The Art of Photography: A Guide to Effective Display and Framing

If you're planning to showcase your photographs, it's essential to consider how they will be displayed. People are not coming to look at a frame; they're coming to see your work. This means that whatever you end up doing with your prints is the most important thing. A double mat can be a nice option, as it creates a stair-stepping effect where one mat is slightly smaller than the other. However, this style may not be suitable for all images and frames.

Single mats are often preferred because they provide a clean and elegant look, especially when paired with a small frame. This approach allows the viewer to focus on the image itself rather than the framing. For example, a photogram like a cork screw can benefit from a simple and understated display. The artist's personal taste plays a significant role in determining the best framing style for their work.

When it comes to choosing frames, there are many options available. Some artists prefer more elaborate or expensive frames, while others opt for simpler designs. However, it's essential to remember that the frame should not draw attention away from the image itself. Canvas wraps, which involve printing and mounting the photo directly onto a canvas, can be overly commercial and may detract from the photograph's quality.

Metallic prints, on the other hand, offer a unique and modern look. These prints are printed on aluminum sheets and do not require framing in the traditional sense. However, they do present some technical challenges when it comes to mounting them on a wall. Ultimately, the key to effective framing is simplicity.

When selecting frames, it's crucial to stay conservative and avoid overly elaborate designs. This allows the viewer to focus on the image itself rather than getting distracted by the frame. Visiting galleries and museums can be an excellent way to get inspiration for your own work. These institutions often have a keen eye for what makes a photograph effective, and their displays can provide valuable insights into framing styles.

To further develop your skills, consider visiting local exhibitions or taking a class on photography display techniques. Experimenting with different framing styles and techniques can help you develop your own unique voice and approach to displaying your work. By staying focused on the image itself and avoiding overly elaborate designs, you can create an effective and engaging display that showcases your photographs in the best possible light.

