Question: All the photos of my family are on my phone, is there something I can do about that? 

Answer: YES. And you SHOULD. Printing your family photos, and photos of your life in general, is important – whether those photos are professionally taken, or not!!

Life is meant to be remembered

Back in the day, if you took a photo… to actually SEE it? You had to make it a physical thing in the real world. You took the film, processed and developed it, and then came away with a print that you could hang on your wall, or keep in your wallet, or frame for your bedside table. Now, obviously, things have changed, massively. We carry cameras around in our pockets, those cameras are getting better and better over time – and honestly they’re pretty powerful now, up to and including optical zoom and adjustable aperture, which was a wild pipe dream just a handful of years ago.

But one of the changes this has led to, is your photos don’t have to become real physical things you can hold in your hands, for you to enjoy them and remember the moment they were taken. At any time, you can open the camera roll on your phone, and scroll through the photos of your favorite people at your favorite moments. Even if you’ve had photos taken professionally by a photographer, THOSE can go into your camera roll too, and… you can just scroll. And I hope you do! I very much hope you scroll through those photos, because life is meant to be remembered.

Decorating your home doesn’t mean stock items from Ikea

But it’s not just about remembering. It’s about living among those photos – living among the memories. While our digital lives have gotten more and more detailed over the years, and more and more unique – the things that surround us in our homes? Well… they’ve gotten a little more… “stock”. The same Ikea shelves as your neighbors. The same Target blanket as your bestie. The same TikTok shop aesthetic kitchen gadgets as every other user in the country. And I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that – I do it too, trust me!! But there are ways to bring quirk into the scene, too!

Decorating your home isn’t supposed to be that level of cookie-cutter, though! Your home decor is supposed to include things that feel entirely unique to you, who you are, what you love – and ultimately? WHO you love. The people you care about should be ALL over your house!!

There are so many options for working photos into your home decor

Luckily for you, there are a bunch of ways to work photos into your home decor, whether you want to go a more classic, traditional route, or a more chaotic, quirky one!

1 – The standard: on your walls!

Of course this list wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t start with the most classic choice of them all: hanging photos on your walls. You’ve got framed prints, canvas prints, metallic prints – there are options now for every space from your kitchen to your bathroom. Archival ink options mean your images are UV resistant, waterproof surfaces mean you can hang artwork or photos in rooms that get humid. Why do I mention all this? Basically, there’s no real excuse for not having prints of your family in your house. Every possible problem is solvable – you’re a renter and can’t put holes in the walls to hang pictures? Well, might I offer you… damage-free picture-hanging strips? Yeah, it’s 2026, and those exist now, and I promise you that every possibly “I can’t, because…” has an answer now. So, all those excuses you’ve been making? With just a bit of problem solving, your household can have the most gorgeous gallery wall, that doesn’t break the budget, and is renter-friendly. Or, if you’re going for “a smattering of photos on individual walls,” then your job is even easier here!

And if you’ve worked with Jessica Strobel Photography for your most recent professional photo session, then you’ve got a bunch of printing options right in your online gallery, that make ordering prints a few simple clicks. Or… we can have a chat about it, because I offer custom in-house printing now, too!

2 – Another oldie but a goodie: on your shelves!

Walls aren’t the only classic location for photo prints in your home – if it’s a flat surface, it can have a photo on it. I don’t mean like… because you just laid a printed image there, but I guess technically that would count too? I more mean things like prints in standalone frames interspersed with books, luxury albums on your coffee table, and a glass box of polaroid style prints on your bedstand! There are so many options – it doesn’t matter what your style is, or whether the surface you’re outfitting is in a media wall, on your coffee table, or your kitchen countertop. You can order print options that will fit into any space, or get standing frames that match any decor!

And don’t get me started on your album options. Obviously, if you’re working with a professional photographer like me, you can order an album through them, and you’ll know that the quality is archival, and the pages will stand up to things like, for example, your kiddo’s sticky fingers flipping through photos of their younger selves. But working through your photographer isn’t the only option for having albums printed, there are even services that will use your phone’s camera roll to create an album from a specific period of time in your life! You’ve got SO many options, whether you’re working with someone like me to document your family, or not.

3 – Creative options are out there too, though!

Adorning your walls and shelves though, aren’t the only options when it comes to putting images of your favorite people in your home. And at the end of the day? The options are really only limited by how chaotic you’re willing to be. Like… are you “custom socks” chaotic? Or “full sized blanket of your daughters’ smiling faces” chaotic? What about “pillow covers for the livingroom couch” chaotic? You’re getting the picture here, right? The internet is wild and wonky, and there are cool handmakers who create all kinds of bonkers items with your photos, that will make you smile, or laugh, or remember the bestest moment whenever you walk past it.

So yeah, you could totally have that blanket from Target that your bestie has. But what if instead, you could have one that’s a tapestry of your favorite moments, aesthetically curated from the time your chosen professional starts taking them, to match your home decor perfectly? Maybe that’s not your cup of tea – but if it is, the world is your oyster!!

Want custom printed portraits of your family?

If you’re hoping to get a new photo session booked so you can start adorning your walls with images of your favorite people, look no further. I’d LOVE to set up a session for you, or just have a chat about your needs! Whether you’re hoping for images that will be gorgeous in an album, or images that will fit into an existing gallery wall in your home, I’m just always super happy whenever someone wants to live among their own memories. It’s always an honor to be part of making it happen!