Display My Portrait in Sunlight?

We recently delivered this incredible Family Portrait to Heather.

After she got it home, she sent me this email:  "I noticed that our wall portrait is getting a lot of direct sunlight throughout the afternoon.  Will it be okay"

I did some research, and sent her this message:

The short answer, I'd move it if you can.  I know you had a special place for it, so it might not be practical, but here's the scoop.

It's interesting that the "light" that makes photography possible is also photography's worst enemy.
When you display your portrait under direct sunlight, it is much more light per minute than ordinary room light. Sunshine is about 16 times more intense than open shade. Of course, normal room light is even less than shade. When I go in our living room with the shades open, the sunlight measures 256 time more intense than that.

Display it in sunlight if you want. It will likely look beautiful. But it could noticeably fade in a matter of months rather than years. Under normal room light only, it will fade, but much less noticeable and it will take many many years to get there.
It is for this reason, that the certificate on the back of your print says "NEVER display your print in direct sunlight, even for a few minutes per day". Those few minutes per day add up to a year's worth of fading in only a couple weeks.

Now, on the other hand, these modern photographic papers are more stable than they EVER have been.
They resist fading like no other time in history. The paper your portrait is on claims that it is resistant to significant fading for 100 years under normal room light. Of course, direct sunlight is not normal room light. In addition, your print is coated with a UV protectant lacquer. That coating resists the harmful UV rays.

As your photographer, we've done everything we can to make sure the portrait lasts a long time.
Hope this information helps.

Very interesting!
Tell us YOUR portrait story. Comment below or send us an email.

Website

craig@craig-schmidt.com

Comments

[Heather Bullinger]

Thanks for the wonderful information Craig. We love our portrait and want it to last so our children's children can someday enjoy it! I plan to keep it hanging where it is, but keep my curtain closed during the time when it would get the direct sunlight. Once again, thank you for capturing this everlasting moment in our lives - you truly are superior at what you do!

[Scott Wild]

What an awesome photo and incredible information! I had no idea sunlight could BBQ your portrait so fast. Thanks Craig.