For more resources and inspiration, be sure to check out The U Broadcast Podcast at u broadcast.com. We appreciate your feedback and comments on iTunes, which help us refine our content and reach a wider audience. By following these tips and staying true to your artistic vision, you can create stunning displays that showcase your photography in the best possible way.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enjoin us now on Flickr at flickr.com groups artof photography hey everybody welcome back once again to another episode of The Art of Photography my name is Ted Forbes and I'm your host and today what we're going to do is wrap up a lot of the framing stuff we've been talking about if you've been watching the last couple episodes we've talked a lot about Framing and presentation and we haven't really totally gone into it but uh you know I just want to give you guys some ideas of things you can do uh you know under a budget things like that obviously you go to a real framer and pay a bunch of money and get a very nice result um but like I said last time the problem with that is when you have a bunch of frames to do and sometimes it's just kind of cost prohibitive um however I wanted to share some ideas with you and I kind of want to summarize it this a little bit shorter episode today but I wanted to summarize a lot of these things we've been talking about I've had people send me email questions and I apologize uh the holidays are upon us and I haven't totally had time to uh keep caught up with that uh but I do want to address them in this podcast uh people have asked me things like can I go over printer profiles for injet printers and we totally planned to do that I just did not want to confuse the issue with Framing and presentation with that that'll be some separate episodes that we're going to get to um and then I had some other people email me some um some questions about you know could have talked more about you know what's the what's the best way to go uh you know just a single mat how I do a double mat what about metallic print or canvas wraps things like that and really um I think it's a little a little bit beyond the scope of what we're doing here to kind of go deep into those things and the reason I say that is because it comes down to personal opinion and personal taste but I do want to offer you some parting words of wisdom on this subject um and that is and this is one of the prints that we made last time and I'll use this as an example um a frame is a frame and what you don't want to do is have that get away get in the way of your photography and that is the most important thing it needs to be simple and it really needs to be transparent if it's going to be effective because people are not coming to look at a frame they're coming to see your work and that's really important so whatever you end up doing with your prints I think that's the most important thing to take away um I mentioned a double mat a minute ago we just did single mats last time where I take a single mat a double mat is basically you have two mats and one is slightly smaller window than the the larger so you kind of see a little stair stepping effect that goes down um and you know I think that if you have a large enough frame simple enough image and it calls for that um I've done it before and I think it's a really nice elegant look to it uh but again it's all Personal Taste um this one we just went with a single probably cuz it's you know the frame is kind of you know small in comparison with the image uh this is a photogram it's just a it's a cork screw is what it is and so I really wanted to keep this elegant and simple and I kind of run this with a lot of my work I just don't tend to get real fancy as far as frames go and I think that's really important um when you look at some of the more expensive options that you can get into with uh you know printing companies and things like that uh canvas wraps are one of them personally I can't stand canvas wraps and I'll just be honest with you um the reason is is because it made it look like we're trying to do so much with the presentation that the photo really all that good to begin with and it just is cheesy so um that's just my opinion there could be a situation where canvas wrap is appropriate um I've just not had one in my own work uh metallic prints are really interesting they're more expensive they're harder to mount on a wall uh but I've seen some really cool stuff done with it uh it's almost like an it's not even really a frame involved with that at all it's just a metallic print it's printed on a piece of aluminum uh but anyway that's the most important things you need to stay simple um it especially when you go to a place like Aaron Brothers or any these framers there's a ton of options you're presented with as far as frames go and uh you know again because I don't want them to get in the way of the photo uh I tend to just go conservative with that and and keep it minimal and I think that's the most important thing and I think probably for your work that's probably the most important thing too uh but I can't tell you how to select that you've got to develop your own opinions um I'll tell you one thing that's helped me though is if you haven't done it and uh you know if you're in a small city or a big city or whatever but find a gallery opening at least or if not a museum exhibition to go to and look at uh museums are interesting because usually the frame reflects the period that the work was done in so like you know paintings from the 17th century are going to have a really opulent uh you know kind of gold encrusted frame around them uh just because that was the style that day we more contemporary things sometimes there's no frame at all sometimes it's very minimal sometimes it's metallic sometimes it's black sometimes it's white you know uh but I would I would do that to look for ideas I would visit Galleries and I would look at um at museums also main reason I suggest those is because they're really I mean that's the ethos they're going to go for is they want something that's going to protect the work but not get in the way and especially with the gallery because they're trying to sell the work so if the work isn't good enough to sell they probably wouldn't have it in there in the first place so anyway so for some really good framing ideas I would look at those things um the most important thing is keep it minimal and keep your keep your craft really clean uh keep them neat keep you know it's pretty self-explanatory stuff so anyway we're going to do two episodes today actually and uh I'm going to move on to the second one now so anyway once again this has been the Art of Photography and thanks for for watching and one more thing a bunch of you have left comments on iTunes and I really appreciate it uh there's some things I'm trying to do with the show to try to get further a little more viewers things like that so we can do more stuff on here and if you have a