Off-the-Wall (and on-the-wall) Ideas for Portraits

In the process of keeping myself educated and constantly refining and developing my products and services, I’ve been taking a Creative Live class for a new idea that will help clients do something with their amazing portraits (thank you, Lori Nordstrom).  I came across this ah-ha! moment that I couldn’t wait to share with you – whether you work with me as your photographer or give this idea to another madly-talented photographer.

The ah-ha! moment comes in two parts (so maybe it’s two ah-ha! moments?): 1) Walk around your house and look at the walls in every room.  Seriously! Even the bathroom!  Do you see a potential space for the loves of your life to be displayed?  I know you’re probably thinking what I’m thinking.  I wouldn’t hang a picture of my family in the laundry room.  I mean, I spent hours choosing my outfit and making my sure my hair wasn’t falling flat.  Why would I hang that kind of a picture in my laundry room?  That’s just weird!

That leads me to the second part of my ah-ha! moment.  2) Let the room you have wall space for give you ideas for what kind of photo to take before you get the photo taken!  For example (sticking with the laundry room idea) choose light colored clothes for your family (or just your kids).  Pick a warm muddy day in the spring and have your photographer take a few “clean” portraits, but then let loose in the puddles!  Have a blast getting muddy!  Those are the pictures you put in your laundry room!  Love it?  Oh – one word of advice: Have a clean change of clothes or a garden hose and towels nearby for that idea!  Tip: Go to a thrift store and get the light colored clothes if you don’t have confidence in your laundry detergent. 😉

I think, subconsciously, I had already been thinking in this direction. I remember the portrait session I did for a family last summer. They love preparing a meal together and gathering around the table as a family, so I captured the whole experience for them.  Imagine how cool those images would be in their dining room!  Or imagine the close up food prep photos that I did – just hands, tools, and food – in their kitchen.  One reason I love going to Bob Evans is because they have gorgeous photography of what they value in their dining room – clean, healthy, farm-to-table food.  Why not put photography like that of your family in your eating spaces?!

Another family I recently photographed had a brilliant idea for hanging photos on their walls.  Each room was a different theme – generations of weddings were in the dining room, generations of family outings were in the family room, generations of couples were in the foyer…  First of all, kudos for preserving generations of memories, and bonus stars for making sure you get similar pictures taken of your family!   My parents have pictures of us as babies in a sudsy tub and their grandkids as babies in a sudsy tub hanging in… now you know where I’m going with this… their bathroom! Or what about in a workshop?  My dad loves to take his grandkids to his workshop and create memories with them by working on all kinds of projects.  How precious would it be to have an image of little tiptoes on a stool standing so excitedly next to Grandpa’s strong frame with the project in the background/foreground?!  Is there a mud room where shoes are kept at bay?  Have a picture of just your family’s feet all lined up for that room!

Ok… My mind is going a million miles a minute with ideas.  Is yours?  Here is a list of potential rooms in your house to go check out:

• Living Room
• Family Room
• Dining Room
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Master Bedroom
• Kids Rooms
• Play Room
• Hallway
• Office
• Mud Room
• Workshop

Oh, and take a piece of paper with you! Better yet, snap a photo of your walls and send them to your photographer for ideas (oh please, oh please, I hope it’s me)!

By the way, I just created a printable that gives you a place to keep track of all your great ideas for a portrait session!  Download it and use it to plan a session with your photographer that is exactly what you want!  Interested?  See my Portrait Session Planner.