[smarti77]

In the planning for my exhibition I made up this image to see what a my images would look like in standard black frames with white mattes. I can get these frames fairly cheap from 'Ikea' and I need to control the budget. I have also used it to see what coloured mattes look like - I'm still undecided about coloured mattes. I also plan to have timber frames but thats not so easy to create in photoshop...



This is also what my walls will look like if I fail to sell any at the Exhibition...
Click image for larger size.



I might edit it again to include some coloured mattes / other frames for comparision...

Shane

[Rabid Penguin]

that looks awesome!

[smarti77]

Just for comparison...



I accept that the timber frames look average because of my photoshop skills but... Im starting to think black frames with white mattes may be the best bet for the exhibition. The coloured mattes may work on selected images but dont seem as professional or neat?

Obviously the images are likely to be displayed individually or in one horizontal row during the exhibition but I think this has helped me picture how they will look as a collection.

[Paul.R.Lindqvist]

Some really great work!

I personally prefer the first one, with the black frames.

Looks awesome.!

/Paul L.

[Wedding Shooter]

I am really impressed with your work and the effort you put into this little lot Smarti. I think for the exhibition the first one looks more appealing.

[Rabid Penguin]

I agree, I think having the same frame for each picture helps bring them all together, makes them seem like a 'set', if you know what i mean.

[alastair_hm]

Wow good work in Photoshop, I like the all black frames, it doesn't distract from the images.

Good luck with the exbo

[Keith Alan]

Now you have me thinking about colored mats & frames again! They look great to me.

My advice is to keep it simple, but you also make a good point about owning whatever doesn't sell.
So....good luck deciding.

[craig]

Stunning!

[Banded Drake]

i am with the others the first one gets my vote , and WOW at the photoshoping great job all the way around ..



.... Shawn

[Toad]

This wall shot is a very nice retrospective of your work in its own right...

[wulinka]

Nice job! That's a pretty impressive collection.

Personally, I wouldn't do colored mats.
When I had pictures framed previously, I often went through hours of picking the "right" colored mat, and whenever there were to be more than one single picture hanging side by side, I ended up finding white the most suitable. After all, it's the picture that should be at the focus of attention, not the mat or frame. With your mixture of color and BW pics you have variation and "work" to do for the viewer enough, no need for more colors.

I like your arrangement very much and find the all-white-mats version looking much more professional, whereas the mixed-colored one indeed be your living room wall (and perfectly fine as such).
If you absolutely wanted to do colored mats, I would refrain from choosing the predominant color or the picture as mat color (green with grass, yellow-beige with the butterfly, dark red with the flowers.....). Instead, pick a color that appears in the picture only marginally, in small quantities and pick it up in the mat.
another option are double mats, broad black or white with a narrow inner lining of a color (procuced by the underlying mat).

[smarti77]

Thanks everyone for the feedback - I wasnt keen on the idea of coloured mattes from the start and your opinions have helped me decide to only use white or black. The next decision will be, do I use nothing but black (ikea style) frames for consistency? OR include some more traditional timber frames....

[Rabid Penguin]

black frames.

[Pat]

I second black

[Banded Drake]

Yep black for me too .

.... Shawn

[alastair_hm]

Thanks for the inspiration and the tips

[wulinka]

actually..... yep, maybe black

I am curious as to how you produced the wooden-look pattern for timber frames in PS!

Uli

[NT73]

It is in the 'Drop shadow' box, under frames I think.

Nice set up with your frames etc.
If you find white too glaring you could go for 'Off White'
Buttermilk.. magnolia... buff... Sort of just warm white.
The dark matte's are a bit too much.
I hope you sell them all.

[smarti77]

Thanks again to everyone for all of your advice...
In return I have made (attempted to make) a tutorial on photoshop framing:
http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=7877

[Irma]

Congratulations!!!

When was/is your exhibition, Shane?

Thanks for the link!!

[smarti77]

Thanks Irma - The exhibition will be in Feb / March 2008. I am lucky to share the exhibition with only one other photographer who is a relative. We have many similar interests including photography. Luckily for me he has the contacts to allow us to show our work in a nice gallery. I only have a few images fully printed and framed so far but its slowly starting to take shape. I have my fingers crossed to sell some to cover the costs involved!

[wulinka]

Sounds exciting!! Best of luck for the preparations. What kind of venue?

Uli

[Zig]

Sorry for the late reply.
Very impressive; lovely work!
I too have found the following the most workable and useful:
I use black frames with white mounts for all mono work;
I use natural wood frames with white mounts for all colour work.
The reasons I've become so "religious" about this are:
Uniformity of product looks great at exhibitions: it also allows oneself or the buyer to purchase several prints in the knowledge that they will match;
It keeps costs down;
It keeps decision-making much more manageable and releases you from many, many headaches...believe me!
I did try to "theme" colour prints with mounts and frames, or at least to endeavour to match them: an absolute nightmare....clients were never satisfied; some decided the picture, once done, wouldn't "go" with whatever decor was in their home.
I'd really take on that caveat, along with resisting temptation to double-mount: in my experience, there's a significant hike in expense, and unless the mounts are cut properly(ie; without any run-over at all of the cutter at the corners) odd-looking gaps can occur along the lengths of one of the mounts.
You've done well here mate.
I take NT73's points about getting the right white: get one white, whether it be arctic white, olympic white or ivory, and stick to it;
Finally, as a golden rule: "if in doubt, leave it out": truly, once you start going into coloured mattes and frames, you're into Headacheland bigtime.
Really finally:
you might want to lighten the gamma very, very slightly on framed work: there can be a significant drop-off in light once a piece of glass gets in the way. Avoid any that are even slightly underexposed.
Really, really finally...
NRG= non-reflective glass: really allows a mounted photo to breathe well, particularly on a pic that is done with satin finish. Careful with its brittleness, but does look lovely. OK, a bit impractical unless you've got a bit of cash to spend, but a thought for the future maybe.
Sorry to go on, but oddly enough I've also got an exhibition at Malmesbury, Wilts, in a month or two, and exactly the same concerns are in the front of my mind at present.
Best of; these look brill!

[Toad]

Zig: totally agree with your suggestions for presentation except for the double mount.

I cut my own mattes - so the double mount is cheap and I control the quality of the cutting. I strongly suggest that anyone that is considering an exhibition buy a decent quality matte cutter and do your own mounts. It will pay for itself during the first exhibition.

I use black frames and white outer mattes. For my inner (double) matte, I pick up some color from the photo. That way, all of my presentations are consistent, but each one is slightly unique because of the exposed 1/4" inner matte.