second you haven't done it already please leave us a comment on iTunes we greatly appreciate it so uh you can see more podcasts at theu broadcast.com and once again this is Ted Forbes and thank you for watchingjoin us now on Flickr at flickr.com groups artof photography hey everybody welcome back once again to another episode of The Art of Photography my name is Ted Forbes and I'm your host and today what we're going to do is wrap up a lot of the framing stuff we've been talking about if you've been watching the last couple episodes we've talked a lot about Framing and presentation and we haven't really totally gone into it but uh you know I just want to give you guys some ideas of things you can do uh you know under a budget things like that obviously you go to a real framer and pay a bunch of money and get a very nice result um but like I said last time the problem with that is when you have a bunch of frames to do and sometimes it's just kind of cost prohibitive um however I wanted to share some ideas with you and I kind of want to summarize it this a little bit shorter episode today but I wanted to summarize a lot of these things we've been talking about I've had people send me email questions and I apologize uh the holidays are upon us and I haven't totally had time to uh keep caught up with that uh but I do want to address them in this podcast uh people have asked me things like can I go over printer profiles for injet printers and we totally planned to do that I just did not want to confuse the issue with Framing and presentation with that that'll be some separate episodes that we're going to get to um and then I had some other people email me some um some questions about you know could have talked more about you know what's the what's the best way to go uh you know just a single mat how I do a double mat what about metallic print or canvas wraps things like that and really um I think it's a little a little bit beyond the scope of what we're doing here to kind of go deep into those things and the reason I say that is because it comes down to personal opinion and personal taste but I do want to offer you some parting words of wisdom on this subject um and that is and this is one of the prints that we made last time and I'll use this as an example um a frame is a frame and what you don't want to do is have that get away get in the way of your photography and that is the most important thing it needs to be simple and it really needs to be transparent if it's going to be effective because people are not coming to look at a frame they're coming to see your work and that's really important so whatever you end up doing with your prints I think that's the most important thing to take away um I mentioned a double mat a minute ago we just did single mats last time where I take a single mat a double mat is basically you have two mats and one is slightly smaller window than the the larger so you kind of see a little stair stepping effect that goes down um and you know I think that if you have a large enough frame simple enough image and it calls for that um I've done it before and I think it's a really nice elegant look to it uh but again it's all Personal Taste um this one we just went with a single probably cuz it's you know the frame is kind of you know small in comparison with the image uh this is a photogram it's just a it's a cork screw is what it is and so I really wanted to keep this elegant and simple and I kind of run this with a lot of my work I just don't tend to get real fancy as far as frames go and I think that's really important um when you look at some of the more expensive options that you can get into with uh you know printing companies and things like that uh canvas wraps are one of them personally I can't stand canvas wraps and I'll just be honest with you um the reason is is because it made it look like we're trying to do so much with the presentation that the photo really all that good to begin with and it just is cheesy so um that's just my opinion there could be a situation where canvas wrap is appropriate um I've just not had one in my own work uh metallic prints are really interesting they're more expensive they're harder to mount on a wall uh but I've seen some really cool stuff done with it uh it's almost like an it's not even really a frame involved with that at all it's just a metallic print it's printed on a piece of aluminum uh but anyway that's the most important things you need to stay simple um it especially when you go to a place like Aaron Brothers or any these framers there's a ton of options you're presented with as far as frames go and uh you know again because I don't want them to get in the way of the photo uh I tend to just go conservative with that and and keep it minimal and I think that's the most important thing and I think probably for your work that's probably the most important thing too uh but I can't tell you how to select that you've got to develop your own opinions um I'll tell you one thing that's helped me though is if you haven't done it and uh you know if you're in a small city or a big city or whatever but find a gallery opening at least or if not a museum exhibition to go to and look at uh museums are interesting because usually the frame reflects the period that the work was done in so like you know paintings from the 17th century are going to have a really opulent uh you know kind of gold encrusted frame around them uh just because that was the style that day we more contemporary things sometimes there's no frame at all sometimes it's very minimal sometimes it's metallic sometimes it's black sometimes it's white you know uh but I would I would do that to look for ideas I would visit Galleries and I would look at um at museums also main reason I suggest those is because they're really I mean that's the ethos they're going to go for is they want something that's going to protect the work but not get in the way and especially with the gallery because they're trying to sell the work so if the work isn't good enough to sell they probably wouldn't have it in there in the first place so anyway so for some really good framing ideas I would look at those things um the most important thing is keep it minimal and keep your keep your craft really clean uh keep them neat keep you know it's pretty self-explanatory stuff so anyway we're going to do two episodes today actually and uh I'm going to move on to the second one now so anyway once again this has been the Art of Photography and thanks for for watching and one more thing a bunch of you have left comments on iTunes and I really appreciate it uh there's some things I'm trying to do with the show to try to get further a little more viewers things like that so we can do more stuff on here and if you have a second you haven't done it already please leave us a comment on iTunes we greatly appreciate it so uh you can see more podcasts at theu broadcast.com and once again this is Ted Forbes and thank you for watching\n"