Food For Thought ....

After being in business a little over a year and getting a feel for what people like and what they tend to buy, I've come to some conclusions. I realize that almost everyone wants all, or almost all of their images! And in an effort to purchase all, or almost all, of their images they are limited to buying very small prints, usually 4x6s. This makes me sad.

Believe me when I say I completely understand! I remember when my first born was a tiny baby and I would take dozens of photos of her in the same position. Then I would send these all to my mom (who lived in another state). She would say "Are these all the same???", to which I'd reply "NO! She has a different expression in each one!" Well let me tell you, looking back now, they were basically all the same!

I've learned something over the years. Out of a batch of photos I generally have 2-3 images which are my favorites. And alot of the ones that I thought I just had to have, I actually don't really like now!



I'm like alot of you. I line all my tabletops and, yes, even my walls with framed prints. The largest being an 8x10. They are taking over my house! And the ones that don't make it into frames, well, they just live in a cardboard box. But then last year I splurged and bought my first large print, a 24x30 gallery wrap! It was an image of my three kids to hang over my fireplace. I LOVED IT! It was so ... WOW! So, WOW, in fact, that when my Dad and Stepmom came to vist last fall they stole it and took it home with them, leaving a blank space over my fireplace once again. So, of course, I had to purchase a new one. This time I filled that space with a framed gallery wrap, even bigger this time ... a whopping 24x36! This new image is of all 5 of us and it looks fantastic up there. The bigger size was even better ... a better fit. Now when I look back at the wall over my couch which has a large collection of small frames, mostly 5x7s and 8x10s, it looks cluttered. So, I've come to a conclusion. I am going to spend this year redoing some of my all time favorite images of my family ... BIG! Now they may not all be 24x36! But there will be nothing smaller than a 16x20. I can't tell you how much more enjoyable a photo is when you can see it across a room. It just draws you in and fills you with emotion. Something a tiny little print just can't do.

So what about all the images that you just can't say no to? I've decided to offer a proof book. This will be a small 4x6 spiral bound book containing 15 of your favorite proofs. These will be offered at a very economical price (that I will be posting soon) so that you will have some money leftover to purchase yourself some wall art, if you so choose! Trust me, once you try it, you'll never go back!

The images above are a few of my faves from 2008 that I played around with this morning. I added some Venetian paper mats and frames so that they can be popped right into a wall frame and really make a beautiful piece of art! All three are sized to 16x20. I'm going to play around with several more of my faves over the next couple of weeks and see what other creations I can come up with. I've decided to do up a couple of these for each photo gallery for 2009. They will be in a section called S. Keys' Originals. If you have a photo from a past session that you'd like to see turned into an S. Keys' Original, just send me an email and let me know which photo you'd like to see. No purchase necessary. Because these pieces are meant to be art for your walls, I will design no images smaller than a 16x20. If you'd like to see something larger, then by all means, say so! Email: skeysphoto@yahoo.com

These pieces will be beautiful framed or as gallery wraps, where the image is printed on a fine art canvas and wrapped around the sides of the frame. Gallery wraps require no framing and have a clean, modern look.

As I add to my new collection at home, I will photograph the different styles for everyone to see. Also, you will be welcome to come to my home and see them in person, so you can get a feel for size, style and just what a large print looks like in a home setting. Course, I've got a long way to go! But I'll get there! I ordered my first one today. A large print of my youngest daughter and our beloved 15 1/2 year old dog, Elliott, from two years ago. It's always been one of my absolute fave pics. It will hang in our dining room. I can't wait to get it!

Please feel free to comment on these ideas. I'm always interested to hear what ya'll think or what you'd like to see!