'll want to map out the sizes and orientation of each photo before you actually hang them on the wall. There's no shortage of inspiration guides on Pinterest to help give you ideas and guide you in designing your gallery wall.
While this may seem like a lot of work, you will be so happy you took the time to get your photos off of your computer and onto your walls.