Lifestyle Photography: Your story on display!

One of the beautiful things about lifestyle photography is that the photos tell a story.

When I do a session, the client gets bunches of photos.  

It's the collection that gives the big picture, rather than one image.

The challenge is, how do you put all those photos to good use?

1.  Make prints.

Just go ahead and make plain old 4x6 prints.

Put them in a box in a place where you'll see them.

(And yes, Stella actually did come and plop herself down there
as if to enjoy the pictures--after all, there she is with her favorite girl!)

I love having my most ordinary moments at my fingertips.

Any given morning.

My baker.

My comedian.

My sweet (and often goofy) husband. 

That day our kids were both on the field.

For rival schools.

One of those "Mom's choice" outings.

Ah, yes.

2.  Make photo books.

I love these.  I make them every year.  Almost.

They are priceless.

Really, the perfect way to tell your story.

I've used a lot of services, 

and I think Shutterfly is the most user friendly by far.

Definitely a matter of personal preference.

3.  Make a wall collection.

The possibilities are endless.  I've been working on a few at my house.

I had a friend make this frame with chicken wire for me.

There were so many different possibilities for materials, but I wanted simple and pretty rustic.

I painted the quote on it, and used decorative magnets to put my photos up.

When I swap them out, they'll go in my box.  :-)

Alongside them are some of my old favorites through the years.

We used to play these games at my grandma's house when we were kids.

I made a wall grouping with them, and a simple frame I found at Michael's.  Same idea.

There are so many collage frames and frame sets out there

in every imaginable style, size and price range.

They can be repurposed easily with fresh photos.

4.  Photo canvases

You can obviously make canvas prints or framed prints to hang on the wall, 

but I really like these easels for smaller canvases.

My robin photo up there is an 8x10 

(I remember when I thought 8x10 was a really big print!), 

and below is an 11x14.

When I want canvases, I go to Groupon and look for the best deal in the size I want.

They're very affordable, and so far I haven't found a lot of variation in quality.

That bunch of crocuses is one of my favorite photos.  

I took it a few years ago, and it just came out looking like a painting.

Plus one of my favorite photos of my babies.

At a studio.  Because that's what we did back then.

Hopefully these ideas will help you get started,

or they'll prompt you to think of some others that will work for you!

Your photos are too precious to stay on a computer.

They deserve a special place in your home.
Because you and the people you love are a priceless work of art.
Your story isn't like any other.
It deserves to be told.
And remembered.