Thank you to everyone for a fantastic 2009. I look very forward to seeing what 2010 brings me 🙂
First thing up – a new website that I hope to debut tomorrow!! (Possibly on the 2nd or 3rd depending on my hosting company’s holiday schedule, however.)
**Since a lot of photographers seem to be finding this, yes it is totally fine to link to it on FB or blogs, I don’t mind 🙂 **
I was originally going to entitle this post “Go BIG or go home” but then realized that my friend Kristina had used that same title for a post earlier this year. So instead, it’s Bigger Really IS Better. Below you will see a photo of my lovely Christmas-decorated fireplace mantel. Totally normal sized fireplace that you would find in any house. What size do you think the photograph on the mantel is? 5×7? 8×10?
Seriously. Surprised? SO often people are hesitant to buy what they term “big photos” for their house. And my question is, simply, WHY?!?!?!?!! A lot of people believe an 8×10 photo is “big.” Here is what an 8×10 photo looks like on a normal sized mantel:
You’ll notice it’s pretty much dwarfed by the wall. It completely disappears in the grand scheme of things. 8×10 for a wall just doesn’t do it. In fact, an 8×10 is considered a desk portrait, not a wall one. At the very *minimum* if you are going to even consider putting a photo on your wall, you should go for an 11×14. And even then mat and frame it to a 16×20. And then put more than one of them up there. Below are three 11×14 photographs matted to 16×20 frames that I have hanging in my dining room (ignore the clutter, this was at the height of orders rolling in). I honestly wish that I had gone bigger. You’ll see that while the 16×20 size sounds big, on a big open wall, it still leaves a lot of space. (There is another two feet of wall space below the chair rail.) The only thing that helps to balance it a little which you can’t see is that I have three MORE of these hanging on the other walls. But I still wish I had gone one step bigger. The cluster of frames does help to absorb some space, however.
Here is a 16×20, equal to the framed prints above, back on the same mantel again by itself. Sounds big when you talk about it, but as you can see, it’s not when put into normal display surroundings.
Back to the point. When debating print sizes, if you are going to take the time and money to invest in a portrait session, why not have something truly wonderful to remember it by? One of my recent newborn clients got two 20×24 canvases for her walls and I think I seriously had to wipe off the drool when I opened them up. Sadly I did not take a photo of them, something I am still kicking myself for. But they were absolutely AMAZING. And I recently did a bigger display for the wall over my sofa. I did two 18×24 prints, two 16×24 prints and two 16x20s. Now you are probably saying those are HUMONGOUS!! (Admit it you’re saying that. I know you are!) Here is what they looked like all put together (and yes, that is my little monkey hiding behind the table 😉 oh and please ignore the couch, came with the house and we haven’t gotten around to replacing it) :
I seriously totally and completely love walking into my living room now. I love seeing my kids up there big, it makes my heart smile. This is my family. The loves of my life. I love seeing them up on my wall. And notice that 16×20 (top left) which probably sounded big, how small it looks on a big wall over a full-sized couch. This post would have been much more effective had I put the photos on the same wall I have my display on, however I had already put the others up. To help imagine it, an 8×10 is less than 1/4 the size of the bottom center print. So here is a quick and dirty photoshop job of what that same space would look like with one print. On the left is an 11×14. On the right is an 8×10.
Oh and in case you were wondering what one of those “huge” prints looks like by itself (and, again, I know you were calling my prints huge, I just KNOW it 😀 ) this is the 16×24 over the mantel:
So hopefully as you can see, it’s okay to go big. You don’t have to do a 20×24 (though I wish you would) but do consider at least one 16×20 from your session. Or a 16×20 framed by two 11x14s. If you absolutely insist on sticking with that 8×10 size, consider a grouping of six or eight of them together at least! Or matting it to an 11×14 size. If you want help and feel lost when considering wall displays for images from your session I am MORE than happy to draw up a wall display idea for you using your images. In fact when you get your proofs, I will send you a link to the wall display ideas that I have. And if you’d like, I can make suggestions for what to do. But the important part to get out of this is…
Bigger really IS better.
