How Do I Display My Family’s Professional Photo Prints? A Guide
TLDR/Quick Answer: Professional photo prints are important because your memories deserve more than a digital folder. This guide breaks down your best display options — framed prints, custom photo boxes, heirloom albums, and canvas — so you can choose what actually fits your home and your family.
I’ve heard it too many times, “Where do we make professional photo prints?” Most photographers won’t hesitate to name the reasons why it’s important to take family photos together. But when it comes to printing those memories - not every photographer helps their client close the loop.
I know about this missing step from personal experience, both as the mom in front of the lens and the professional holding the camera. When I first started my business, I thought simply delivering digital images was the best way to serve my clients. That mindset shifted drastically after I became a parent.
After my first child was born, I realized just how much time and effort keeping a tiny human alive took. And even worse, I noticed how much real estate space in my brain was taken up just by trying to do mom math - hours between meals, nap schedules, and when I needed to purchase the next size up of clothing. Parents are busy - and a photographer helping parents get memories printed is exactly that: help where it is needed.
Why is it important to display professional photo prints for your family?
A couple years ago, I heard a story that forever changed how I viewed delivering photos to families. It was from a fellow photographer who had a child say to them, “I don’t know why we take these pictures. We never see them.” All the photos that family took were just tucked away in digital nowhere, and the kids felt like they didn’t get to enjoy the memories.
This broke my heart, and was a huge factor in shifting my business model from a digital images only model to a print credit model. Now when families work with me, they have the framework to order professional photo prints worked right into their gallery delivery.
There’s real research behind why this matters: viewing meaningful photos can help kids with a positive attitude, sense of identity, and grounding during times of stress. And don’t let tech mishaps steal your memories - check out 5 reasons to print family photos.
After implementing the print credit to my business, I had a family with a newborn go through the entire process. Most of the session process was the same, except when their edited gallery was delivered - so was a print credit for the shop attached to their gallery. Before the baby was three months old, this family was able to print and frame treasured memories with their newest little one.
“The photos came so quick and are a great quality. The whole print credit process was so smooth. It was incredibly easy and there were good reminders about the credit sprinkled throughout the gallery. Thank you!” - Sara
Are you a parent that would like support through the entire process for family portraits? I’d love to guide your experience, from planning the details to ensuring your memories get into your hands.
Should I display framed photo prints in my home?
Framed photo prints are a more traditional way to display photos within a home. This option is popular for a reason - prints allow a lot of customization in the process. With framed photo prints, you can choose a size for your photo that best fits your needs.
Photo size guide:
4×6, 5x7, 8x10 inches - best for frames sitting on a surface, like a shelf or dresser
11x14, 16x20 inches - best for frames hanging on a large wall space
I do not recommend going larger than 16x20 for a framed photo print, as anything larger will usually come with plexiglass instead of glass as the covering for the photo. Plexiglass will not do your professional photo prints justice.
If you like the idea of hanging prints in your home, but don't want frames, there are other options available. Using a magnetized frame without a covering can give a more cozy yet modern look to displaying professional photo prints. I have some hanger frames in my own home. It should be noted that sometimes the magnetic spots can leave small dents of a print, so be absolutely sure of your choice to use them.
If you need help deciding what type of paper surface to choose (hint: there’s more than just glossy available), take a peek at my fine art vs. deep matte comparison.
Should I create a custom photo box with our family photos?
A custom photo box is a luxury box usually made of wood, linen, or sometimes even glass that is a keepsake item. These boxes are designed to hold photos from a single photography session, or sometimes can be used to hold favorites across a group of sessions (like a baby plan). They are meant to be sturdy as well as beautiful, for their purpose is to be kept within reach so that people can look through the photos frequently.
Families who choose custom photo boxes often keep one on a coffee table, a bookshelf in the main living space, or as a bedside treasure in a master bedroom. I personally have not created a custom photo box with my family’s photo prints, but that is more because of my kids tendency to relocate items in our home than anything else.
Though I don’t keep a photo box in my own home (my kids are little tornadoes), they make excellent gifts for family members who want to keep memories handy. Grandparents especially love having a quality box to display on coffee tables or living room side tables - which makes viewing cherished memories easy for them.
Should I make an heirloom photo album from our photography session?
If there’s one item I would encourage every single family to create with their professional photo prints, it would be an heirloom album. Albums are easy to store on bookshelves or display on coffee tables. They’re also easily the most accessible - and resilient - option of this list to share memories with your children.
Prints can be crushed or damaged over time. Canvases might end up stored in an old attic to make room for something new. But a quality album? It is easy to keep at hand, let your children flip through without worrying they will damage it, and hand it down to future generations.
Note that I am specifying ‘heirloom album’ here, as not all options are created equally. There are many consumer-facing printing options available for photo books (like Shutterfly, Chatbooks, or Snapfish) - but their quality is not the same as a pro lab. Speaking as a photographer, please don’t use any of the cheap consumer options for your professional photo prints.
Heirloom albums are designed by pro printing labs to be durable for years to come. They have thick bindings and the photos are printed on layflat board (thicker than regular paper or loose prints). Covers for these albums usually come in materials like linen, leather, or velvet that are selected for their sturdiness.
I’m going to be quite blunt here: canvases are my least favorite form of displaying your family’s professional photos. Now, before any photographers get angry with me… here’s the reason why.
My husband was active duty military for the first eight years of our marriage - and during that time, we moved across the country and overseas. For each duty station, we had remarkably different living spaces. Displaying canvas photo prints would not have worked for us - because our home kept changing.
Canvas prints are meant to be big - and they’re meant to be permanent art installations that you carefully select for your home. If you live in a home that you’re planning to stay in for a long time and you’ve got large, open spaces you want to dedicate to canvas prints - then it could be a good option for you.
However, if you live in a small home or might need to move in the next few years, I recommend holding off on a canvas print and look at the other options in this list instead. A classic combination that works for almost any home or family is having some professional photo prints that can be slipped into a frame, plus an album of favorite photos from a photography session. (And that’s the same exact advice I would give to a close friend.)
At the end of the day, the 'best' way to display your photos isn't about trends — it's about which option actually gets seen, touched, and lived with in your home. Though I’ve attached the print credit right to clients galleries for ease, I’m still around every step of the way to answer questions. If you’re not sure which type of print would serve your family well, I’ve got time to think it through with you.
If you’re reading this before you’ve ever booked a session and don't have professional photos yet, here's where that starts. I’d love to chat with you about your family’s story - and how to preserve it in meaningful photos.
Commonly asked questions about professional photo prints:
Why is it important to display professional photo prints instead of just keeping digital images?
It's easy to think digital delivery is enough — until those photos end up tucked away in digital nowhere, never actually seen. Displaying professional photo prints turns them into something your family can hold, hang, and enjoy every day, not just files sitting in a folder.
Should I choose framed prints, an album, or a custom photo box?
It depends on your space and how you want to interact with your photos. Framed prints work well for shelves or walls, custom photo boxes make a beautiful coffee-table keepsake, and heirloom albums are the most accessible option — durable enough for kids to flip through and pass down for generations.
Are canvas prints a good choice for displaying my photos?
Canvas prints can be a great option if you're in a home you plan to stay in long-term with large wall space to dedicate to them. If you're in a smaller space or might move in the next few years, a classic combination of framed prints plus an album tends to work better for almost any family.
Hi, I’m Elise.
I’m a Bend, Oregon photographer also serving Redmond, Sisters, and Sunriver. Mom to two busy boys, I’m committed to helping families capture precious memories and ensure those moments live on through heirloom photo art.