To frame or not to frame.

Every now and again I watch The Nate Berkus Show while Cailean naps. One episode in particular had some excellent advice about taking photographs and displaying them.

You see, all of us have cheesy family photos. You know the ones I'm talking about. Those dreadful pictures in which you wear matching outfits, pose in a perfect little row, and smile at the camera with big, toothy grins. For instance...

Don't get me wrong...I love this picture.

However, it doesn't really stir up those deep emotions that make me wish I was back in time. I remember taking it, but there's not a huge connection because it was, well, staged.

So I decided to put Nate's advice to the test. I purchased a lovely cross wall frame from Hobby Lobby, and I kept the Nate Show in mind when I was choosing pictures for it. After some deliberation, I chose photos that really made me smile, even if the picture was a bit crummy, blurred, or cropped.

Here are the four I settled on:
And while they may not be the perfectly-posed family photos we all dream about, they are special because I remember the moment I took each one of them. In fact, I can almost feel the exact emotion I was feeling at the time. So special, warm, and fuzzy...ah.

So the next time you're framing a photo, take a step back and think about what you want to feel when you peer through the glass. You'd be surprised how it will change your perspective.

Happy framing!