Your computer is full of beautiful photos. Photos you’ve taken from last summer, photos from your professional photo shoot right before the holidays, and beautiful everyday photos you have of the kids growing up. The only thing you’ve done with the photos is used them for your Holiday cards, which went out at the end of December. Feeling a little bit guilty you know you need to display them in a way that does them justice. Where in the world are you going to start? With all the snow days we’ve had lately, perhaps you can squeeze in a day to get this done in an afternoon!
First things first. You need to determine what your “style” is. When you look at galleries, decor in your home, your clothing style, what do you tend to gravitate towards? Here are the five categories I’ve split them up into.
1). Chabby Chic & Whimsical – Lots of pastels, scrolled frames, circular frames, varying sizes. distressed wooden frames, shelves to display photos.
2). Bold & Beautiful – VERY large statement pieces. Black and White Photos. Bright colored frames with black / white photos. wallpaper photo.
3). Simple & Clean – White frames. Matted Photos. Similar sizes. All Black and White photos or all color photos. square sized photos.
4). Vintage & Country – Oranges and red. distressed frames. varying frame sizes. Gold antique frames. sepia tinted photos. unfinished wooden frames. quotes mixed in with photos. clothing lines to pin photos on.
5). Eclectic & Modern – lots of different colors. framed and unframed. non matching frames. black and white mixed with colors, spaced and grouped non symmetrical
Once you determine what your “style is” you’ll know what kind of frames you want (or lack thererof). You’ll know if you want photos all the same size, or if you want varying sizes.
Also consider if you want to do canvas or have prints made. Some other questions you’ll be able to think about is, do you want to do some do it yourself projects with your photos or would you like them to look professionally on display. Personally I LOVE DIY projects. For anyone who has been to my studio knows how much I love DIY 🙂
I also don’t believe in a specific “style” is the right way. The only right style is the style you feel most comfortable with. While yes, I always promote to display your photos LARGE and in CHARGE, I also know that sometimes space is an issue and would recommend getting books made of vacations you’ve been on or even summer break trips. Here are some examples of Books you can make yourself or have your photographer create for you.
Check out these Photobooks for inspiration
Though some may not agree with me, I never believe you can have TOO many photos of you and your family in your house. Beautiful photography on display is the best way to show and remind yourself and your children what your priorities are in life. It should be inspiration to your eyes and your soul as you walk by your photos and galleries everyday. When you plop down on the couch, you should be able to pull out your Summer Vacation Book of 2012 and look through the photos and allow the memories of when your little ones went to Disney for the first time and when your finally allowed your kids to adopt your sweet little pup after months of them begging you. It might even be easier to create one book per year. Whatever is easiest for you, it’s just so important to get your photos physically printed so you and your children can actually see the photos. After all, it’s what life is made up. All these memories we create throughout the years.
Have fun and enjoy the process. Let the kids help. Let them go through the photos with you and help you pick out their favorites!
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