Why I Hope You’ll Print Your Family Photos (and put them where your children can see them)

How many times do your children ask to see the photo you JUST took with your cell phone?  

"I see? I see?" That is the chirping in my ear after every photo I take with my 22-month-old.  He loves seeing himself on the screen and having a clap and a laugh with the delight of the photos.

I've decided to take this joy and plant it in some tangible things ~ photo albums we can hold in our hands…

That's why I want you to print your photos. Not just the ones from our session together, all of them. The blurry ones, the silly ones, the ones where everyone is looking in a different direction. Print them and put them somewhere your kids can see them!

Photos on the wall tell your family's story

They anchor your children in their family lore.

We have photos on our walls that we look at all the time.  They are the stories of our children's lives.  They are the tools we use sometimes to calm our son down when he's losing his cool - he sees the photos, points to his sister or himself, and we tell him the story behind the photo.

We tell her all about the hours she spent painting and drawing in our front window. She asks to hear the stories of being lifted and thrown by Dad over and over again. She loves hearing how much she helped out when her new little brother arrived.

I can hear my son laughing when I see this image above.

This is who we are…in photos.

When your children point at photos on the wall or in a shoebox or in an album (I commend you if you get those albums done!), and ask to hear the stories, goodness, that is so powerful. I believe printed photos on the wall give us pause... they stop us for a moment to gaze into an experience or memory.  I love that. My goodness, anything to slow things down sometimes, eh?

This summer is the summer of photo albums at our house.  I'm on a mission to FINALLY get our photos into books and onto our table so our children can look at them.  I dream of us sitting together, looking at them for years to come, telling the same stories over and over again.

Imagine 30 years from now…

I dream of my family sitting together, looking at albums for years to come, telling the same stories over and over again. (Update: I wrote this originally when I had 2 kids; now we have 3, and we DO THIS!) - The prints are worth every single cent and the time it took to get them.

There’s magic in how the years have passed, and yet our printed photos remain. They are tucked into books as bookmarks, they are in boxes that get opened late at night when one of my kids is having trouble sleeping, they still work their magic - print your photos. Print your photos.

I won’t pretend I got all the albums done - I mean, this is real life. It gets busy. But the photos that are printed and hung on walls prove my point. And the albums I have gotten to are treasures here.

Real-life in our home. Family photos on the wall are often the source of so many conversations. (thank you Vanveit Photography for the ones in the big frames and Jenna Sparks for the one in the back of my now teen daughter as a baby)

How to actually get your photos printed - without the overwhelm.

Ok. I can’t guarantee there won't be overwhelm; family life is a whole ball game. But when we work together, I do help you choose images to print if you ask.

Some tips:

Pick three images from your family photo session. Order prints from a professional print lab - a professional lab produces colours that actually match what was captured, on paper that will last. I share a recommended lab with every client, so you're not left guessing.

Put them in simple frames. I use IKEA frames at my house because my kids throw stuff, and they are made with plexiglass. Put your images where your children will see them (and you, too!). Enjoy the magic.

Psst - we also use Command Strips to hang them (velcro) because they are more stable that way and they stay straight!

Psst again - I order specially sized mats through Canada Mats to get unique-sized mats to mix things up a little.

Also, you can cover up all the tape and wall marks with printed photos. (Photos by VanVeit Photography in the frames here)

This is WHY it matters, look at my son’s response of seeing his photo on the wall.

Family photos in the background of when they were all babies. Some are self-portraits and others were by our amazing friends who are also photographers: Jenna Sparks, Van Veit Photography and Painted Turtle Photography.

This little post is not just about professional family photography - print your cell phone photos too!

Oh my goodness, our phones are full of photos! Pick your favs and add them to an album! Hang them. The blurry ones are sometimes the best ones! Tell your children the stories! This is the magic of photography - all of it.

Originally published in 2016. Updated 2026.

Baby crime scene. Imagine the story behind this photo…I think we all have a photo like this. The layers…so many layers. The elastic on the cabinet - it’s all so relatable. Print the blurry family photos that tell a great story.

If you are ready for an outdoor family photography session in Ottawa where you’ll get photos worth printing, I’d love to work with you.