How to frame and display my photographs is a question that will probably persist as long as I am making prints. One of my friends and I get together regularly and over the years, this topic always crops up. I am mentioning this because I do not think there is a simple answer, or that there is only ‘one way.’ So, here is a way I am doing it now. Gerald and I discovered these Format Frames a while ago, and really have taken a liking to them. First of all, they are cheap and second they look good, at least with some kinds of photos and drawings. Thirdly they use real glass. The downside is that they are pretty fragile and really do not take that kindly to being shipped or knocked about.
Here I am showing what the 4×6 inch version that I often use, looks like. They come in a variety of sizes and my favorite for digital prints are the 4×6 inch, the 8.5×11 inch, and the 13×19 inch seizes. Just to give you an idea, the complete 4×6 inch frames cost 95 cents when I bought a couple the other day.
Now, one big mental hurdle I had to overcome right away when I started using these frames was not matting my prints. The way the frames are constructed, they are simply not deep enough to accept a mat and print. So, I either print my photos borderless, or place the image bottom weighed on the paper. You can also design all kinds of faux mat and framing effects in Photoshop and make the resulting print look as though it were matted in an expensive, textured mat. Gerald does that more than I do.
Because we have moved several times recently, and are also running out of wall space for our artwork, I favor printing my stuff small and displaying it around the place. One set of prints I made a while ago my wife displayed as a group, and since the subtitle of the suite was ‘…fine print’ added a small and delicate magnifying glass she had found on e-bay, to the display. It really looked classy and super.
Because the frames are so light, most of them can be hung on a push-pin, if your wall will accept them. In the US most houses are constructed with ‘sheetrock’ forming the walls and ceiling, and that stuff will easily accept the pins. Of course, if your walls are cement, concrete or brick, forget push-pins, but I imagine some small, stick-on hangers would work just fine.
Here is a shot of the ‘quick & dirty’ way we hung some of my small prints along a staircase in our apartment.
PS. This is the situation in our house, where we had to hang art from floor to ceiling to accommodate it all – I do think it looks cool though.
Jenny, my wife, is still waiting for me to produce something that she thinks would look good on the wall. We’ve been married for 39 years:)
Now wait a minute, I can’t think of any of your photos that would NOT look good!
I love these frames, too. What I’ve done is put 30 together in a tightly packed rectangular grid (the frames touch one another) with a different image in each. It reads like a single piece of art. I didn’t use photos for this, though, I used illustrations of mushrooms that my Mom collected when she was a kid. It makes for a nice dramatic piece and you can adjust the dimensions according to the wall.
That sounds super!!!! Will you post a photo of it??
It’s nice to see your rooms filled with your art. It does look cool, Christian!
Thanks Karen! :)
Here’s a shot of the piece. Sorry about the glare!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/monica212/7736718234/in/photostream