Category

Family

Mar 30
Love1

Creating a Gallery Wall Part 1 | Choosing your Items | Chandler Photographer

By Family, Uncategorized

We’ve all seen the amazing and inspiring gallery walls on Pinterest.  It makes us want to find every frame in our house and hang it all….you know this would result in a terrible outcome.  So, we’re going to help you out, and give you a couple tips to choose items for a cohesive and beautiful gallery wall.  Just like Pinterest!

1. Pick a Theme

The easiest way to choose items for your gallery wall is to pick a theme.  This theme can be color related, such as all black and white photos and items.  Or it can be more specific – like all abstract art, or all wedding photos.

gallery wall from pinterest

This image is from Pinterest.  You can see how well the black and white images work with the other items.

 

2. Use the Same Frame

Sometimes, you may want to use lots of different portraits and snapshots.  They may be all color, all black and white, or a mixture.  To keep the wall from looking like a cluttered mess, choose all the same frame, or choose frames that are different, but all in one color.

gallery wall same frame

This image is from Pinterest, isn’t this wall so beautiful and simple?

 

3. Mix Decorative Items with Your Frames

If you’ve followed the above 2 steps, you can easily add items to your wall as long as they still fit your theme, or your color palette.

add items to your gallery wall

This Pinterest image is very eclectic with the use of natural elements and the wooden shelf.  The frames, items and images all have the same theme and color scheme.

Hopefully you found these tips useful for choosing your gallery wall images.  Stay tuned for Part 2 – How to Hang Your Gallery Wall.

 

Mar 23
Love0

Portrait Attire Inspired by Your Home Decor | Chandler Family Photographer

By Family

“What am I going to wear” is usually the first thing that anyone thinks when they are having a portrait session.  Today, we’re going to help you find the perfect outfits for your family, using the decor in your home.  I agree, it sounds silly to think you will be picking your shirt based on the couch you own.  Keep reading, and you will see why it will be successful.

Where Will You Hang Your Portrait?

Before we can discuss your clothing options, you need to decide where your family portrait will be hanging in your home.  Above your couch?  In the dining room?  In the den or study area?

Look for Common Color Schemes

We all have colors that we naturally gravitate to.  Take a look around the areas of your home that you might want to hang the portrait.  What colors do the areas have in common?  What colors are your walls?  Your furniture?  Your curtains?

wall grouping over sofa

Some people choose to keep their decor very neutral, but have decorative items that bring in pops of color.  In the example photo above the images they chose are black and white.  But what color would you wear if this was your living room?  An easy answer would be black.  The room has black in the pillows and the tables.  But the pop of color they use is dark teal.  Wouldn’t those portraits look breathtaking in this room if their outfits were dark teal and black?  Or dark teal and camel (the color of the rug)?

family portrait above bed

Do you have a bold colored wall where you are planning to hang your portrait?  If your wall is red, or eggplant or another bold color stick with neutral colors in your attire.  Of course, black or white always are going to look nice with anything, especially if you have black or dark wood furniture.  You could also wear browns, or creams if your furniture is lighter.

For more tips on choosing clothing colors for your outdoor portrait click here.

We can’t wait to see what you wear!

Mar 16
Love0

10 Tips to a Successful Session | Arizona Portrait Photographer

By Family, Seniors!

10 tips image

Everyone wants to look and feel their best during family portraits.  So, we created a short and useful guide with our top 10 tips to help make that happen.

Can you guess what topics we included?  Everything from your appearance to the walls of your home – it is all important to the success of your session.

So download them now by clicking here!

Make sure you also sign up for our newsletter to stay updated with the latest trends and promotions by clicking here.  When you sign up for the newsletter you will automatically receive our 10 tips!

 

Mar 02
Love0

Photo Size Comparison: 8×10 versus 32×48 | Chandler Portrait Studio

By Family

It is very common for someone to think that an 8×10 image is “big” or would make a good size for wall hanging.  But, when you think about it, an 8×10 is actually very small.

