As some of you may know at the beginning of 2012 I started to offer digital files. This was after 2 years of thinking about how this could work for my business and trying to price images on disc which is a really difficult thing. One of the biggest joys I get from the business is my clients having beautiful pieces of art to display on the walls, something that they would not be able to do themselves of a quality almost impossible to find without going to professional suppliers. The danger with offering a disc was that much like peoples holiday snaps, they would be kept on a computer or in a draw and my busy clients would never quite get round to having them printed, framed etc. I like to take all that hard work out of it for you, help you choose what would be beautiful together and deliver gorgeous pieces ready to hang.

I think one of the hardest things when faced with a disc of images is what do do with them, what size, which go together, how should they be displayed, etc. I have always run my business where possible or appropriate to do ‘viewings’ with my Lifestyle clients, here I show you the images and all the different products I offer, there are pieces we can hold up against walls and I always have a tape measure to make sure the sizes are perfect. On top of this I can advise as to what suits the room best, what frames work but more than anything which of your images go well together or would stand out singularly as a piece of art.

This is something I do everyday, but something that most people are just not sure where to start! Below are a few images I recently took at one of my wonderful clients houses once her images were on the wall and looking amazing. We spent a few hours choosing, measuring the walls and selecting images that would be gorgeous together.

Zoe wanted to have something show stopping to fill her dining room wall. She has a modern house and the dining room is decorated in a really contemporary way with grey walls and black and silver furniture/mirrors. The acrylics were the perfect choice and choosing images in colour just injected a bit of colour in to the room. She chose an individual shot of each child all on/by a log we had used,  all 4 of them sitting on the log and then a shot of them all holding hands walking away from the camera which gave the whole set a really relaxed modern feel and injected a bit of a ‘story’ in to the shots.

In the lounge the room again is grey with lovely big squishy purple sofas and a soft grey carpet. Zoe wanted something slightly more classic in this room and the framed images were the perfect choice. I offer a frame which just goes perfectly with the furnishings in a pewter grey with a  bit of a sheen. Zoe choose one ‘scene’ image which is a little cooler of the children standing around some old barrels we had found on the shoot. the grey barrels and back drop also went especially well with the children’s outfits and the colour scheme of the lounge.

She then choose a close up of each child also by the barrels so all 5 could be a ‘set’ within the lounge. She choose 2 landscape and 2 portrait but all printed at the same size and with the same border they look stunning hung together in a jigsaw design.

Zoe also bought some prints and found her own frames for some smaller items to dot around the house, this purple one looks fabulous with this gorgeous black and white image.

Zoe recently had another baby and I had the pleasure to go out and shoot her bump and then the gorgeous Isla once she was newborn(see their bump and baby shoot HERE). Her products are not yet ready but she has purchased an image the same size as the individual shots in the lounge which will be in the same frame so that although shot at different times they all tie in together. She has also chosen a wonderful multi frame for Isla’s bedroom which I spent several hours designing for her, below is the design it is going to look fabulous!

Your wedding, engagement or Lifestyle images are meant to be SEEN. Whether you are creating your own pieces for the wall or would like me to design and create them for you here are a few rules which will make your images look amazing:

* Go Big ~ Measure your piece of wall and make sure your piece of art really fills it. Larger images look more modern and this should be a wow factor, a real show piece in a room. If you want to have smaller photos, then either hang a few together OR find a smaller piece of wall, perhaps a hallway or alcove. I always recommend my clients go bigger than they think you will never regret going larger but you may regret going to small.

* Choose ‘scenes’ ~ If you want one big image it is lovely to choose a ‘scene’ rather than a close up of the family together. A wider shot perhaps with beach huts in the background or the sea or perhaps an avenue of autumnal trees.  This will make your image look like a piece of art that just happens to have you in it rather than a very large shot of your heads!

* Choose images that ‘match’ ~ Think about the images you have chosen, often clients like a shot of each child, individually framed and hung together. I usually shoot each child in front of 2-3 different backdrops meaning you should have a ‘set’ of images of your children to choose from. Occasionally clients will have a favourite image of each child on different backdrops but picking images from the same set will give a much more impressive ‘uniform’ look on your walls.

* Think about your products ~ I offer frames, acrylics and canvasses for the walls and it is worth thinking about what you like but also what works best for the room and your decor. If you have a modern home or especially modern room to buy for like a kitchen then the acrylics look fantastic. If you have a period home but like something more modern then the canvasses are beautiful. But if you are looking for something more traditional that goes with any decor the frames are just gorgeous and come in lots of different styles.

* Choose quality ~ I have spent years sourcing the best quality products I can find for my clients. My products are beautifully printed to show off your images as they should be seen and my frames are made by a bespoke quality framer who makes the frames individually for each image. If you are creating your own products, avoid on line suppliers or choose their luxury ranges. Avoid shopping centre canvass suppliers, these are in general not great quality of product or printing and you are likely to feel your images don’t look the same as on your disc. I would also highly recommend visiting a professional framer, you notice a huge difference to bought frames. However if you want smaller bought frames for friends or family then always choose ones with a mount as these will show off your images and make them look far more impressive.

Finally if in doubt get in touch, I will be happy to advise and order the best quality products for you. These images will be hung on your walls for many years to come and as I always say if a jobs worth doing…!