Even after getting professional photos, some people still aren’t sure what to do with displaying them. Digital files find a home in one of the many folders on your computer, while prints sit in the box they arrived in for at least a year or more before they see the light of day. That’s not to say that every photo should be on your wall, desk, or table, but a few simple suggestions in displaying may help you organize what you have up already and set up a few that you don’t.

I have three different photo examples which should help you visualize your prints framed in an area of your house: on the wall, on a desk/table, and going up wall of stairs. These suggestion open the door to endless possibilities, so you can easily adapt them for our needs and work off them to create something of your own.

Example #1: Hang frames on your wall with order. You can do as I show, where frames fit together to create a square or rectangle, or I love this example from Martha Stewart, where frames sit or hang from a central line, giving them a much more orderly look than if you scattered them on the wall.

Example #2: Display frames on a table, desk, or shelf by grouping a variety of sizes and leaning them against the wall. This could be a little difficult to keep from looking cluttered, but if you keep it simple I think it will work (look at Pottery Barn for good examples). I like this, because you can display several photos and easily switch them around to create different looks; if you had a few different areas (living room, bedroom, office) with a set up like this, that would be perfect. I also like this because you don’t have the awkward distance that comes with a frame that are standing on their own. It can be hard to group multiple photos together with that distance between them.

Example #3: Frames that are hung up a stairwell can be done in a pattern to stay organized (I found this idea completely from Pottery Barn, I must add). You’ve seen the stairwell photos before… I’m pausing because if you’ve seen some of the set ups that I have, they can get a little out of hand. I really do like the stairwell idea, but I prefer it when there is more order and less random placement, so why not set up a “stair-step” pattern with the frames?

Within these three examples, there are a few important principles that are the foundation of these ideas. #1: a 5×7 photo alone is way too small to hang on a wall.. even an 8×10 could be too small with the wrong frame. When you group a few photos together, you can create a pattern that allows for smaller prints and a variety of photos. #2: the frames are very similar. They don’t have to be exactly the same, but you know those “specialty frames” -we’ll call them that for now – where there is writing around the outside, fabric, or a crazy pattern? I think you know what I’m talking about, well they don’t really fit in this type of situation :]

How can you get started with what you already have? My advice is to simplify. Go through that collection of frames you have and find a common thread to tie them together. Along with this process you might ask yourself what photos could be displayed in an album or photo book, instead of in a frame. This might be a lofty goal (okay, for me it is) but imagine a matching stack of photo books that chronicle your adventures and are set out so you can easily flip through with friends. I need to get to work on that! I hope this little info session inspired you to reorganize the frames in your house and use your photos sucessfully for decoration. I love taking pictures for people, but obviously I do that so that they can enjoy them for years to come in frames or in other methods of display. So, I look forward to offering a more complete service to clients from photo session to hanging prints, and would love to hear if you are interested.