Wall art sizing guide | Denver Family Photographer
If you are planning on hanging your portrait or gallery wall centered above a piece of furniture like a table, bed or couch the you will want the image to be 50-75% of the size of the piece of furniture. The same rule applies if you are using a gallery wall, you will want to space the images 1-4 inches apart and have the full set be no more than 75% as wide as the furniture below it.
When I started working at the commercial portrait studio 15 years ago I sold prints and wall “enlargements”. In the one week of training, we received before starting as a photographer and “portrait artist” not one bit was about how to help our clients choose the best size of art for their home. Most of our clients came in, bought 8x10 prints, and likely went home and realized they were way too small for their space. After 9 years as a business owner, I started offering my clients wall art and studying interior design. While I still have so much to learn one thing I have learned is that there are rules to choosing the proper size wall art piece, especially if it is going to hang above a piece of furniture. So today I am sharing those “secrets” with all of you.
You may be reading this because you are a current client of mine, or looking to hire a photographer, or maybe you stumbled across this trying to decide what size painting to hang above your couch. Either way, whether you come to have your portrait taken in my Arvada photography studio or a beautiful outdoor location in the Colorado mountains and allow me to design your art for you or you just need to find the right size for the landscape print you are ordering the rules are the same.
The Basics
If you are planning on hanging your portrait or gallery wall centered above a piece of furniture like a table, bed, or couch you will want the image to be 50-75% of the size of the piece of furniture. The same rule applies if you are using a gallery wall, you will want to space the images 1-4 inches apart and have the full set be no more than 75% as wide as the furniture below it.
There are two different rules for how high to hang your images. The rule for hanging above furniture is 6-12” inches above the furniture piece however the general rule is at eye level. Here is how I handle these two sometimes contradicting rules:
For a low piece of furniture that is well below eye level, hang the images at eye level. In the image above it appears that the table is fairly low so when I created this sample I “hung” the images at what I believed to be approximately eye level. You could put something decorative on top of the table (maybe candle sets on either side?) to give the table some height and then hang the art 6 inches above the top of the decorations if you wanted to try and follow both rules.
For higher furniture pieces, go with the 6 images above to hang as close to every level as possible.
And in the case you have small children who may touch your art, either choose a durable option such as canvas or hang just out of reach of your little one!
Choosing the proper size for above a bed
This is a quick “cheat sheet” for creating art galleries above your bed based on the size of the bed.
The program I use to show my clients their art, which is also what I use to create these sample galleries, shows me the total width of the full gallery set so that I can make sure I create the correct size for your home. So having a cheat sheet to check those numbers against is really helpful to make sure that when it arrives it will fit perfectly like this set that I created for a client last fall.
Sizing “cheat sheet”
If you are hanging your art above the headboard choose this size for the best fit:
Twin bed- 22-30” inch art
Full bed - 30-40” art
Queen bed - 34-45” art
King bed - 42-56” art
Crib (above the long side) - 30-40”
Hopefully this gives you a start in choosing the correct size. I would love to design portrait art that fits perfectly into your space. When I plan your session with you and create your art I take into account the colors and design style of your space as well to make sure your art looks at home in your space! Ready to get started? Click below to schedule a call and get all of the information about your session!
Jennifer Tavera is a Luxury family, maternity, and newborn photographer in Denver Colorado who specializes in creating an experience that will make mom feel comfortable, papered, and beautiful so she will be excited to turn her portraits into art for her home. Sessions are available outdoors all over the Denver and Boulder area and studio sessions in the studio space in Arvada. Ready to start planning your dream session? Click below to schedule a call.
Jennifer
Newborn portrait art | Arvada Colorado Newborn photographer
4 tips for creating the perfect newborn portrait display
4 tips for creating the perfect newborn portrait display
1. “Match the couch”
One of my favorite portrait art mentors tells her students to have your clients “dress to match the couch”. Why? Because it guarantees that your images are going to look amazing hanging above your couch. In the case of newborn portraits this advice isn’t always as simple. First many people want to hang the newborn portraits in the baby’s room, so maybe this looks more like “dress to match the crib”, or maybe you would like to hang the images in more than one location, for example baby alone in babies room, family portraits with your new baby over the couch and a few images in your bedroom. With newborn portraits there is an easy way to make this work, during our consultation we will talk over the places you would like to hang your images and the colors in that room. Mom, dad and any siblings can dress to match the living room colors, and then I can choose outfits and wraps for baby’ solo portraits to match the colors in the other two rooms. This way the images fit seamlessly into each space as if they were designed for it, because they were!