The size you decide to print your portraits is going to be relative to where you are going to put them.  A small side table would look silly with a 16×20 framed print sitting on it next to a lamp.  In this instance the 8×10 might be the perfect size.

For wall hanging portraits bigger is better.  Here’s a visual example to help you see the comparison.

8x10 versus 32x48

That looks pretty silly hanging above this queen sized bed.  An average queen size bed is 60 inches wide.  Your family portrait will look shrunken above large furniture as an 8×10.

8x10 versus 32x48

But a 32×48 looks great!  It covers most of the wall space, creating a feature point in the room.  For more tips on choosing the right sized wall portrait check out this post here.

family portrait above bed

 

Feb 23
Love0

Create Wall Groupings with Your Family Portrait Favorites | Chandler Photography Studio

By Family

Our carefully designed wall groupings are simply the best value you’ll find. What is a wall grouping?  That’s just what we call it, but basically it is a unique collection of three or more portraits, designed to enhance and compliment your decor. A perfect way to decorate a large wall over a sofa, fireplace or stairway.

wall grouping over sofa

We follow a few simple rules to create a cohesive wall grouping that has balance and coordinates with your home.

1. Choose Color or Black and White

Most of the time our wall portraits are chosen to be printed in color.  But, depending on the portrait, your personal taste, and the decor of your home, a black and white wall grouping might be your choice.  Generally, we’ll choose closer images of only one or two people, or details shots from your session as black and white images, those types of shots work really well in black and white, and add interest to your wall grouping.

2. Choose Poses that Compliment

In a wall grouping, you will probably find the display more appealing with a large family portrait in the middle and two smaller grouped shots, or individual shots of children, flanking the larger middle portrait.  If you had 3 or more large family shots hanging together, the wall grouping won’t be as dynamic.  So, we will take your favorite images from the session and make suggestions to create wall groupings that have impact.

3. Frame it in Style

Choosing your frames is always fun.  The right frame will compliment your decor and your portraits.  We have so many to choose from, and we’ll help you choose one you love!  You can also select a canvas wall grouping, forgoing the frame all-together.  This creates a look that is very modern, and clean.

 

Feb 16
Love0

Why a Leasure Portrait is Special | Chandler Photography Studio

By Family

In a sea of photographers, why choose Leasures? With Leasures you will have a wonderful experience from the first time you speak with us on the phone, until your portraits are in your hands.  We are a full-service portrait studio, and that is hard to find nowadays.

Our wonderful customer service is not the only reason to choose Leasures, there’s something very special about the printed wall portraits you will receive.

– Posing that is comfortable, relaxed, and natural looking

– Selective locations that create depth and dimension

– Professional lighting that illuminates the faces

– Hand finished retouching to create beautiful skin tones

-Creative artistic edges that enhance the portrait

 

what is a leasure portrait

Feb 09
Love0

The Best Height to Hang Your Family Portrait | Phoenix Family Photographer

By Family

Your family portrait is a treasure to be displayed.  If you have purchased a large wall portrait, odds are, you want to hang it in a prominent area of your home.

Once you’ve selected the blank wall, the next question will inevitably be: how high do I hang this?

rasmussen

57″ On Center

Have you ever strolled through a gallery or museum and admired the art?  Did you notice that each piece of art was a different size, but they all seemed to have a harmonious feel?  Do you know why?  It is most likely because the museum followed the 57″ on center rule.

It is a very simple, and easy to use tool when hanging art, family portraits and posters around your home.  Keep each piece 57″ on center.  Confused?  “On center” means the middle of the art piece.  Following this rule will keep the middle of your art always at 57″ and your home will have the harmonious feeling of a gallery or museum.

Why 57″? Interestingly, that height is the average eye-level for most people.  Of course, if you are hanging your art above a piece of furniture, you might need to adjust this height accordingly.

Interested in utilizing the 57″ On Center rule around your home?  Follow these instructions to help you through the process.

