What to Do With Photos When You Hate the Idea of Your Giant Face on the Wall

CassB
Jun 22
3 min read

I want you to picture a quick scene. You walk into your living room, sit down with a cup of coffee, and look up. There, staring right back at you, is a four-foot-tall canvas of your own face. Your eyes are locked with your own eyes. It is huge. It is loud. And if you are anything like me, it makes your introverted skin crawl.

For camera-shy people, the absolute last thing we want is to feel like we live in a museum dedicated to ourselves. It feels vain. It feels awkward. But does that mean your favorite memories should just sit on a hard drive forever? Absolutely not. You deserve to have your history in your hands, you just need a different way to show it.

Lustre Prints matted and framed for a set of three candid engagement photos

Let the Adirondack landscape do the heavy lifting

You do not need a tight, zoomed-in portrait to have a beautiful photo. One of my favorite tricks is to print photos where you and your favorite people are actually quite small in the frame. I love taking wide shots out in the woods or by Lake Champlain.

Think of a photo where you are walking along a trail in Lake Placid, surrounded by massive, dark green pines. You are in the photo, but you are a small part of a big, gorgeous landscape. When you hang a print like that on the wall, it looks like art first. It only looks like a family photo when someone walks up close to examine it. It is a quiet way to keep your memories close.

Look at each other instead of the camera

The main reason giant wall portraits feel weird is the direct eye contact. When you are staring out of the frame at the viewer, it feels like a performance.

Instead, look for the micro-moments. A photo of you looking down at your kid while they giggle. A photo of you and your partner laughing together, looking at each other. There is no eye contact with the camera. It feels like a candid memory that was quietly caught, not a stage play. These are much softer on the eyes when you print them on a big canvas.

Linen table albums keep things private

If you do not want your face on the walls at all, put your photos on the table. A beautiful linen album is one of the best ways to keep your legacy alive. It sits quietly on your coffee table or bookshelf. It is private. You only look at it when you want to sit down and flip through the pages.

I design these albums for my clients because I know how painful it is to try and layout pages yourself. I handle the spacing, the story flow, and the binding. You get up to three rounds of changes to make sure it is exactly right. It is a heavy, beautiful book that your grandkids will hold one day, and it does not scream for attention on your wall.

Leather signature photo album page and ribbon view cutout

Small print groupings tell a bigger story

Instead of one giant print, think about a wall gallery made of three or four smaller frames. A collection of 5x7 or 8x10 prints feels much more approachable.

You can have one photo of the whole group, one close-up of a tiny hand holding yours, and one of the quiet Adirondack trees. It tells a story. It invites people to step closer and look, rather than blasting them with a giant image from across the room. I can help you design these wall layouts so they fit your specific wall space perfectly.

The magic of an engraved Heirloom Box

If you like to change your mind, a print box is a savior. My engraved leather Heirloom Box holds about 25 loose, heavy-duty prints.

You can keep the box on your shelf. Every few weeks, you can pull out a different photo and place it on a tiny wooden easel on your desk or mantel. It keeps your photos small, touchable, and fresh. You get to enjoy all of them, one quiet moment at a time, without ever feeling like your living room is staring back at you.