Decorating with Portraits

Today, I’m happy to introduce to you Marsha from The Savvy Photographer. Her site is eye candy for beautiful images as well as photographers sharing their studio spaces. I asked Marsha to share her thoughts on Decorating with Portraits, so read on…

The bio on her site says: Marsha is an international photographer who has been behind the lens for the last 15 years. She quickly caught the blogging bug when she started her own blog in August of 2009. After creating this wildly popular photography blog~ The Savvy Photographer~ her small little blog quickly became a favorite place for photographers who desired to learn while being inspired. Marsha is the host of the Savvy Sisterhood Workshops and works crazy hard to create a workshop that will spoil the attendees and then sends them home inspired and recharged~ along with an address book full of new friends…their Savvy Sisters.

Decorating with Portraits~

 What’s the first thing you notice when you walk into someone’s home?  Their decor, right? How they decorate tells me so much about that person. I can tell instantly if we are true soul mates in the decorating sense. I’m drawn to people that have the same style as me. As a photographer, you will draw in the clients that have your same style…but they have to see your style first. Are you showing the world your style?

Do your walls tell your story? When a friend or client sees your home, do they instantly know you are the right photographer for them? Displaying a collection of portraits in your home gives it a feeling warmth and personality. And just as we show our personality in our clothing, we should be showing it in our homes.

I hear photographers tell me all the time they have nothing hung on their walls. How can they expect the client to make a purchase and hang it on their wall if the photographer doesn’t do it. Hang your images and don’t wait for that perfect time do it…do it now. I have the most crooked and off centered wall galleries. But if I waited for my husband to do it the right way, it would still not be done. But I grab my hammer and nails and wing it. There is nothing perfect about my hanging skills (I refuse to measure anything)… but the images grace my wall. And when I look at it I don’t notice the imperfections on the hanging. I noticed the sweetness of my child’s face. I notice how much they’ve grown and how quickly they change.

I love to look at my walls and see the sweet faces looking back at me. The faces that have changed so much.  Our children grow rapidly… every day they change. And an image brings me back to that moment. Each stage is precious and I adore getting to remember all of it with images. As the daughter of precious women who is losing her memory more each day, I realize the importance of these images. She is alone in the home where she raised her children but I think she never truly feels alone when she has the images of her precious grandchildren always in sight. It’s a beautiful thing we do…capture a memory for others to hold dear.

When our clients truly understand the importance of their images, selling the images will not be a problem. You have captured something that no one else can ever replace. You have captured that moment and that moment is what they will want to keep forever.

Early on in my photography career, I heard that children whose parents displayed their pictures in the home had more self confidence and better self esteem. My kids must feel pretty darn confident! Not many rooms in my house do you find a bare wall or shelf…there is always a picture. The laundry room has a bulletin board of snapshots, the bathrooms have gallery wrap canvas (or two). When you walk through my home, you know we live there…and we love each other there. It’s our home…a reflection of us…and our memories together.

 

 You can find Marsha at The Savvy Photographer blog or on Facebook and Twitter…or visit The Savvy Photographer Store.

I loved how she mentioned the importance of building up a childs self esteem through decorating your home with pictures of THEM!  I am quite passionate about that, and you can read all about how I feel about Decorating with Portraits HERE, and I’ve had 2 month long series with guest bloggers sharing how THEY decorate with portraits which you can view all 60+ room ideas HERE. If you missed the other days, click here for the rundown.

Don’t forget, if you love photography and want to learn more about your camera, enter the giveaway this week to win Say NO to Auto or Get Focused by clicking on the image below (or here).