Framing your prints

Framing your photograph is an extension of the creative process that began when you first depressed the shutter release on your camera. Whether you choose to let a custom framer handle your photography or decide to tackle the job yourself, the choices and decisions are myriad – from design considerations to the different types of mat, frames and glass to the ways you mount the picture in the frame – and can be almost overwhelming.

Despite the seemingly endless choices, the overall purposes of framing are essentially the same: to enhance your image, focus attention on it, protect it and give it the proper, professional presentation it deserves.

Fortunately there are guidelines and tips that can help you through the maze. For example, did you know that choosing a wider than average mat (the border around your framed photo) can not only change the way a person views your photography, it can also invite them to view it in the first place?

To help you in making decisions about framing your photograph, the first step is to understand the reasons for framing.

WHY FRAME A PHOTOGRAPH?

The frame, mount and mat are a picture’s “home,” meaning somewhere that it belongs. There are three reasons why we want our pictures to have a home. Two are practical and one is based on esthetics.

Support for ease of viewing - At its simplest, framing acts as a support system for optimum viewing of a picture. It keeps the image flat and permits it to be easily placed upright on a wall or other support at a suitable viewing height.

Protection - This is an even more important consideration. Quality photographs need to be protected from dirt, grime and other environmental factors such as light, moisture and contact with poor-quality paper products that have high-acid content. No matter how careful you are, every time you handle a photograph with direct touch, you risk transferring harmful materials. The natural acids in your hands can act to break down the surface of your photo.

Artistic - The third, a very important consideration, is the artistic and esthetic value proper framing can add to your photograph. Framing should
(1) celebrate and enhance your picture, even glorify it;
(2) set the boundaries so the photograph doesn’t overwhelm its environment, or the environment doesn't impose on the picture; and
(3) act as a transition between the wall and the image.

Framing can also draw the eye to the picture, emphasizing the more subtle elements and colors, and even increasing the apparent size of the image.

FRAMING TERMINOLOGY

Before exploring your framing options, here are some definitions for the basic components of picture framing:

• Backing - stiff material, generally pieces of cardboard, placed behind the mounting board to provide additional support.
• Frame - the structure made from wood, metal or plastic molding that supports and contains all the other framing elements.
• Glass - the see-through material used to cover and protect the photograph. It is generally flat. There are different types of glass used, glare or non-glare, each of which has its own disadvantages and advantages. Clear plastic is sometimes used in less-expensive frames.
• Mat - a flat piece of cardboard or other material placed between the photograph and the frame that serves as a frame-within-a-frame, serving as a border between the picture and the frame. The mat also separates the picture from direct contact with the glass. The small air space prevents moisture build-up and the development of mold and fungus. More than one mat may be used with a picture. A mat can be plain or decorated, colored or pure white.
• Molding - any of various long, narrow surfaces that, when accurately cut, are assembled to form the frame. Molding is often ornamental and frequently has a modeled profile. There are five basic shapes of molding – flat, angular, curved, multiple-curved and compound, which is a combination of curves and angles.
• Mounting Board - the board that holds the picture firmly against the mat. It can be attached to your photograph using a number of methods. Often, the first step in framing is to have the picture mounted to ensure its stiffness.
• Dust Seals - Paper, usually brown, stretched across the back of the frame to prevent dirt and insects from getting in to damage the photograph.
• Hangers - the hardware (nuts, bolts, screws and wires) used in attaching the frame to the wall.

WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR FRAMING?

You can frame your picture yourself using a ready-made frame in an appropriate size, make a frame yourself or have someone custom frame your picture for you.

CUSTOM FRAMING

The more expensive approach to framing is to bring your photograph to a professional custom framer, usually located in a retail outlet, often as an adjunct to an art gallery. Some home businesses and hobbyists specialize in framing. Despite the cost, the professional framer option has some distinct advantages:

• Experience - The professional framer has probably framed thousanhs and knows exactly what mistakes to avoid.
• Knowledge - Many custom framers have taken courses and have an intimate knowledge of the principles of color, shape, proportion and design that can be helpful to you in determining how best to frame your picture for esthetic impact.
• Craftsmanship & quality - Custom framers have specialty tools and techniques that, combined with their knowledge and experience, ensure a superior frame.
• Selection - The custom framer generally has access to materials that the general public may not easily find or may not be aware of.
• Conservation framing expertise - An area of framing that is growing in popularity is conservation framing, using acid-free materials and special assembly techniques that help preserve your photos for a long time, perhaps centuries. In fact, many consumers who buy framed photographs appreciate it when a photographer has taken the consideration to use conservation framing. (While you can do conservation framing yourself, it usually involves the purchase of many more materials and taking the time to learn the techniques.)

As with all businesses, the pricing, quality and style of framing vary from framer to framer. We provide you with some excellent tips to help you choose among framers in our section appropriately titled Choosing a Framer.

Reputable online photo stores help you get your photos printed on canvas and will also frame them for you. Some help professional photographers with high quality canvas prints in the UK, and also offers free delivery and a 10 year guarantee.

DO-IT-YOURSELF FRAMING

Framing your own picture can save you anywhere between 10 to 30 percent, depending on how far you decide to solo it in the framing process. You have three choices:

Do-it-yourself framing stores, usually found in large urban centers, provide the do-it-yourself framer with a large selection of materials to work with. The best of these establishments provides design expertise and can even help with cutting the glass and moldings. Some frame-it-yourself shops provide advice and all the cut materials, then send you home to assemble the final product.

Ready-made frames are also available from a variety of stores, including many camera shops. They are generally simple or “gimmick” frames in popular colors, textures and sizes. Many ready-made frames come complete with backing materials and glass. At it simplest, all you do is remove the backing, clean the glass, insert the photograph and replace the backing. Your local department store, all-purpose drug store or even a dollar store, may be your least-expensive source for a frame and mat to simply place your photograph in. In this case, framing is as simple as open, insert, close.

Becoming a hobbyist framer – If you decide to tackle the framing profession yourself on a hobby basis, you will need to purchase a number of specialty tools, such as a saw and cutters. Some hobbyist framers are also woodworkers, making their own framing materials using mitres, saws, routers, shapers and even a molding plane. If are not a woodworker, catalog-order houses can help, in some cases providing a selection of moldings cut to any size you desire. They can send the frames already joined, or in some cases, with a thumbnail slot routed into the end of each stick of molding.