Why I Offer Personality Portrait & Ideas for Displaying Them

By now, I'm sure most parents are aware of the findings of this 1975 study but I'll share it anyway. Children who see photos of themselves displayed around their house have shown a significant boost in self esteem. Furthermore, seeing photos of themselves with their family improves their feelings as a valuable member of their household.

But you probably didn't need me to convince you to print your photos and get them on your walls. I can tell you, even as a photographer, one of the biggest hurdles for me is figuring out HOW to display them.

My main objective when designing these "Personality Portrait" opportunities is to provide families with photos of their kids they actually want to hang on the wall. School photos are great and all. They feel like a rite of passage at this point, laser background and all. Personality portraits, however, are meant to provide you with photos of your child at this exact season of life, and showcase who they truly are at their core. No forced smiles, no fake expressions.

Something I always think of as a family photographer is not so much how you will enjoy these photos in the days after I deliver them to you, but in the years. I consider how you will view them in 10 years, 20 years. What your children will think of these photos of themselves once they are adults, and maybe even have kids of their own. They are meant to be a part of their visual legacy. A glimpse into who they were at this age.

I also recognize that there's more than one way to display your photos, and there's no one size fits all solution. That's why you'll find a variety of display options when you go to purchase and print your photos. I collaborate with a print lab that's only accessible to professional photographers. People who have ordered through my lab have noted a big difference in initial print quality, in the vibrancy of the ink and then longevity and integrity of the products. My lab uses museum grade pigment and papers, so ensure your photos look as good years from now, as they do the day you hang them on your walls or prop them on your shelves.

In your gallery shop, you'll see more than one type of print finish. The two I choose to offer are lustre and deep matte. Lustre is the classic slightly textured photo paper. It produces true to life colors and sharpness, and works with most decor. Deep matte is a newer option, and great if you have a modern or rustic motif in your home. Deep matte, as the name implies, has no shine and displays your photos with an intangible richness. Something unique about these personality portraits, unlike my family sessions, is I crop all the photos to be square. This takes the guesswork out how to crop them yourselves, and provides you with a fun, and easy to print image.

Let's start with some ideas for wall displays. This set of 9 frames from Target is a fun and affordable way to display your images. You'll want to go with 5x5 prints if you want to keep the mat, which I recommend.

If you don't have a ton of wall space, but still want to display a ton of photos, a 9 square collage frame like this one by Golden State Art is a great choice. It holds 9 5x5 square prints. I actually have this one in my own home! I love the brass finish, but it also comes in black and white.