2. Choose a wall art style or frame that matches the look of your home
As much as I love the look of my heritage wood prints, if you have a very modern style of home they are not going to look right in your space. On the other hand if your design style is country farmhouse, a sleek metal framed print is not going to be the best fit for your home. When I sit down with my clients to design their art I take all of this into consideration, I show my clients the options and then I suggest the style I believe will look best with their current décor. For those clients that don’t really have a design style yet I’ll help you choose your favorite option and it may be the perfect base to help you create a look in your home that you love!
3. Choose nontraditional shapes
If your wall art is all feeling boring and the same this might be a great way to mix it up a little. I offer many traditional sizes like 16x24, 30x40 and 40x60 however I also offer square, round and long and narrow images. I will typically design a sample set for each client with more traditional sizes and one with a more unique layout to help you choose which option is more your style. Below you can see several mock ups with both traditional and nontraditional shapes as well as samples with a mixture of both. These are all real samples that I presented to my clients.
4. Consider one large image
I love creating art sets with a variety of sizes and shapes, but sometimes what you really need is one statement piece. Especially in a larger room where smaller images are harder to see from the other side of the room, a larger image is more appropriate. So how do you know how large of an image to choose? One thing to consider is the size of the piece of furniture you will be hanging it over, the image should be 50-75% smaller than the furniture. Another thing to keep in mind is the size of the room, just like choosing TV sizes the further you will be sitting or standing from the image, the larger it needs to be. If wouldn’t put a 20 inch tv in your living room so an 8x10 or 11x14 print is also going to be too small to see clearly and make the statement you are looking for in this larger space.
If you are ready to schedule your newborn session and have custom art created for your home I would love to schedule a call to talk with you. Click the button below to start the process and learn more about my sessions.
Jennifer Tavera is a Luxury family, maternity and newborn photographer in Denver Colorado who specializes in creating an experience that will make mom feel confortable, papered and beautiful so she will be excited to turn her portraits into art for her home. Sessions are available outdoors all over the Denver and Boulder area and studio sessions in the studio space in Arvada. Ready to start planning your dream session? Click below to schedule a call.
Jennifer
How to display your family photos: Story boxes {Denver family photographer}
Updated August 2020 to include information on new sizes!
Do you remember those old photo albums with the sticky sheets inside that you just stuck your photos to? For anyone who has no idea what I am talking about you bought them at the store empty and each page was similar to a thick card stock covered in a stick material and then a clear sheet of plastic. You pulled back the plastic and stuck your photo to the sticky part and then stuck the plastic back over. They were great until your images started to fade from the acid in the paper and glue and then permanently stuck to the goo…
I recently heard my Storyboxes described as a modern-day album, it’s not a bad description. Like those sticky albums or the sleeve albums that were also popular you can easily switch out the images in the box however unlike those, the Story box protects your images instead of ruining them.
I recently heard my Storyboxes described as a modern-day album
I love these because they are the perfect way to display your images without running out of wall space!
They are an 8x10 sized box with a beautiful oatmeal-colored cloth cover and the option to emboss the front with your family name, your child's name, and birth-date, special dates such as the date of a religious milestone, the date of the session or any other writing you would like. They have a black interior and they feature a black ribbon to help you easily remove images from the box.
These come in 3 sizes, 10 print with 10 matching digital images, 20 print with 20 matching digital images or 30 print with your full set of digitals. All printed images are matted 5x7 prints in 8x10 mats that you can display in the box full time or take out and frame!
Ready to get more information on a session with me, fill out the form below to get instant access to my session planning guide including pricing on this and other beautiful ways to display your photos.
