What pictures hang on your wall?

[snegron]

I'm sure that there are many commercial photographers here, some full time, some part time (myself included) who shoot for a client in one way or another. Given an assignment (be it wedding, journalism, portraiture, still life, aireal, scientific, etc), we have a clear objective as far as what our images are supposed to look like. In other words, we are hired to produce an image for a client, an image that is for the most part a vision that the client had in mind when he or she hired us. They liked what they saw when they decided to hire us and expected similar results with their projects.

Other than my ever-changing portfolio, I rarely print anything for myself. I have two photographs hanging on the walls of my home; they are of my two daughters. Recently I began to think about the negatives and images I have and realized that 95% are of clients, 4% pictures of my kids, 1% of subjects I found intriguing.

Shooting for clients is good, it pays the bills, but what about those creative visions that existed in our minds when we began photography many years ago? I asked myself when was the last time I printed any images (not just the family pics) to hang on one of my own walls in my home? Yes, I keep an archive of my images, but I rarely print anything for personal display.

So, this lead me to yet another one of my crazy ideas and decided to start a new project. In my personal office I only have one picture frame. It is a black 16"x20" matted frame that holds an 11"x14" image. I have decided to shoot a new image every week and replace the 11"x14" image every week. I want to do this to keep my personal visions alive. Not to mention I think it's also a great challenge to produce one frameable image per week in black and white. Instead of just having thousands of wedding pictures to look at, I would like for my kids to look at my images some day and have a glimpse of how I viewed the world.

What pictures hang on your wall?

 

[Curt]

Stairway to the second floor are portraits of my son and and the three of us. In the living room I have four bw 8x10 photographs taken in the late '70s that I just put up. Two are plants, cactus and agave and one is a church door and the other is a stucco wall with a window opening in it. These are from the Southwest. I like to show some older work that I haven't seen in a while.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have two 24"x36" prints in my living room: the sun rising through the mist over one of the Finger Lakes with specular reflection of the sun; a reflection of a tree with ripples from an artisan well and raindrops with fall colored leaves spread over the surface.

In addition to oil paintings, in the rest of my place I have 11"x14"s and 12"x18s of my girls growing up, college graduation, available light photos of Washington DC, waterfalls and fall colors, Haleakala at sunrise, two row boats tied up under a tree, and many others. My problem is that I have to rotate the photos regularly because I want to save my wall space for more photos in the future.

Since I have not shown APUG any of my work [other than my avatar], I have included two photos.

Steve

 

[mikebarger]

I have one of Alex Hawley's prints and two Fred Picker prints in an upstairs guest bedroom.

Alex's print is the best of the trio.

Mike

 

[removed account4]

an ecclectic collection of personal work ( both abstract and documentary )
friends photographs, family photos,
"vintage" family photos (portraits from 40s, 30s, and pre ww1 )
an old framed maps of the 17th C pilgramage routes to san diego de compostela,
1950s tourist snapshots of paris,
and storebought chic

 

[roteague]

While I have some of my own prints, the ones I treasure the most are the ones given me by friends. On my wall, at the moment are prints from John Callow and John McCallum.

 

[Sjixxxy]

I have one photo hanging on my wall, and it is a photo taken out of the window that is opposite of that wall that the photo is hanging from.

http://www.kpraslowicz.com/photo/my-brick-heaven/ is what it looks like, and i'm sure I'll keep hanging ot on the wall of my next bedroom, which happens to have a stellar landscape view.

 

[PhotoHistorian]

Edward Weston
Brett Weston
Cole Weston
Kim Weston
Ansel Adams
Dick Garrod
Bob Kolbrener

 

[Ian Grant]

Like Photohistorian I have other peoples photos hanging on my wall.

3x John Blakemore
Fay Godwin
Peter Cattrell
Robert Doisneau
Jorge Gasteazoro

plus a few by lesser known photographers.

