Professional Photos

Question: have you decide how/where/when you're going to display your professional maternity photos and Jude's newborn photos?

When do you think will be the next time you get professional photos taken?

Answer:

I'll start with the second part first, since it's probably the easiest part. I'm thinking we will not get professional pictures of Jude again until he's a year old. If not for any other reason than he's almost 5 months now and I haven't displayed his newborn photos yet! I don't want to get too far behind! If I were a parent who very rarely took pictures on my own, I imagine I would do it more often. However, I'm constantly clicking away and personally like those candid, at-home moments so much more. As we begin to finish our home more, I'd love to begin framing candids and so don't want to feel like I wasted a bundle of money on professional pictures and HAVE to display them instead.

That being said, we were at BRU about a month ago and the lady from their portrait studio INSISTED that she just had to photograph such a beautiful baby (aka she was bored and was hoping to make a little extra money), so I let her. Of course the ploy worked and I bought some of the pictures, but again, they're still in the bag. It was nice however, to have them to pass out to grandparents and Uncle Bryan.

So, on with the first part of the question.. where/how/when to display.

At the time I got the photos taken, I had no real plan for them. I knew however, that if I didn't have them done, I'd regret it. So when ordering time came I was very intimidated. What pictures should I get? Should I really splurge and order a framed/mounted picture which would cost me a lot of money or just get some prints and frame them myself?

I opted for the second option - prints. I figured this was the best way for me to go. By framing them myself I could always change out the frame depending on room decor, etc. I could change mat sizes/colors to adjust the look and separate the images throughout the house or keep them all together. It just seemed most versatile. I know the photographer really pushed a trio of 10x10 photos that were mounted without a frame and even though I really liked the way they looked, it just felt a little too modern for my house and I would have felt obligated to keep them all together for fear of recreating the same look in three different rooms. Oh - and it was more than I was looking to spend!

I imagine when I finally get Jude's newborn photos up, they will be going in our front living room. I have a rough plan for I want the finished product of that room to look like and they will fit nicely in there. I have 2 - 8x10's (horizontal) and 1 - 11x14 (vertical) that I plan to put in a row with the 11x14 in the middle. I think it will look nice over the couch we will eventually have which will be on the wall opposite the bay window in that room. His newborn photos are something I'm sure I'll always treasure and feel confident that I won't feel the need to replace them with other images for quite some time. When/if #2 comes along, I'm sure I can give him/her equal newborn photo space somewhere else in the house.

Other places I've considered putting them: in Jude's room, in the main living room or in any of the hallways.

As for my maternity photos, I have no set idea where I want to put them. I THINK I got 3 - 8x10's (maybe only two, but I think it's three) that again I can put together or split up. One of them has a picture of Ryan and I, so I won't feel uncomfortable hanging it, but the other(s) are just of me... so I'm not sure how I'd feel about it/them being all on their own. So, I can imagine them going together. I've considered them being hung in our bedroom, the upstairs hall way, up the steps, or in the main hallway when you come in the door. The option that's most appealing to me is our bedroom. For some reason, it just seems most appropriate. If they going in there, they'll replace a full length mirror that is between Ryan and I's closet and would be stack on top of each other as opposed to being hung horizontally. I've also considered them going over my bed, but decided I'd rather have some sort of metal work or something there in stead.