Five tips for an amazing maternity session {Northglenn Maternity Photographer}
Congratulations on your pregnancy! If you are considering having maternity portraits taken you may be feeling overwhelmed by the thought of planning a shoot. Here are my top 5 tips for planning an amazing maternity shoot.
1. Choosing your photographer
Quality
When choosing your photographer you will want to take a look at their work as a whole. Check out the images on their website and social media to get a more complete look at their work. Watch for focus issues, look at posing and the overall quality of the images you are seeing. Also look at how long the photographer has been in business, while this isn't always an indication of quality an experienced photographer is more likely to deliver quality images than someone who just started.
Style
After quality, the most important part of choosing your photographer is their style. This is true with any type of session you are trying to book but here are a few things to consider when looking for a maternity photographer. First, the type of photos they take, do they specialize in maternity photography? If you are including your husband and other children in the shoot you will want someone that also specializes in family portraits as well. Next what type of maternity photography do they shoot. If you have your heart set on maternity portraits in a mountain setting, or standing in a stream you are not going to want to hire a photographer that specializes in studio maternity or boudoir style maternity and Visa-Versa. Make sure that they offer or better yet specialize in the type of photos you would like taken. Last look at their editing style, do they edit true to color? Light and bright? Dark and moody? If you don't love the edits you will want to find someone who’s editing style you do love.
Service
Different photographers offer different levels of service. Chances are if you are looking at a photographer in the lower price range (anything below $300 typically) their service is just going to include the basics. In some cases, for maternity sessions, basic packages may be mom only so if you want to include other family members make sure to check with your photographer on who is included in the sessions. They will probably help you find a location, although not always, and they should include some basic editing but not many bells and whistles.
High end and full-service photographers often include services like gowns and accessories to borrow for your shoot, help coordinating clothing for other family members, more extensive knowledge of session locations, hair and makeup artists included or as an add-on, gallery design and printing, delivery of your products after the shoot and in some cases even services to install your portraits for you so you don’t have to hang them yourself. Think about the level of service you are hoping for from your photographer and check with them to see what services they offer.
One more thing to look at when it comes to service is the type of sessions your photographer offers. While its great to choose someone who specializes (and in my opinion you should) you may want to continue to use the same photographer through your babies first year or even as your family continues to grow. Some photographer’s specialties may be so narrow that they only offer Maternity/Newborn, so check to see if they offer first year packages or photography beyond those first few weeks.
Products
Print: The last thing that you want to look at is what your photographer offers. If you don’t want to have to figure out photo labs printing and sizing on your own or you want higher quality products than you can purchase at your local or online consumer lab (most professional quality labs offer their products to professional photographers only) you will want to look for a photographer that offers those services. Take a careful look at the types of products that they offer. A good photographer should offer a variety of high-quality products, in-person guidance when ordering so you know exactly what you are ordering, and a full price list BEFORE your session so there are no surprises on cost when you sit down with them to place your order.
Digital: If you are hoping for digital files as well a few questions you may want to ask your photographer is if they offer them, are they included in their print collections or only sold separately, do they offer them free or discounted with large print purchases, and do you get all of the edited digitals or only those that you purchased prints for. Most photographers will not offer every photo taken for the simple reason that no one wants to pay someone for the photos that someone blinked, were out of focus, bad lighting or just otherwise unusable and no matter how experienced your photographer is there are always a few of these in the bunch. A true professional will only deliver quality images to their clients.
Before we move on….
I am sure you are wondering what of these styles, services, and products I offer. Here is a quick rundown for you.
