Author: Louise Dickens | 17th November 2017
We LOVE photo gallery walls here at Fujifilm. And whenever we spot one, we add it to our Photo Gallery Inspiration Pinterest board.
A beautiful wall gallery makes a great feature in any home – but they are not something that can be made on a whim! However, with a little bit of planning, you can create the perfect display for your home.
Follow these 5 steps to get started.
- Choose Your Wall
It’s important to know how much space you’ve got to work with, so you can start visualizing your gallery from the very beginning.
Think about which room your photo gallery will be in, and who will be viewing your photos.
You don’t have to use a huge, empty space for your gallery. Think about the corners and spaces in your home that are often overlooked, as these can make great places to display photos.
2. Choose Your Theme
Although not necessary, the best-looking photo galleries always utilize a theme. This helps to tell a story and bring your photos together. There are a number of ‘themes’ you could go for, for example:
- Colour – all photos that include a particular colour
- Travel – photos from your favourite family holidays
- Milestones – the first day of school, graduation, wedding, etc.
- Frames – identical frames make for a more sophisticated look. Alternatively, you can use mixed frames in a similar finish for a more informal feel.
However. this is really down to personal preference. Pinterest is always a great place for inspiration if you’re struggling for ideas.
3. Choose Your Photos
Now it’s time to pick your photos! You no doubt have lots of images on your computer and/or smartphone. If you haven’t printed them out yet, think about the quality/file size of the photo, and how large you can realistically go – especially when it comes to printing your smartphone photos.
But it’s not just about the size, it’s also about the medium. Do you want standard photo prints in frames? Or do you want to add some canvas prints into the mix as well?
Canvas prints will add texture and depth to your photo display and are particularly good for showcasing ‘hero’ shots.
You may discover that you don’t have the photos that you want. If this is the case, consider having your own family photo shoot. This could be done by a professional photographer, but it doesn’t have to be. If you have a decent camera of your own you can have your own impromptu family shoot in the garden or park.
Once you have your photos framed and ready, you can move on to the next step.
4. Plan Your Arrangement
Now that you have your photos at the ready, you can start planning your arrangement. This is vital because there’s nothing worse than spending an hour hanging up all your photos haphazardly – only to realize it looks awful!
One way to plan your design is to measure the space you’re working with, and tape off the same size on your floor. Then you can start placing your frames and prints in different arrangements to see what works best.
Here’s a couple of templates you can use:
If you don’t have enough floor space, another method is use paper the same size as your photos and prints, and use masking tape to plan your arrangement directly on the wall.
5. Add Non-Photographic Elements
Add more visual interest to your gallery by throwing some non-photographic elements in the mix. This could be a printed quote, a wall transfer etc.
This can help to bring meaning to your gallery by telling more about the story or theme of your photos.
Now step back and admire your beautiful photo wall! (That planning was worth it, right?!) Share your photo displays with us on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #myfujiprints – we’d love to see them 🙂