F
framer
Guest
I found this text on the internet at a photograpers site. I thought you all might get a chuckle.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Framing Suggestions
First, all pictures should be matted. This is to separate the
photograph from the glass. If this is not done, the emulsion of the
photograph will stick to the glass. This looks unpleasant and ruins
the photograph. Thus, the standard consumer technique of sticking a
photo up against a glass desk frame or whatever should never be used
for art photos.
Second, I recommend using a professional framer. These companies pay
their employees $5-7/hour and they earn their living. It looks easy
to frame photos but it will take you at least one hour to do a decent
job, the worst part of which is cleaning the glass (if you must do it
yourself, I recommend Ajax cleanser in the bathtub; nothing else
really gets the glass factory grime off). If you purchase the same
kind of acid-free materials and pro-grade materials the frame shops
use, you'll find that it costs you almost as much as the total framing
price (I buy this stuff in bulk sometimes when I want to save time or
have control; it costs me $35 to pull everything together that a pro
frame shop uses in a $50 job). There are much easier and more fun
ways to save $15 than by trying to frame something yourself.
A maximum of 10% of the frame shops in any town will be competent.
The others will ruin photos by either incompetently dry mounting,
using other bad mounting techniques, using non-archival materials,
etc. Ask at a really expensive lithograph gallery to find out who
does their framing. Be very careful when any mounting technique other
than linen tape is proposed; it probably won't be reversible should
something go wrong. There is no law that says a photograph has to be
perfectly flat for display. Nonetheless, if you want it flat, dry
mounting onto Fome-Core isn't so bad when done by a super-professional
(less skilled shops do work that begins to separate after a year or
so, leaving unsightly bubbles).
Third, if you can't think of a really great color, go with a pure
(bright) white mat and a black metal frame. This is what I use. Not
only is it inexpensive, but multiple photos on the same wall share the
same presentation.
(In Boston, I recommend contacting Richard at Stanhope Framers in
Union Square, Somerville, at 666-2000. He might even give you the 20%
discount he gives me.)
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Framing Suggestions
First, all pictures should be matted. This is to separate the
photograph from the glass. If this is not done, the emulsion of the
photograph will stick to the glass. This looks unpleasant and ruins
the photograph. Thus, the standard consumer technique of sticking a
photo up against a glass desk frame or whatever should never be used
for art photos.
Second, I recommend using a professional framer. These companies pay
their employees $5-7/hour and they earn their living. It looks easy
to frame photos but it will take you at least one hour to do a decent
job, the worst part of which is cleaning the glass (if you must do it
yourself, I recommend Ajax cleanser in the bathtub; nothing else
really gets the glass factory grime off). If you purchase the same
kind of acid-free materials and pro-grade materials the frame shops
use, you'll find that it costs you almost as much as the total framing
price (I buy this stuff in bulk sometimes when I want to save time or
have control; it costs me $35 to pull everything together that a pro
frame shop uses in a $50 job). There are much easier and more fun
ways to save $15 than by trying to frame something yourself.
A maximum of 10% of the frame shops in any town will be competent.
The others will ruin photos by either incompetently dry mounting,
using other bad mounting techniques, using non-archival materials,
etc. Ask at a really expensive lithograph gallery to find out who
does their framing. Be very careful when any mounting technique other
than linen tape is proposed; it probably won't be reversible should
something go wrong. There is no law that says a photograph has to be
perfectly flat for display. Nonetheless, if you want it flat, dry
mounting onto Fome-Core isn't so bad when done by a super-professional
(less skilled shops do work that begins to separate after a year or
so, leaving unsightly bubbles).
Third, if you can't think of a really great color, go with a pure
(bright) white mat and a black metal frame. This is what I use. Not
only is it inexpensive, but multiple photos on the same wall share the
same presentation.
(In Boston, I recommend contacting Richard at Stanhope Framers in
Union Square, Somerville, at 666-2000. He might even give you the 20%
discount he gives me.)
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
