Inspiration!

Okay, so... as a mom of two and someone who is catastrophically nostalgic I'm constantly looking for inspiration of how to display my images, where to print them, what to print them on, creative ways to show off my family. And if I'm being honest..I haven't printed my images in ages...so this blog post will act as a personal creative jump start and a compilation of beautiful presentation ideas for you to hopefully get you super excited about printing your family photos!


I know I don't show my face a ton or talk about my background at all but I feel it is relevant to tell you a bit about my background before we dive in. Because THIS ISN'T AI, this is all me, baby! I have a background in Architecture and Urban Design and currently work as a Lighting Designer and have for 10+years. I really appreciate beautiful, thoughtful, creative and layered design. I FREAKING LOVE pinterest and instagram and anything curating beautiful images for my eyeballs. I love beautiful, juicy color palates, textures, and when your home is filled with delightful, unexpected moments of YOU. And after seeing this trend of custom matted, color drenched frames all over tiktok and knew I needed to put together some inspo and thoughts for you all because I'm obsessed!!!


We create such stunning magic together and to NOT display it would be a shame.


Some beautiful ideas!

A series of red and yellow gallery walls with small framed artworks displayed in a minimalist exhibition space.
A gallery wall arrangement of minimalist black-framed artwork and photographs against a white painted wall.
A set of decorative seashell-themed photo frames in orange, green and white colors displayed on a white surface.
Colorful striped framed artwork gallery wall display with six frames in various colors and a tropical plant beneath.

Color Drenching

This...I've seen this everywhere, I literally just drenched my bedroom in the darkest forest green .....was it a mistake? time will tell...but this for your photos....so fun! And a much smaller scale project than an entire room. Take a frame, paint it, paint the mat, or buy a custom color matching mat-board, done! Stunning, gallery worthy piece...if you have multiple images or kids...pick complimentary colors or find a color palette on pinterest and go to town.


Bonus idea: let your kiddos pick out their color for "their" frames!

Custom Matting

I haven't done this yet, so I can't confirm but I'VE HEARD you can get a custom matboard for a frame from Michael's , online, etc for relatively cheap. I think thrifting a beautiful frame and selecting your absolute favorite image or images from your session and creating a special matboard moment..stunning.

It gives your gallery such an elevated look. It feels very intentional and thoughtful!


Bonus idea: do a couple of images, maybe select all the black and white details shots!

Tactility

Imagine you're at your photo session and your little one gets really attached to a leaf or picks you a beautiful flower and then you save that token and frame it with an image from that session, ugh, that makes me want to cry! Or you're at a beach session and part of the night was collecting shells - glue them around the frame! What a special story, something you can talk about with guests and family for years to come.


Bonus idea: alternatively, if your kid does or says something SO AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS at the time of your session- jot that down and frame it with an image from that session. Now you've created a multi-layered sensory experience!

Special Touches!

Another beautiful idea: include your own paper (wrapping paper, wallpaper sample!, a paper that your kid painted as your custom mat-board!) Let's say you do a cake smash session- take some paper from your kids present and wrap the mat with that!


Bonus idea: doing this with wall-paper or even fabric brings a fun textural element to your gallery wall!

A wooden framed memory board displays photos, money, and mementos alongside a decorative horse figure and digital clock.
A collection of vintage Polaroid photographs arranged in a grid pattern within a brown wooden frame mounted on a wall.
A modern living room interior with framed artwork, white curtains, table lamps, and a sleek minimalist design aesthetic.
An artistic sequence showing a framed photograph gradually shrinking in size within a wooden frame against a teal background.
Someone in dark clothing hangs colorful framed photographs in a gallery-style arrangement on a white wall.
Three framed pieces on a light wall include a handwritten note, photographs, and a series of photo booth strips in simple frames.
Art gallery wall display featuring multiple framed photographs and artwork in a minimalist layout.
A series of framed black and white photos arranged on a wooden floor.
Collection of framed photos and artwork arranged on a wooden cabinet displaying personal memories and decor.

In closing...


I'm all in on this look...I'm going to take this weekend and go through my past images and curate at least one special little moment in my home.


There are SO many ideas out there...if you book me and EVER need help with printing or laying out a gallery wall or picking images that tell your special story please don't hesitate to reach out for tips and tricks, I live for that sort of thing!



*THESE ARE NOT MY IMAGES. I GATHERED THEM FROM PINTEREST. SOURCES THAT I WAS ABLE TO TRACK DOWN INCLUDE:

square brown frame with small red mat-board

image from top banner - with the framed note @alysilverio on tiktok!