Sizing Your Portrait
Your professional family portrait captures an important period of time in your family’s life. It might be when you’ve finished having children but they’re still young, when the oldest is getting ready to leave home, or to celebrate the addition of grandchildren to your clan. It’s a dress up occasion, something to plan ahead for, and one you want to remember for many years to come.
Since you’re putting the effort into it, you’ll want to hang your portrait in your home where you can enjoy it daily and share it with your friends, family, and neighbors. But what size should you get?
The best size for your home depends on where you’ll display it. You can choose a single portrait to go above the fireplace or sofa. In that case the width should be about two-thirds the width of the furniture to look balanced and neither too large nor too small. The same applies to a grouping of smaller portraits with the whole group taking about two-thirds the horizontal space. If your sofa is 72” long then a 48” portrait will be about the right size. If your fireplace mantel is 48” wide then a 32” portrait would look great.
When I visit you in your home before creating your portrait I’ll photograph the space where you’re thinking of hanging your portrait. Then in your viewing and purchase session I will show your favorite from your session on your wall at various sizes so you can decide which one is right for you. I want you to have the right size, neither too large nor too small.
Another way to think about it is that your portrait shouldn’t be smaller than your TV screen. Which is more important, your family or your TV?