There’s something special about printed photos.
Don’t let your favorite memories live only on your phone. Turn those snapshots into something special. From treasured family moments to favorite vacation snapshots, printed pictures can help create meaningful moments in your home.
Photographer Catherine Grandy shared creative ways to showcase and print your memories to display.
The Importance of Printed Photos
“I’m always telling my clients, please print your photos,” Catherine said. “We keep them on our phone and we forget to print them out, and there’s something so powerful about displaying these printed photos and taking these beautiful memories you have and transferring them into a visual representation of the people and places that you really love.”
Catherine said there are mental health benefits of surrounding ourselves with things that spark joy. “When we surround ourselves with things that spark joy… it really creates a warm, inviting atmosphere for our home too.”
Printed photos make great gifts, especially for family members.
Creative Ways to Print Photos
Catherine shared several creative ways to print and display photos:
- Canvases: They add some nice warmth and texture to your home.
- Matted Prints: This is a timeless way to frame your prints. There’s so many great options for matting and frames that look really beautiful.
- Acrylic Blocks: A sleek, modern way to display photos.
- Photo Books: The sky is the limit with how you print and utilize them. They are gorgeous and can be a work of art in and of themselves. “If you had a beautiful session… and you don’t have enough places in your home on the walls, you can take the rest of the images and make a beautiful portrait book,” Catherine recommended.
Choosing the Right Format
When deciding how to print your photos, think about the space where they will be displayed. “Think about what kind of images you’re printing and the space that you want to put it in,” Catherine emphasized. “If you have a large wall, you want to go big.”
Also think about the types of images you’re printing out. “I like to also print a variety of traditional, more posed portraits, and then really beautiful, candid imagery that really kind of captures people’s connections and emotions,” Catherine explained.
Printing Services
Catherine recommended several printing services based on your needs:
- Professional Photographers: Bay Photo or Miller’s
- Hobbyists: MPIX
- Budget: Shutterfly or Snapfish
Displaying Photo Books
Make your photo books a part of your display. You can show them off in several different ways. Catherine likes to put them out for everyone to enjoy. “You can put them out on the coffee table and rotate them,” she said. “ Just make sure that they’re being loved and used.”
Digital Photo Frames
Digital photo frames are making a comeback. “The ease of use is amazing, and they are great for displaying a wide variety of photos at one time,” Catherine emphasized. ”The great grandmas on both sides of our family have these and everyone in the family can just upload to the app the photos and it’s such a great way to make them feel connected to everybody and what we’re doing.”
Unique Gift Ideas
Go for more unique photo gifts like mugs, magnets, and calendars. “Go to the website, see what kind of format you can put it in, and think about who you’re giving the gift to and how they’ll best utilize it,” Catherine said.
Find more of Catherine’s work at grandyphotography.com, or follow @grandyphotography on Instagram.
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