HP said it best a couple of years ago…

“Mommas don’t let their babies grow up to be .jpegs…”

Making the investment to have portraits taken of your family, your loved ones and yourself is no doubt a commitment. And after you view your session, there tends to be an 800-pound gorilla in the room of what to do with those images that you’d like to turn into prints to proudly display in your home or give as gifts. Would it be better to purchase smaller prints in an album, which might sit on a shelf and collect dust? Or larger prints, professionally framed and displayed in a prominent place in your home?

Personally I’m a fan of GREAT.BIG.PHOTOS. 16×20 is the new 8×10, and the bigger, the better. I think of it like this fall’s statement necklace seen on the fashion runways—it’s the signature piece that gets a second look. But perhaps your session had ten, twenty, forty images that speak to you and beg to come to life on paper.

Lucky you, there are so many wonderful and DIY display options are on the market, and with a little creativity you can make any image or series of photographs from your session show your personality and individual style. Here’s a quick roundup of some of my recent favorites to use for displaying your favorite photographs ::

I saw this idea a while back, and thought it was incredibly clever, easy to do on a budget, and perfect for those who have decorating ADD (like me :: I can’t go six months without changing out or rearranging most of my decor…). Using these budget clipboards from a local office supply store, and hung with inspirations, photographs or favorite sentiments brings personality to your home. More photos here.

Photographer Laura Novak used a simple cable and clip system from Ikea to display her images. This would also be a great idea for showing off your holiday cards! (Photo via Design Aglow)

Ever-timeless Pottery Barn shows us a collage idea, similar to the salon gallery style of the late 19th Century. What makes these unique and personal is that the frames aren’t necessarily the same size and shape, that there are different textures used. However, using similar style and sizes of photographs—like all botanical and natural elements shown on the left, and more family-oriented images on the right—are a great way to display your images. Using a similar tone of photographs can bring unity to a display like this too. (i.e. All photographs in black-and-white, or all with an element of red in them, or all things that are nautical themed….it’s all up to you and your imagination!)

The Shutter Sisters had another great idea of using a window pane picked up at a flea market and backing the windows with photographs. Again, using similarly-themed images can make this an awesome part of your decor. And all that time I was perusing my favorite outdoor markets in Denver and didn’t know what to do with the awesome window panes I kept seeing everywhere…*sigh*

Here’s a definitely DIY idea for how to display prints in your home. Heritage Makers created an idea for photo blocks made from simple 2×4 construction, covered in photos to display. These are rather interesting due to their versatility and ability to create more than just an image—that you are creating a 3-d piece of art that can be displayed among your home. A great idea—and an awesome gift!

Last but definitely not least, I love using these to show clients what their images might look like in their home with different types of photographs and sizes in relationship to their surroundings. It helps you choose the best layout for your home with the images you love most.

Displaying your photographs all comes down to your personality and decor, but no matter how you display them—what’s important is that they’re visible for you to proudly display in your home for years to come.