The best part about family portraits is seeing them over and over again. My clients absolutely love when they get their digital images back, but even more than that they love seeing their prints everyday in their home. If you have photos you want displayed in your house then you probably want to make sure you’re following best practices to make those images look their very best! In this article I cover everything you need to know about hanging photos in your home including photo examples and so much more.

Best practices for spacing & height

The 57-60 inch rule

The biggest mistake I see made when hanging photos is putting the photo too high or too low on the wall. You may have heard that it’s best to hang artwork at eye level which can be a safe bet for most people. However, I say the better rule to follow is the 57-60 inch rule. When hanging artwork you want the middle of the piece to be 57-60 inches from the ground.

Above furniture

If you’re placing artwork above furniture this is when you might break the 57-60 inch rule. You’ll want to make sure there isn’t awkward spacing between the furniture and the artwork, especially when placing artwork above furniture that is naturally a little lower to the ground like entry tables, beds, sofas, etc. When placing artwork above furniture I recommend going about 6-12 inches above the top of the furniture piece. Doing this helps create better balance.

Collage pieces

When hanging multiple photos you’ll want to consider the gallery wall as one large piece instead of several pieces. When you start to think about the design of your gallery wall there’s a few things to keep in mind. 

• Spacing – Keep images close to each other. Usually within 2-4 inches. 
• Height – Remember to consider the entire gallery as one piece, not multiple. The middle of the gallery wall should hit that 57-60 inch rule or if above furniture the bottom of the collage should be 6-12 inches above the furniture.
• Correct scale – Collage walls above furniture should ideally take up ½ to ⅔  the width of the furniture. If it isn’t above furniture then bigger is almost always better. The less photos in the collage the bigger those photos should be. The more photos, the smaller the photos can be.

How to make your printed photos look better

Print through your photographer

When hanging professional photos I always recommend that when possible that you print through your photographer. Doing this will benefit you in multiple ways.

• Color correctness – Professional photographers are able to calibrate their computer screens with their print lab. This ensures that your prints wont come back looking too pink, gray, green, or with any other coloring issues. 
• Quality – Professional photographers have the ability to work with top of the line print companies. This is going to elevate the quality of your prints and make them last longer and look better.
• Assistance – Printing photos can be overwhelming for a lot of people. Using your photographers expertise can eliminate a lot of that stress and decision overwhelm. Your photographer will be able to help you select types of prints such as canvases, framed prints, etc. Additionally, a lot of photographers will also help with sample mockups so you can better visualize which photos to print, what size to print, and how to arrange them. 

I work with all of my clients closely when selecting images from their session to print. From gallery wall mock ups to a large array of carefully selected heirloom products. To learn more about my products offered in the studio click this link.

Canvas or mounted prints

My favorite material to print on is either canvas or mounted prints. This is because these options give you one big advantage to the view-ability which is that there is no need to put glass in front of the print. Not having glass in front of your print eliminates glare and makes the print look more like an art piece. 

Add lighting

Adding unique lighting fixtures above or to the side of statement pieces can really elevate the look of the artwork. Even if it’s purely decorative and not functional. You can also find some light fixtures that are battery operated or chargeable so you don’t have to worry about running wire. I use this light from amazon in my own home and love the way it looks.

Consider the images your displaying

Creating a cohesive look will elevate the look of your space. Selecting photos from the same photo session or same style will make things collaborate together best. For example: if you want to hang photos from different stages of life try and keep colors and style in mind. Are all the photos from outdoor sessions or perhaps in the studio with professional lighting? Are you all wearing dark muted tones in some photos and bright pastel colors in a different one? Photos in the same room and especially on the same wall will look best if they’re similar in style.

Sizing

Make sure that the size of your print is appropriate for the space. Bigger is usually better. My favorite sizes for a stand alone photo is a 16×20, 20×30, or 24×30. A good general rule of thumb to follow is to fill ½ or ⅔ of the space. Below is an example of how using an 20×30 portrait looks much nicer than an 8×10.

Display ideas

Collages

Collages will never go out of style and there are several ways you can go about creating one in your home. My favorite way to approach hanging a photo collage is either with all matching sizes equally spaced or a statement piece surrounded by smaller portraits. Below are 5 of my favorite collages that look beautiful in any home.

Stacked

If you have a skinny wall you want to decorate, I love the look of stacked portraits. Below is an example of 11×14’s displayed with this method.

Above Furniture

Just because a wall has furniture against it does not mean you can’t add to it! In fact couches, entry tables, and dressers are some of my favorite pieces of furniture to add photos above.

In unique places

Think about the unique spots in your home. Thinking outside the box and going against the norm can add a fun pop in a room and give you more areas to display pictures.

• Sides of cabinets
• Leaning against the wall on your kitchen counter
• A skinny wall between door frames
• Under or over a staircase
• Leaning on the wall on top of cabinets or an oven hood
• On a door
• Frame furniture like your tv or armoire with portraits
• To the side of a window
• Fireplace mantle

Learn more about Goldie Lynn Imagery

I am a professional photographer who helps families through the entire process including selecting which images to display in their home, how to print them, and so much more. For more information on my services please visit my website by clicking on this link.