Ian

 

[Steve Roberts]

Four of my own shots hang on my walls and now I think about it they are as untypical of everything else I produce as you could get. Normally, my material is of industrial archaeology in some shape or form, but the framed wall photos are three of musicians (Acker Bilk, Katrina Leskanich and John Miller) and one of the view out of my bedroom window at 01.00 am late last year showing a flash of forked lightning over Roborough Down.

Perhaps it's because they're different to my usual output that I felt inclined to frame them.

Steve

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I've got "the wall of travel" on my staircase, showing photos I've taken in various places I've been over the years. Some of my male nudes hang in the house as well. I've got three photos by a photographer friend of mine from Australia, Garrie Maguire, a Jorge Gasteazoro, an anonymous 1850s Albumen print of the Doge's Palace in Venice, and several other prints from folks here and from other places waiting to be framed. I've also got some non-photographic art up - a 1920's print of Maxfield Parrish's "Daybreak", a vintage 1800's engraving of an Indonesian prince, a pencil sketch of the cathedral in Sienna, a scroll painting from the 1988 World Festival of Youth and Students a friend of mine brought me back from North Korea, and an 1827 (I think that's the correct date) chinese Imperial proclamation on yellow silk.

Oh, and then there's the lesbian rhinos in the basement laundry room. Did you know that rhinoceroses are extremely easy to breed in captivity, to the point that if not on birth control, and in gender-segregated housing, there would be an overpopulation problem in every zoo in the country that has them? As a result, they keep them gender segregated and they put the females on hormone treatments to suppress the heat cycle, so it doesn't get the neighboring males excited. The consequence of it is that when one of the females on hormone treatments goes into heat, she starts acting like a dominant male instead of her normal behavior, and so she mounts the other female rhinos.

 

[eddym]

Since my wife is a pastel artist, we sort of compete for the wall space in our home. "Sort of" because she is in charge of home decorating, and so she chooses which of my work to show. Presently I have 2 24x30 prints over our couch and an 11x14 in the hallway.
When I closed my studio last December, I brought home all the portrait "samples" that were on the walls and hung 3 of them in my darkroom; 2 11x14's and a 20x24.
We both have much more work to exhibit than we have wall space.

 

[jstraw]

Three photographs by me.
One photograph by a friend.
One painting by my brother.
One painting and two woodcuts by another friend.
Four screen prints by another friend.
A navajo rug purchased on our honeymoon.
A platinum, pinhole photograph that was a wedding present.
A framed poster of Matisse's 1001 Nights.

 

[Roger Hicks]

In the séjour alone, 18 of my wife's photographs, 20 of mine (some are collaborations), 7 by other photographers (including Chris Nisperos and a 20x24 inch Polaroid portrait of my wife and myself), four non-photographic artworks. In the hall, two of hers, three of mine, one by another photographer (a portrait of her mother and aunt aged about 12 and 7, seven other pieces of non-photographic artwork. We hang pictures the way the Victorians used to -- thickly!

Cheers,

R.

 

[David Brown]

Since my wife is a pastel artist, we sort of compete for the wall space in our home. "Sort of" because she is in charge of home decorating, and so she chooses which of my work to show. ... We both have much more work to exhibit than we have wall space.

My wife is an illustrator, but she would rather hang my photos or anyone else's work in any media than her own stuff. We have all of her serious paintings and drawings in storage.

Presently framing and re-hanging, if you will. Prints by me, but also by Les McLean, Matt Magruder, Lee Carmichael, and trying to acquire some others.

 

[Lee Shively]

Both at home and at my office I have only my own photos displayed. They are rotated with new photos when I get a chance to print. Subject matter varies. Most of them are printed on 11x14 inch paper and matted/framed to 16x20 inches.

 

[reellis67]

A good number of my own shots, all from places that we've traveled at some point, three paintings, and a hand-pulled print from an etching.

- Randy

 

[Mark Sawyer]

Within my home resides "The Center for Contemplative Photography", a small, private one-room gallery with a porcelain seat. Ansel Adams and I have an ongoing two-person show there, which I have the opportunity to visit several times a day...