How to Hang 57″ On Center

– Measure from the floor and lightly mark 57″ on the wall

– Measure the height of your art piece and divide by 2 (giving you the center)

– Hold the wire tight, as if it were hanging, and measure the distance from the top of the frame to the top of the wire.

– Subtract the measurement of your tightened wire from the center measurement of your art piece.  This will give you the placement of your hook or nail.

– Lightly mark above the 57″ mark with the hook measurement

Example:

– Our wall portrait is 30″ tall so the center is 15″

– The hanging wire is 3″ from the top of the frame when held taught

– 15″ – 3″ = 12″

– Lightly mark 12″ above the initial 57″ mark

 

Good luck!

Click here for tips on choosing the appropriate size wall portrait for your home.

Feb 02
Love0

Selecting the Proper Size Wall Portrait | Arizona Portrait Photographer

By Family

When deciding what size portrait to hang in your home it can be easily overwhelming.  We’re going to help you select the appropriate size for your wall portrait with a few simple tips.

Wall Portrait for Arizona Charity

Choosing a large portrait to hang in your home, in a living area, dining room or foyer creates a focal point with dramatic impact.  You might considering hanging your portrait over your living room sofa, fireplace, desk or a bed.  For illustrative purposes we will use the sofa as our example.

Determine your viewing distance from the portrait.

For larger rooms, with a viewing distance of over 10 feet you will be choosing a larger sized portrait compared to a viewing distance of 8 feet or less.

Are your ceilings vaulted?

Vaulted ceilings create larger walls.  You will need to consider this when choosing your final size.  With a larger wall space your portrait will appear smaller than it is in reality.

Measure the width of your sofa (desk, bed, fireplace).

A general rule to follow:  Your wall portrait should be at least 50-75% as wide as the furniture it hangs above.

Our sofa measures 80 inches wide, the smallest width we would choose for our portrait would be 40 inches.

Let us show you how it will look.

A great way to make sure you are choosing the correct size is to allow us to show you, digitally during your viewing and ordering session.  Before you come back to the studio to view your images, take a quick photo of the wall you want to hang your portrait, and write down the measurements of your sofa.  During your appointment we will show you how different sized portraits will look in that space.

For more ideas on wall portraits take a look at our Family Brochure.

 

 

Jan 26
Love0

Choosing Clothing Colors For Outdoor Portraits | Arizona Family Photographer

By Family

After you’ve booked your portrait appointment, your first thought will be inevitably be “What should I wear?”.  If you are having your portraits taken outdoors there are a few key rules to follow to help you look your best.

Think of your surroundings:

If you know the outdoor location of your portraits, view samples of previous portraits taken at that location.  This will allow you to see the naturally occurring colors of your outdoor portrait location, and you will be able to choose your clothing colors accordingly.

Click here to view our outdoor family portrait gallery for samples of our favorite locations.

If the outdoor locations is very green, and lush, choose colors that are earthy or jewel toned.  Earth tones such as taupe, brown, beige, and gray are wonderful options.  Stay away from wearing green, in a green environment, you will blend in to your surroundings.  Darker colors like navy blue, chocolate brown, eggplant or mustard look great outdoors as well.

 

family portraits in the garden

 

Consider your personal style:

When choosing your outfits remember to keep to your personal style.  If you prefer wearing patterned clothing, do it!  If you tend to wear solid colors, go for it.  Remember to keep in mind the pallet of your home and where you will be hanging your finished portrait.  For more tips on utilizing your personal style, visit our post on creating a fashionable and cohesive outfit for the whole family here.

 

Wall Portrait for Arizona Charity

 

Keep it classic:

If in doubt, keep it classic.  Black and white are always in season, and always look great.  Have everyone wear black tops and jeans, but vary the style of tops.  Or mix it up with patterns and prints in black and white for everyone.  However your spin it, black and white will always be a great option.

 

IMG_0003_WALL

If you liked this post, check out our post: Family Portraits – What to Wear.