Decorate with Photos - 2

As a follow up to my first post on decorating with photographs, I thought I would provide you with some useful resources frame resources for creating your own gallery display.

First off the all in one package: The Picture Wall Company Inc. They have frames, templates and all the supplies you need to hang an impressive photo gallery with no fuss, no muss. The impressive display wall below was created by combining four of their framing kits. This headache free experience does not come cheap, but the results may be worth it to some.


Below, is the mix and match solution from Michael's, your local craft store. I haven't tried this system, but it doesn't look as easy as the Picture Wall. However, what it does seem to offer is a little more customization. You pick a template, then match the frames you want to the template. My only concern with this, is the frame selection. If the only frames are these heavy black frames, it is a little limiting.


Aaron Brothers offers a wide selection of frames and all kinds of mats. They are a great resource, but somehow they haven't figured out that providing clients with hanging templates would be helpful to many... and might actually help them sell more off-the-shelf frames.


Pottery Barn offers a nice range of frames, though they do not offer a great selection of sizes, or mats since this is not their core business. The frames range from traditional to streamlined.


Last, but not least, do not underestimate Ikea, the Swedish discount furniture store. While their frame designs are basic, their pricing is very competitive and with a little creativity, you can use their frames to great effect. Check out this Riba frame display courtesy of decorpad.


So with a drill and level in hand, I hope this inspires you to set up your own photo gallery.

Decorate with Photos

Besides my love of photography, I have a passion love for interior design so I thought I would combine the two in this post to provide design inspiration on how to decorate with photographs.

After taking the time to take professional photographs, it's really a pity not to maximize the impact of the images, so here are a few ideas that can easily be replicated.

From private spaces...


to public spaces...

photos courtesy of decorpad, pottery barn and crate & barrel

...thoughtful arrangements in an eclectic mix, a themed grouping, or a series can work wonders in a room. Do take note though, that in most of these images, the photographs are not just framed, they have a mat and frame, giving each image some space to breathe.

WEBSITE: New Design and Functionality

HURRAY! THOMPSON and SPRING Photography's new website is up. It features a streamlined design, a tweaked logo/identity, but most importantly the the new website has two important new elements:

1) It has a Shopping Cart which allows you to pick and choose the photos you want, the dimensions, etc. It even allows you to pick from our great print packages which provides substantial savings. With the shopping cart you can pay via credit card using paypal, or send the order for payment to be sent offline. It isn't the most sophisticate online shopping cart you will find, but at least it's a shopping cart... meaning no more faxing or mailing of order forms.


2) It's completely HTML, which may be seen as both a good or not so good thing. The not so good, is that it doesn't have the fancy flash element that allowed you to have a slide show experience. With HTML you have to click on each image to view it, there's no pause/play button. On the positive side, an HTML site makes it more internet friendly. Easier to load and easier to search. So, if you are looking for a Los Angeles photographer, or a Los Angeles Maternity Photographer, or a Los Angeles Family Photographer, or are looking to purchase a photo session as a gift certificate for a friend's baby shower you are more likely to find THOMPSON and SPRING Photography.

In addition, the new design also features custom background colors. Not an important feature in my book, but it does make the site more vibrant.

Oh, and you may also have noticed that to keep the identity consistent this blog has a new header. I'd love to know what you think, so leave us your comments.

DAILY WIT

Like many out there, I love paper goods. In fact, as a young child, when asked what I wanted for my birthday I would invariably ask for "papeterie" the French word for paper goods and would fantasize about having a whole room in my house dedicated to my beloved papeterie.

I was looking around Etsy to find some cute, different and personalized note cards came across a great calendar design that I simply had to share. It's a spoof on the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster that has appeared in many design magazines, but it's a download-able template for a calendar, and every month has one witty statement. The design is by Little Brown Pen. Check it out, these would make great hostess gifts.

photos Little Brown Pen

THIS AIN'T PUB GRUB

photo Ben Anders for the New York Times

A couple of friends and I met for lunch at Gordon Ramsay's at the London Hotel West Hollywood. The decor was ultra chic and surprisingly feminine. I say surprisingly because if you know anything about Ramsay, it's that he has a foul mouth and is a bit rough around the edges, so the softness of the decor was definitely a surprise. Immediately upon arriving I was kicking myself that I hadn't brought my camera, so the photo above is not mine. But I reminded myself that this was really about spending quality time with friends, not about documenting every photogenic moment.

For the record, the food lived up to expectations, but as has been noted in some online reviews, this is a restaurant for foodies. Don't be fooled by the decor this is not a restaurant for scenesters, though there are plenty of the latter who frequent the bar. To really enjoy the restaurant you have to appreciate food and be willing to move out of your comfort zone. I for instance had black cod with pig's tail. I've never had pig's tail before, and one of my girlfriends had rabbit, which she told us she had never eaten before because as a child she had had a bunny named Bumbum. So, if you want a chic decor and haute cuisine it's worth adding to your list.

We're going to London in a few weeks and are likely to go to Ramsay's Maze Grill. For an ex-footbaler turned chef, the boy's done good, real good.

COLLAGE

So the other day I wanted to experiment and try to make a collage from multiple photos. I had seen this done by David Hockney with landscapes. Though David Hockney is probably better known for his swimming pool paintings, it is his photo collages that really made an impression on me. While experimenting I found that finding an interesting subject matter to photograph was not so simple. The subject matter had to be interesting not only from left to right, but also from top to bottom to add some vertical interest.

At the Brasserie Anisette in Santa Monica, I found just the right subject. I moved all around the restaurant taking pictures at every angle. I printed about 100 photos and ended up using about 12 photos for the collage, since it's a trial and error process to see which photos work well together even when taken from different angles. Don't worry, I'm going to re-purpose the prints I didn't use.

Check it out for yourselves. I'm quite pleased with my first attempt, but I wonder if portrait clients would be interested in this approach as an end product. Thoughts?

p.s. I should note that the food at the restaurant was really good. I had a delicious modern interpretation of a Pain Bagnat, which is just a fancy pants name for a niçoise salad sandwich.