 

[roteague]

In the séjour alone, 18 of my wife's photographs, 20 of mine (some are collaborations), 7 by other photographers (including Chris Nisperos and a 20x24 inch Polaroid portrait of my wife and myself), four non-photographic artworks. In the hall, two of hers, three of mine, one by another photographer (a portrait of her mother and aunt aged about 12 and 7, seven other pieces of non-photographic artwork. We hang pictures the way the Victorians used to -- thickly!

Cheers,

R.

I think I see a ghost in front of the fireplace.

 

[Tom Stanworth]

My own prints are cheaper than other people's! I have moved into a new house that has a large amount of wall (compared to what I am used to!) because of the design of the house. As I have rented before and been reluctant to bang hooks in everywhere and had young kids that liked throwing picture wrecking toys about, this is the first time I have had my own prints on my own wall! They are in the homes of relatives and those who have bought them, but never my own. I cannot describe the pleasure of hanging 7 framed images in one room (the first one we had managed to clear of the house moving clutter). I am going to loosely theme rooms, taking into account the ambience. Here's what I am going to do (My missus has not objected)

Front spare room (Heavy serious images that might not work in more relaxed space...most angry images of N. Wales fall into this category). This will be a quiet (get away from kids) room as it is downstairs away from main rooms and living space (weird house design). Its where the 7 hang now.

Living room (Lighter, airier images printed big to reduce the business of lots of small images). Use of tone to prevent the room becoming too monochromatic.

Up stairs and upstairs landing (100% family). This is the greatest amount of wall space.

Dining room - Thinky images. Afghanistan for now (well when I print them that is). Would like to be able to rotate images so will go for std frame sizes and rotate portfolio images as I print them.

Bedroom - Not figured it out yet. Probably Family images too, assuming we put some photos rather than other work up.

When the house move has ceased bleeding us, I will start looking at buying prints and possibly doing some exchanges with APUG members (assuming anyone wants any of mine!).

Planning incessently gets me thru 3 months of work overseas before holidays. I do my own framing so its quite fun to think thru to the final framed image and visualise it on the wall. I dont know how I will find the time as I have about 30 images to print and frame and my darkroom is far from properly set up. Can't wait to make s start on new images after 18+ months without printing properly!

 

[Craig]

I've got one by Nick Morant of The Canadian on Stoney Creek bridge, and two of John Callow's London series, plus 3 of my own 11x14"'s

 

[DWThomas]

We have watercolors by me and many photos by myself, as well as a few photos by my wife*, along with some assorted family heirloom photos and paintings. Most of the photos are scenery from various travels over the years. We're actually running a bit short on wall space, I think I need to equip myself with some frames with snap-in backs to facilitate a rotating gallery!

*My wife has done somw quite nice photos, she has the eye for it but seems to have lapsed into "let Dave do it" the last few years. Maybe when she retires, she'll rejoin the ranks.

DaveT

 

[Daniel_OB]

All around my house are my photographs, a lot of them, framed without glass. Difficult to choose for I like all of them equally. All my phortographs requires and triger thinking, they are not neutral recording. If you go to my site and look at section "Canada" or "Nature and Man" you will not find one that you like more than any other. When I get flat and time to look them they get me to some other world and I like even to touch them. Actually it is why I am photographer.

www.Leica-R.com

 

[rorye]

Snegron, I love the idea of shooting and framing a new image weekly. It is easy for me to fall into that work only mode, and making a conscious effort to produce for yourself is important.
On that note some of my favourite framed images at home have been from APUG print exchanges. Lots of talented folks here!

 

[Les McLean]

For many years I have collected photographs and various art works in oil and water colour, these mainly from artist friends. Consequently I have more pictures than I can show at any one time.

Currently I have:-
10 x John Blakemore
2 x Richard Newman
4 x David Williams
Bruce Barnbaum
Ion Zapuzi
Tom MacKie
Calum Colvin
Lee Carmichael
2 of my own