Decorating with Photography

For photo lovers, photographers, and decor lovers, displaying photographs in the home is just necessary. It helps put a touch of your personality into a space by showing off what you love. As a photographer and photo lover, I have struggled with ways to display work in a pleasing way that does not look too cluttered. (Clutter is my bane and will never truly disappear. . .)

If I had my way, all of my photos would be printed in 8x10' size with gigantic black frames and leaned against my beautiful white gallery walls with 18' ceilings. Alas, this is not quite how things are at my space, so I decided to share some of my research so that you, too, can have a home filled with photographs that are displayed with as much care as the photo's subject matter.



Depending on your style, you may choose to go a few different ways with how you decide things should be placed. I am in love with the sculpture frame above! It adds depth to a space, as well as being art by itself. The hangers allow you to change the photos often, and you do not have to invest in frames for each piece. Also, you can display as few or as many pieces as you like and change the sizes as often as you want to.When going for a little more clean of a look, I highly suggest photo rails. These are perfect for maintaining order, while still giving you the freedom to mix and match your sizes. The pieces can be frames or unframed, too, because as long as it can stand by itself it can be shown on a rail. They are inexpensive and very easy to install. They look great over beds and sofas, so if you have a large space to fill, these are the way to go.

Photo groupings are among the most difficult to place and design. Also, they require a little more permanence than the previous two methods. They look gorgeous when done right, but disastrous if done poorly. Just think of the twelve hours invested in hanging everything just to decide it looks like a mess.... and those holes to fill! Photos must be framed, and once chosen and hung, a user is much less likely to change the photos out.

I hope these methods of displaying work helped inspire a few minds! If you are not a photographer, but love photographs, a great place to pick a few up is etsy.com. You can feel warm and fuzzy knowing that you're helping a freelance artist, and good about your unique decor knowing your pieces are not mass produced like things from some of our bigger decor retailers. If you have a great photo that you adore, a good place to have it printed is Ritz Camera or shutterfly.com.

Happy decorating!

A few great places to get photos for your home:
Well, me, of course
jerseymaids
myanartstudio
elgarbo
heyharriet