I have been a professional photographer since 2007 and in business for myself since 2010 and have photographer maternity, newborns and families my entire career. My maternity style is outdoor in beautiful natural settings and I love bright, colorful and mostly true to natural color edits, although I tone down my greens slightly in editing. My sessions can include the whole family or just mom depending on your preference. I offer both individual maternity and newborn sessions or premium memberships that will give you discounted sessions every 3 months for your baby’s first year and beyond. I am full service so I include gowns from my collection as well as matching floral crowns and some jewelry for your session, I offer children’s clothing as well so I may have coordinating options in your child’s size. I will help you find the right clothing for dad as well if he is participating in the session. I have tons of favorite locations I can recommend and I am always scouting out new spots to use to give you the best options. I shoot all of the Denver and Boulder metro areas so I can offer a great variety of looks for sessions. I also offer hair and make-up as an add on to your session and I will arrange for your hair and makeup artist to come to you. I offer both high-quality wall art prints and digitals, my collections include both and I also give free digital if you hit a certain print order. You always get all edited files with my digital collections. You can download my full pricing list by filling out the form at the bottom of this blog post, the list also includes more information on my sessions and the products that I offer! You can see samples of my work both here on my webpage or by visiting www.facebook.com/truthphotographyllc or www.instagram.com/truthphotollc
2. Know when to book
For single babies
In most cases, you will want to shoot your maternity session between 30-36 weeks. This is early enough in the pregnancy that you will not feel huge and uncomfortable and also will not be at high risk for going into labor during your session, but late enough you should have a beautiful baby bump by this point. Since photographers can often book several months in advance, especially during the busy season, I recommend booking early to be sure to get a spot. I take maternity booking starting around 20 weeks.
For twins or multiples
If you are pregnant with multiples make sure to let your photographer know and plan the session a little earlier. With multiples, you are more likely to have your babies before your due date and you will also get to that uncomfortable stage of pregnancy a lot sooner so I would aim for between 26-30 weeks for your session.
High Risk
If you are at risk for premature labor this is another reason to book early to make sure you are able to get your portraits before the baby arrives. I can shoot a maternity shoot anytime after you are clearly showing if you are worried about waiting too long.
Make sure to talk to your doctor, while I believe you should get maternity portraits done if possible, it is not worth risking your baby’s life or health if you have been placed on bed rest. As long as your doctor clears it we can plan a session with minimal walking for you.
3. Style Your Session
For mom
How you look for the session is one of the most important aspects. I love doing sessions with gowns because they make mama look and feel amazing. I offer a variety of gowns to use for your session, you can choose one, or more than one if you would like multiple looks. You may also do some in one of my gowns and then some in more casual clothing. If you don’t see a gown you love in my collection make sure to ask about my option to order one for you. In many cases, I am able to order a custom gown in your size in time for your session.
Coordinating the family
For any session, I always recommend coordinating the family’s clothing colors NOT matching it. This is even more important for a maternity session since you want your baby bump to stick out, not blend in. What I recommend is choosing at least two colors and having everyone where a mixture of the two. more about this in the section below about accessories.
Accessories
Don’t forget accessories when styling your session, the perfect accessories will complete the look of your session and, for family maternity shoots, help coordinate the look of the family unit.
One of the things I offer for my clients is custom made floral crowns. I have a variety pre-made for your session but I can also make custom creations that tie in the colors that your family is wearing like I did for this couples session last year. She chose this gorgeous purple gown from my collection and we decided we wanted a bold color on him as well so we chose this red and I made the red and purple crown she is wearing specifically to match both of their clothing.
You can also use items like jewelry, nail polish, sweaters, belts, ties, and bowties to help coordinate colors and complete the look.
4. Choose a location
Look at maternity photos you love
The easiest way to choose an amazing location is to take a look at other portraits and note locations that you love. What features do these locations have in common? Are they all in the mountains? By water? In tall grass? While searching google or Pinterest to see what stands out is helpful it’s even better to check out your photographer’s website, Facebook or blog, then when you find a location you love you can simply ask them where it was. If you don’t see exactly what you are hoping for trying telling them what type of location you have your heart set on and asking for recommendations.
5. Pamper yourself
Rest
Make sure to get plenty of rest during the days before your session, the last thing you want is to look tired and worn in your portraits. Pregnancy can be exhausting so go to bed a little early the night before and allow yourself a little more rest.
Hair and Makeup
As mentioned above I offer the option to add a hair and makeup artist onto your session fee. I highly recommend having a professional do your hair and makeup, after all, you are paying for professional-quality portraits and products so why wouldn’t you make sure to look your very best. If you book them through me I will schedule them to come to your home around an hour before you need to leave for the session. If you have a regular stylist you use just make sure to contact them as soon as you book your session to make sure they are available that day.
