I take a ton of photos. Even my 4 year old gives me that “don’t you dare take another photo of me, dad!” look. I’m obsessive, I realize.
In the new house, I want photos to be the focal artwork on our walls. I’m not sure exactly how to accomplish this. I don’t want the walls to feel cluttered. Here are a few ideas I have… anything you could add would be helpful.
I want to do one large wall with a ton of pictures grouped together, all different sizes in thin black frames, cascading from the center outward. My inspiration is a wall I saw in Barney’s last year… I took a photograph of it (left).
This way I could use a lot of photos in one dramatic setting.
Should they all be black & white? Or do you like the color?
I would also like to group 3 large square black and white photos together, each of one of my kids in thin black frames. These could go in the family room or hallway. I’m thinking of these 3 photos below: 
In the dining room, I’d like to lean one extra-large photo against the wall, sitting on top of our long, low tibetan chest. Thinking of this one (again, b&w; or color??): 
I would also like to put a shot of each kid in their own bedroom. Ella’s photo would be one large photo: 
For Jack, I’m thinking of doing 4 different effects of the same photo in a line, each in an individual black square frame: 
For Max’s room, a close-up head shot…
The idea of all this is to use our photos to personalize our home as the art on our walls.
I saw this photo on Apartment Therapy recently and loved it. I like the idea of old photos lined up like this. Between Erin & I we have 13 siblings… maybe place old photos of each of them like this? We have one very long wall in the basement… 
PRINTING The best place I’ve found for high quality large-scale hi-fi color prints is called Pictopia. You email them a digital image file and in a few days they mail back a magnificently large, utterly crisp, remarkably stable, frameable print.
The sizes range from small up to a giant 4 feet by 10 feet! And compared to other processes for making large images, their prices are cheap. 
Another way I’ve used to display photos is to print them in a photo book. And rather than arranging various pics on each page, like a scrap book, I use one photo to take up the entire page, like a coffee-table book. It’s a stunning effect.
The past few years we have used Shutterfly.com and iPhoto to create books for ourselves and our family. If you need more than 100 pages, try Blurb. It also has so many options and is easy to load and arrange, and prints up to 400 pages.
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Ryan–
I’m so glad to know about Pictopia! You posts have been awesome this week.
Lindsey J.
hehe – this was my suggestion to your yesterday perdicament of how to make a house a home :0) i think huge pictures of the kids in black frames leaned against a wall looks really cool – in a living room or something … and i love the idea of putting up a really low shelf (kid height) with some non glass frames in a kids room with pictures of themselves and framed artwork and letting them make their own display to arrange … im picturing a red shelf with a little chair next to it …
oh i almost forgot … my very favorite photo book maker is called picaboo – they are amazing … much more modern and chic than shutterfly and for every large book you buy you get a mini copy for free! – so you can give one away and keep one for yourself – i did this when i made a book about my grandmother for my mother – she got the book and i got to keep a little copy. and they are even a bit cheaper than shutterfly (i think $29.99)
i love the colors in the winter coat photo. also, which is better, glossy or matte?
SO CUTE!
Ryan,
Great posts this week!!! I’m really enjoying reading them. I have 15 month old twins and we are also mulling over choosing photos. My bias is towards large B& W prints. I loved pix for Ella and Jack’s rooms but I think Max deserves another pix – imho.
Ryan… your writing grabs my attention and gets me excited about what you’re saying :o) And I apologize in advance for the lengthy comment but I have a passion for photographs ;o)
LOVE the 1 large wall with ton of framed pictures and think B/W would be yummier than color.
The 3 photos of your kids… I’d suggest printing them on canvas in a gallery wrap method so there’s no frame but you get texture, 3D effect and something a little different from what you’re doing throughout the house. They should be 16×20, at least 1.5″ thick and B/W if you’re hanging them together (keep the color or B/W theme the same in groupings – either do all color or all B/W).
Absolutely adore the pic in color that you’ll lean on the Tibetan chest (great way to display images – they don’t always have to hang on a wall). Those colors are warm and delicious – fitting for a chest.
Great idea of hanging a pic of each child in their room. An image that represents who they are and something to be proud of. Perhaps print Ella’s as a poster to make it more of a pop feel – like you bought it at the store of your favorite band.
However, Jack’s 4 of the same image isn’t doing it for me. I like the idea but think the effects should have more consistency to make them pop. Perhaps do the B/W version (like the intensity) then just switch the colors on that same effect as red/yellow, blue/purple and orange/green like an Andy Warhol. The 2nd & 3rd effects (feel flat) take away from the 1st/4th that really pack a punch.