One year ago today we became a family of four. In fact, as I am typing this (Monday night) I am remembering going to bed at 9:30 with very strong but very irregular contractions thinking I would NEVER have the baby. I was due on the 30th, I was just impatient. The next two hours would have more very painful but very irregular contractions which would annoy me greatly. Then from 11:30-1 they would get a little more regular and then from 1-2 am, BAM, the contractions went from 7 to 6 to 5 minutes apart. By the time I woke Matt up a little after two and we got to the hospital at 2:45 they were approximately 2.5 minutes apart lasting one minute and I could neither breathe nor walk or even move through them. I remember when we walked (haltingly and bent over) into the ER everyone was very excited because Matt was a resident at the hospital and they all knew him from his consult visits for the OB-Gyn department. I remember for some reason refusing the wheelchair they offered and insisting on walking until I had another mind-numbing contraction then I ceased caring and they got me right into a wheelchair! Not surprisingly when we got upstairs I was 6cm and 100% then fully dilated within 30 minutes. They thankfully got my epidural in quickly after we got there (yeah, you drug-free women are my HEROES, seriously) and let me labor down (for those birthing newbies, that means they let the contractions move the baby down into the birth canal and into delivery position). Then less than three hours after walking in, with two sets of pushes out came our beautiful baby girl. I still remember Matt telling me that it was a girl and being SO surprised. Anyone who knows his family and the sheer number of boys he has in it would never have thought we would have a girl. She didn’t have a name for the first hour or so. With Nolan we had known weeks ahead of time. But with Layne, we had it down to Charlotte or Layne and decided after we saw her.
So now it’s been one whole year. One year of being the mommy to a little girl. One year of having two children. One year being a family of four. One year where we no longer outnumber the kids. One. Year. And I am left trying to figure out where the time went. It has been a complete whirlwind. I look at this beautiful precious 23 lb 31 inch tall baby girl and wonder what happened to my newborn?? My life has become even better since she arrived in it. I thought it was good with Nolan. Its even better with Nolan AND Layne. I am as completely in love with her a year later as I was the day she was born.
I have learned how to change a girl’s diaper. I have figured out that no-slippy-clippies are the only way to go. I have learned that onesies go under the tights if there are bloomers and over if there aren’t. I’ve learned that tights are really annoying to put on babies. I’ve finally gotten pink in my house. I’ve learned to coordinate that pink with just about every other color in the world. I’ve learned that, unlike with Nolan, I actually am SUPPOSED to coordinate the outfits. I’ve learned that while I thought I couldn’t possibly love a second child as much as I did my first, that it was possible. I have learned that though I thought our life as a family was complete when there were three of us, it wasn’t even close. I have learned a lot in a year. And my life is a million times better for all that I have learned.
I love you my precious, sweet baby girl. You are a true delight. Your laughter makes my heart sing and your smile melts me. Happy, happy first birthday.
The past year in my favorite photos. And no, I did not take the first photo. I am not THAT ambitious of a photographer 🙂 This was taken by Matt about 20 seconds after she came out.
And then just today (Monday). One day before turning one year old…she just took her first real steps on Christmas…
Okay. I know I said I was going to announce it on Christmas Eve. Really, I had every intention of doing so. But I had NO idea how difficult the decision would be. I got seven nominations and I swear, I wanted to give them ALL a session. But sadly I couldn’t do it so I had to work at narrowing it down. There are so many amazingly inspiring people out there. People who have gone through incredible difficulties and heartbreak. Some have had personal tragedies while others have “just” survived and persevered despite overwhelming obstacles.
The winner of the Giving is Awesome giveaway is the Collins family, nominated by their dear friend Marion. Their story was truly inspiring, heartbreaking, uplifting and wonderful and, if I get permission from them, I will share their story with you.
Thank you SO much to all of you for submitting your entries. It was so so difficult to pick and I truly wish I could have selected everyone. I am already looking forward to next year’s contest!!!