Nails
Having your nails done is often overlooked but it’s so important especially for maternity sessions. Your hands are going to be on your belly where the focus of a maternity portrait is and you want to make sure they look great. Make sure to have dad and anyone else in the session clean and trim their nails before the session as well.
I hope this helps with planning your maternity shoot. If you would like to set up a session, or just want more information please fill out the form below to download my session planning guide with more information on my sessions, ordering your printed images, gifts, and digital files and a full pricing list
A peek into your selection appointment {Colorado Mountain Family Photographer}
First you may be asking, “what is a selection appointment?” The selection appointment happens around two weeks after your session once I have edited all the best images from your session. I will come to your home and help you “select” the images you want to hang in your home and then the products you want to use to display them. Today I want to go through what the selection appointment looks like so you know what to expect when I arrive for yours!
I started to write this blog post almost a month ago now. I had it “fully finished” and just needed to add images and schedule it to publish. Then as if she knew I needed to know what clients were thinking when going into their selection appointment, I had a client ask if the selection appointment was required. I explained yes I require them since it is too difficult to put your order together via emails back and forth and doing the selection appointment is actually less work for me. Then she explained why she was concerned about meeting for her image selection.
The last session they had had with a photographer had gone great, but the appointment with him after did not go so well. After discussing it with her for a while I realized what had really gone so wrong is they had gone into with no idea what to expect. Their photographer hadn’t really given them any information on what would happen at the meeting or what prices for their products looked like. In addition, their photographer had used a common “this is the only time you can buy these” tactic that is honestly meant to scare clients into buying more so they don’t “lose the images”.
I take a totally different approach to my appointments. My job at the selection appointment isn’t to scare you into buying your images now. I actually want to go into this meeting having already discussed with you what you are hoping to purchase from the session based on your needs and budget. My job at these meetings is to simply help you choose the best images for the products you have selected and make sure you LOVE the finished art! So that said let’s take a look at the process from start to finish so you know exactly what to expect from your appointment.
First, you may be asking, “what is a selection appointment?” The selection appointment happens around two weeks after your session once I have edited all the best images from your session. I will come to your home and help you “select” the images you want to hang in your home and then the products you want to use to display them. Today I want to go through what the selection appointment looks like so you know what to expect when I arrive for yours!
Viewing the images
The first thing that I will do for your selection appointment is to show you all of the edited images as a slide show. Because I use an online program to show your images, I will first need to log into your wifi so make sure to have your login information handy.
After I am logged in I will show you all of the images in a slideshow format. Just sit back, enjoy the show and maybe make a mental note of any favorites.
Narrowing down the images
Next, I’ll help you narrow down the images for your wall art. We will go through the images one by one and I’ll have you tell me if it’s a favorite or not. If you are thinking “but I love them all” no problem, if you are purchasing a wall art set or Storybox valued at $1,000 or more you will receive all the images shown as digital files. If you choose to just get a few images you will receive matching digital files for all images selected.
Creating your wall art
By this point, you should have had several opportunities to view my session planning guide that shows all of my products and the pricing. Hopefully, you have a good idea of what wall art you are interested in before we meet so we can focus on putting your favorite images on those products. I will take this time to show you what the images would look like on those products on the wall. We can play with different images and layouts in the designer until we find the perfect wall art to fit your home.
Ordering your products
After we have wall art selected and any additional gift items you need I will submit your order for you. The payment for all collections or a la carte items is due at your selection meeting. After your products are ordered your digital files will be delivered via an online gallery within one week and you can download them from there, your printed products normally take around 2 weeks but can take up to 4 weeks to arrive and I will personally deliver them to your home when they arrive.
Watch me create a gallery on IGTV https://www.instagram.com/tv/By3uiowFfl1/
If you are interested in learning more I would love to set up a consultation with you via video chat. We will discuss all of the details of your session, the selection appointment, pricing and more so you are comfortable with the whole process before you book. Fill out the form below to set up a consultation!