Max’s pic is a little cold to me… pull down the reds so his nose isn’t looking like he’s freezing ;o) Making the whole pic desaturated in color would be pretty for that image.
13 sibling pics all in a row is FABULOUS! LOVE the idea and thanks for the pic showing what it could look like.
I haven’t gotten an actual Blurb book yet but have seen them in person at a trade show – they’re great for the price. The program is super easy to navigate.
Am I guessing right that this is your last guest post? I’m going to miss your thoughts & ideas. Thanks for the ride!
Great photo ideas. I like pictures in real situations: working at the kitchen sink, doing homework, getting on the bus.
Thanks for the great posts this week. Happy Father’s Day, Ryan.
Thanks for all your comments on this. Very helpful. Red Hen, maybe we’ll email you before we start, to talk through the possiblities.
K8 – Matte in my opinion.
And no, this isn’t my last post. I’ll be around till Sunday.
The large wall with a collage of framed pics is going to be great! I really think the color in the pictures looks great though…outlined and all made cohesive by using the same black frames. I guess it depends on what look you want. Black and white can be stunning, but the color can add so much emotion in such a big grouping of pictures.
lucky red hen:
where would you recommend getting the photo printed on canvas?
Your children are too darling for words! I agree with Red Hen in that if you are going to do a large wall full of photos, B&W would be more easy on the eyes. Too much color would make it look a little busy (OK, psychadelic if you will)! I have a gaggle of children, and what I did in one of our rooms was to do a “collage” of my favorite photos on one wall… all different sized frames (vintage and/or vintage looking frames in my case). I used alot of photos of two of my children together, sometimes all four together, etc. Then I made a little game out of it for myself by making sure each child’s “mug” was up there the same amount of times. Now the kids can’t say, “Hey Mom! Her picture is up there one more time than mine!”
I have been trying to incorportate our family photos as art, too.
Great ideas. Thank you!
Ryan, I agree with Lucky Red Hen, Jack’s picture doesn’t display all that he is. Also, I think Max deserves another photo with him “on the loose again.” I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the entries and posts…opened a whole new world for me at 57. Now I know what your generation does for stimulation and creativity…the TV was turned off and talents/interests took over.
Wow! Good information and inspiration. I like your two kids in color.
I think this is a great way to personalize your house!! My walls are covered with family photos. In my apple-green hallway I have 3 very thin shelves in 1 row with picture frames leaned aginst the wall in all different textrues and sizes. These are also color photos. In a very simlple computer room I have only black and white photos. I think you should make your big collage in black and white. It just seems to make people stop and linger just a little longer, really taking in the images.
I LOVE the idea of giving each child their own personal pic that reflect themselves in their rooms. Self expression through photos is beautiful. What could be better than filling your house with your beautiful children?!
Thanks for mentioning some of the pic-book sites. I enjoy reading your post.
Great ideas. We were looking for artwork for our home and now my mind is spinning with possible picture ideas instead.
Props to you Ryan, for your keen unpretentious view. I’ve given up taking notes, I’m just printing all of your ideas. What a fresh and enthusiastic perspective you have on…everything. Thank you.
Great post. You’ve got lots of wonderful ideas.
For the photo in the dining room, I love it in color!
Snapfish also sells custom photo memory books, I purchased one recently and was very impressed. They were quick and I did large full page photos that bled off the edge and they turned out clear and crisp! The prices are nice, too!
Can’t wait to check out the sites you recommended, too!
Thanks!
Ryan, you’re welcome to email me about photography through my website http://www.LuckyRedHen.com or at info at LuckyRedHen dot com.
Rebecca… I’m not sure where consumers can get quality canvas prints (I deal directly with a lab that’s exclusive to professional photographers) but am checking with my photo friends and will post the information here :o)
Definitely keep the one of your son and daughter and their coffee cups in color–it’s beautiful and I think something would be lost in black and white.
I’ve really liked your posts this week–espcially the music tips–and have checked most of them out.
Good luck with the new house.
i LOVE, no….ADORE Ella’s photo! :) wonderful.
After asking my photography friends about a public lab that prints on canvas, the company that was most suggested was http://www.Mpix.com for amateur photographers.
Hope that helps!
Definately keep the photo of Ella and Jack in color – you could even reduce the saturation a little bit for a retro look.