How do you display photographs?

JamesD · Oct 30, 2005

I'm wondering what y'all do when you've finished your photos, assuming you do prints, and also assuming you keep some for yourself. Do you file them away? Pin them up on your wall? Frame them? Stick them in a portfolio? Or something completely different?

I plan to do a lot of printing now that I have the capability of producing my own prints. Since I'm expecting to produce absolutely brilliant work (Gotta think positive!) I'm looking for ideas of what to do with the prints--at least the ones that don't sell for dozens of dollars each (these will be brilliantly good photos, remember!)

Seriously, though... I'm just looking for ideas for display of the decent ones.

LaFoto · Oct 30, 2005

Always and again I plan to have enlargements made of those of my photos that I personally like very much, and always and again I find myself shocked by the prices for both enlargements and frames. So in the end most of my photos get filed away as little prints (in cm they are 9x13 in size), a few of them are enlarged to (again in cm) 20x30, but only very few have made their way to one of the walls in our house where only the family ever see them. Hmph. Is that the solution?
And I produce calendars for family members and friend every Christmas, so some enlarged photos even get to being displayed elsewhere.

But no one has ever offered me a) dozens of dollars, b) hundreds of Euro, nor has ever anyone used the words "absolutely brilliant", though I am having a fan, but her brother is a pro and she put up all HIS photos in her surgery, though she says she even likes some of mine better than his, but she only found out about mine when the surgery rooms had been fully decorated (for a lot of money to be paid to said brother). Hmph.

JamesD · Oct 30, 2005

LaFoto said:
But no one has ever offered me a) dozens of dollars, b) hundreds of Euro, nor has ever anyone used the words "absolutely brilliant", though I am having a fan, but her brother is a pro and she put up all HIS photos in her surgery, though she says she even likes some of mine better than his, but she only found out about mine when the surgery rooms had been fully decorated (for a lot of money to be paid to said brother). Hmph.

Well, you're doing better than I am! I don't even have a fan (mum doesn't count, despite her protestations otherwise). Maybe some day I'll become a great photographer, well known, far and wide; but for now, little-known, near and narrow must suffice. But it's fun!

terri · Oct 30, 2005

I also make my own prints: have a darkroom for my B&Ws and a very good photo printer, with pigmented (more archival) inks for color slide work.

If I really am happy with one of my images I'll usually mat and frame it at home. My husband is my ace mat cutter and framer. :heart: Some of my stuff I sell at arts festivals or online, and the rest just piles up. :lol:

panzershreck · Oct 30, 2005

file them away

i rarely ever look at the photograph after i've printed it, only unless i analyze the photo to see how well i did with "X", or etc. if i'm developing an idea or technique, but i do take good care to make sure they last

on the other hand, i'll scan them and email them to various people if they want them, and they usually keep them as desktop wallpaper or whatever they like

i've always done that, as a kid, when i built something with legos, i had no qualm about destroying it immediately to build something else, and if i didn't destroy it, i'd put it away somewhere, and move on

craig · Oct 30, 2005

I print from the 'ol Epson like a crazy man. Our living room has 9 photos that are pinned up for discretion. After a month or so my faves are window mounted in preparation for suitable framing. I think it is important that the work gets seen by me and my friends. Once the work is window mounted the cost of framing is a little easier to swallow. Plus I like my work to be mounted to show AD's and clients.

mentos_007 · Oct 31, 2005

I print only those pictures I like... those are 10x15 cm prints so I'm able to put them into my photoalbum. when I take a brilliant picture - I mean the one I love, I do a bigger print - 30x40 cm, frame it, and pin on the wall...

JamesD · Nov 12, 2005

Sorry, got caught up and forgot about this thread... thanks for y'all's replies!

I think I've figured out what I'm going to do... There's a board that runs at the same height across all the walls in every room within my abode. So, I think I'm going to print my favorites, in all different sizes, but probably not many more than 8X10, then mat them in all different sizes, but similar coloring to the wall, and hang them, centered vertically on that board, no frames or glass... and swap them out periodically as I get new favorites. Sort of a raw look... fits what I think about my photos...

Just in case anyone was interested, that is...