How to hang a two bracket portrait or art piece {Northglenn family photographer}
One of the things I have heard over and over from my clients is that they struggle to get their wall art hung straight, especially pieces with two saw tooth hangers like my canvases, without putting a million holes in the wall. So today I am sharing a quick tutorial on how to get your pieces on the wall without making the wall look like Swiss cheese!
One of the things I have heard over and over from my clients is that they struggle to get their wall art hung straight, especially pieces with two saw tooth hangers like my canvases, without putting a million holes in the wall. So today I am sharing a quick tutorial on how to get your pieces on the wall without making the wall look like Swiss cheese!
Step 1
Gather your supplies, you will need a measuring tape, level, and a pencil. If you are hanging the piece in drywall I recommend using screws and self drilling anchors so you will also need a screwdriver to install those as well.
Step 2
Typically you want to hang your art at eye level, however if you are hanging this above a piece of furniture it may be a little higher or lower since you will want to space it about 10 inches above the top of the furniture. If you are hanging it above a piece of furniture start by measuring from the bottom of the art piece up to the hook. Next measure for the top of the furniture piece up that amount plus 10 inches and mark that spot on the wall.
Step 3
Measure the wall to find the center so that you can make sure to center your portrait or gallery on the wall. Mark the center with a pencil or other erasable tool. Next on the back of the piece you are hanging measure the area between the two brackets. Divide the width of the area between the brackets by two and then measure that width from either side of the center dot you already marked on the wall and mark it make sure that the height of each dot matches up to the height marked in step 2.
Step 4
I recommend double checking at this point to make sure all of your measurements where correct and level. Stretch your tape measure between the two dots you have marked and use the level to make sure that they are level with one another (or use a laser level for this if you have one!) before installing your anchor and screws.
Step 5
Install your anchors and screws using the directions on the package for your specific anchors and hang your portrait on the wall! You may want to verify one more time that is is level by placing the level along the top. Enjoy!
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How one family changed the way I do business {Boulder Family Photographer}
I really discovered how much I was failing my clients and not really serving them about a couple of month after this families first session with me.
A little back story. . .
A little over two years ago I had the great pleasure of meeting a family that has become one of my very favorite families. Mom is such a sweet outgoing person and one of the strongest people I have met and I have to admit that I loved them even more when her and her son Charlie told me earlier this year that one of their favorite TV shows is Supergirl! (For those of you who don’t know I’m a huge superhero fan!!!) But this post is not really about that family or how much I love them, even though I do, it’s about how they changed the way I look at customer service.
For years I didn’t offer photo prints, I didn’t want to bother with it and I was convinced that no one really wanted or needed that service. What I found is as moms it’s something that we don’t even know that we need, but we do! I really discovered how much I was failing my client and not really serving them about a couple of month after this families first session with me.
A little back story, the reason they decided to hire a photographer for family portraits was not a happy one. This family with two beautiful sons was about to loose one of their boys to a brain tumor. Knowing they didn’t have much time left they wanted to get professional family portraits of all of them together.
We had a beautiful family session with their family of four and grandma out in Boulder. A few months after the session I heard from mom, she even though she had received digital files of her portraits a few weeks after the session she had not printed any of them yet. Her son has since passed and she was preparing for the funeral including trying to print an image of him to display at the funeral. That hit me hard, this grieving mom was rushing around trying to get her pictures printed, instead of spending time with her family at this hard time. Not only was she spending her time doing this but she ordered the images online, accidentally drove to the wrong store and then when she finally got to the right store she realized that she forgot to bring the print release and the lab would not release the photo to her.
Thank God not every mom has to go through this situation. But that doesn’t mean that we have time in our busy lives to go get our images printed, framed and hung. I can’t tell you how many times clients told me more than a year after their session that they still haven’t printed their images, I can’t tell you how many times I photographed my own kids and got too busy to print and hang the portraits.
I don’t want my clients to waste their money on images they are not enjoying in their home. I don’t want anyone to have to search through a dropbox, computer or stack of old CD’s to get images printed if a family member passes away. My clients enjoy their images on their walls each and every day, and I never want to give another client less service than that!
Click the button below for more information on my heirloom quality wall art and gifts. My goal is to provide you with printed imagery that will last to hand down to future generations.
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