I hear so often from people that print sizes are confusing and overwhelming for them, and I can totally see why! There are a lot of different sizes, framing options etc. It can easily become a daunting task to determine what size you would like your images and how you would like to display them! Hopefully, this can provide some clarity…
Hanging a wall portrait means that you love the image and that the photographer captured a special time in your life or the life of your family. This should be something you enjoy seeing on your wall– when you walk into a room, you should be able to enjoy the image of your children rolling in the grass without having to walk up to the frame and look closely to see their smiles. You should also not need to pick up the family portrait off your desk to see the people that you love– you should be able to see their smiling faces just by glancing over. (That is assuming your desk is not an avalanche of paper as mine is right now!)
Wall portraits are just that– images to go on your wall. If you are hanging a single image on the wall, I strongly recommend that you choose an 11×14 or larger. If it is a single person, or two children in the image, often 11×14 is a perfect size. But, if you have a large family portrait, 11×14 may be too small. To determine size, look at the size of the faces in the image– if it is a close up shot, then a smaller image size may work. The more people or the smaller they are in the image, the larger you will need to go with your print.
The exception to this are composite frames and digital composites, where several smaller images create one larger piece. These wall portraits are great ways to tell a story and capture a deeper story than a single image can. These make great pieces for informal areas such as hallways, bedrooms and offices and can be done in a wide variety of sizes including any number of images.
Not sure how much space a 16×20 will take on the wall?? Take four pieces of paper, tape them together and tape them on the wall. This will be slightly larger than a 16×20, but will give you a good idea of the size. Think an 8×10 is big enough? Hang just one sheet of paper on the wall and that will closely represent an 8×10. When you come into the studio we can now display your exact image in any size that you like so you may see what each image looks like on the wall in a variety of sizes.
If you are looking for prints to sit on a mantle, desk, nightstand or bookshelf, then 8×10, 5×7 and 4×6 are good sizes to consider. The biggest deciding factors here should be how close you will be to the print and how large the subjects are in the image. So, a closeup of a baby would be a great 4×6 or 5×7 for a desk, while a portrait of you with your children for the mantle would be better in an 8×10.
To get the most out of your photography experience, talk with your photographer about the space that you have and how you might want to display your images. Its best to tell your photographer before the shoot what your thoughts are as that can impact the way they conduct your session, but even after the session, keep an open dialogue about your ideas and what you like. If you are still not sure about sizing, take pictures of the space you have to share with the photographer, measure your walls, or bring in images that are the size you would like.
Hopefully that has helped make some sense of print sizes, but if you have any additional questions, please feel free to email me at Linda @LongsPhotography.com or add a comment to this post and I can answer it so everyone can see!
Long’s Photography– Tallahassee’s premier wedding and portrait photographers
