i just want something i can hang on my wall

[bribrius]

that I wont be sick of looking at in two weeks.

you know, that maintains interest but blends into the household.


And I really should start going through images to put together SOME type of portfolio. But just organizing them and finding the good enough ones seems like a chore. Perhaps I don't need a portfolio anyway.

wife has one of those frames that hold like six photos on the wall. You know like two feet by three feet or something. wants it full of black and white. Thinking of just shooting specifically for that purpose and not using already shot stuff it might give me more intent to see if I can get them all to semi match in texture and process.

 

[snowbear]

We occasionally swap out the photos on the wall. In fact, I'm moving a couple today and putting up an antique map of Maine that I received for my birthday.

 

[bribrius]

yeah, it would probably be easier shooting more than sorting through thousands of photos just to find twenty....

spent a hour yesterday looking through to find some of someones kid they wanted prints of.

hmmm. I took them in what month? was it before this? after this? in what group?? Finding just a single photo I am looking for would be a pita. Easier shooting more....

 

[bribrius]

We occasionally swap out the photos on the wall. In fact, I'm moving a couple today and putting up an antique map of Maine that I received for my birthday.

I have one of those old maps too. But it stays in its canister sealed.

 

[imagemaker46]

This is tough one. In my case I have three of my shots that have been on the wall for a couple of years. I know lots of photographers that don't hang their own work, and in many cases don't hang anything, apart from personal family photos. Going out and specifically shooting new images for your wall is a pretty good idea, gives you an end purpose and may help you look at things differently.

You can always try using some of what you have already shot, print up rough copies and hang them without the frames for a couple of days and see how you feel about them.

 

[bribrius]

This is tough one. In my case I have three of my shots that have been on the wall for a couple of years. I know lots of photographers that don't hang their own work, and in many cases don't hang anything, apart from personal family photos. Going out and specifically shooting new images for your wall is a pretty good idea, gives you an end purpose and may help you look at things differently.

You can always try using some of what you have already shot, print up rough copies and hang them without the frames for a couple of days and see how you feel about them.

thanks. It really is a tough one. Most people wouldn't think so but hanging your own photos adds much dilemma..

 

[astroNikon]

I've had the same dilemma.
Maybe some day,

 

[shefjr]

Finding one photo that I can hang on my wall is what my goal has always been since starting my photography adventure. It has made me so over critical that I toss the vast majority of the shots that I shoot. It's both driving me to strive for better and also frustrating.

 

[photoguy99]

This is my process. You may borrow it if you like! I explicitly and clearly do not prescribe this. I offer it as an example.

Start from the effect you want to achieve.

Calm and soothing? Light and airy? Dramatic and fascinating?

Think on it. Look around the space you want to hang photos in and mull on it. Think hard, and then let it go. A couple days later think hard, then let it go.

At some point an idea will, with luck, occur to you. Not a picture yet, just an idea for how it will feel. Ideally, this will crystallize into a very firm idea. I happen to be doing a room right now around 'light and airy' since this is a space my wife will be using for yoga during the drear northwest winters.

The space, the uses it will be put to, and the frame itself will all inform this idea.

Now you need some photos. You might have them already, you might need to shoot some. Go look at your photos. Go look at the world. Look at other people's photos.

Think on it, then stop for a while. Repeat. Again, with luck, a pretty concrete idea for some photos and some treatment of them will crystallize in your brain.

Go make those. If you have a clear idea which you're having trouble realizing for technical reasons, TPF is a great resource. But be open to change and modification of the concepts as you proceed. Actually getting your hands dirty has an effect. But you should have some clear guiding principles to keep you headed in the right direction.

Good luck!

 

[bribrius]

That is actually some good advice. And since winter is coming here to WARM and airy would be nice to look at for those four miserable months...

I have a stupidity question. Right now when I send something to print I end up kind of limited because framing and cropping I just cant make a 3x5 image into a 8x10 (okay bad example but you get the point) unless I am missing something. Like yesterday I went to make a 8x10 for print but missed on the framing so it wasn't happening. Now they have the intelli print which converts digital (supposedly ) from one size to another but seems to not work more than work and has its limitations.

Back on subject though, that bw she wants photos in for framing has some real oddball sizes. I am wondering (I have no experience with this kind of thing) of what to look for and to set myself up for sizing before hand when I shoot. Despite all these photos I still haven't quite wrapped my head around conversions and sizing.

I pretty much just keep my cameras on large size, as I never quite grasped that transition and adjustment and figured it all could be converted anyway but I don't understand the ratios/size thing..

 

[photoguy99]

In general it's best, I find, to crop photos to the final proportions fairly early.

Pixels don't much matter if the photos aren't at least 8 inches or so wide. Is the frame you have mainly pretty small photos?

Measure up the openings and get the ratios. This can also inform the photo taking part 'OK, I need something light and airy that's also tall and skinny. Hmmmmmm.'

 

[KenC]

Take your time on framing and hanging. It is either quite a bit of effort (if you do it yourself) or money (if you pay someone to do it), so you don't want to frame and hang something and then decide six months later that it really isn't that good and you don't want to look at it any more. I always try to get about page-size prints of images I might hang and then let them sit around a while and see how they age. If I still feel strongly about them after a while (I don't know, maybe six months or a year) then I go ahead with them.

 

[bribrius]

In general it's best, I find, to crop photos to the final proportions fairly early.

Pixels don't much matter if the photos aren't at least 8 inches or so wide. Is the frame you have mainly pretty small photos?

Measure up the openings and get the ratios. This can also inform the photo taking part 'OK, I need something light and airy that's also tall and skinny. Hmmmmmm.'

yes it is mostly small photos except the center one. I say strange sizes because it is one of those vintage type photo collection frames and nothing on it stands out to me as a standard size looking at it I am already suspecting some black matting will be necessary.

 

[bribrius]

I admit, i find the frame a little foreboding. Usually you shoot and frame after, you don't shoot for the frame size. This will be different...

 

[bribrius]

Take your time on framing and hanging. It is either quite a bit of effort (if you do it yourself) or money (if you pay someone to do it), so you don't want to frame and hang something and then decide six months later that it really isn't that good and you don't want to look at it any more. I always try to get about page-size prints of images I might hang and then let them sit around a while and see how they age. If I still feel strongly about them after a while (I don't know, maybe six months or a year) then I go ahead with them.

up to now we have been using inexpensive frames and really haven't put much money on hanging household prints other than a canvas i ordered last year (which came framed but i now dislike it). I don't know if being "good" is really what it is about but rather fitting in the décor and not being something that starts off being great but wears out quickly as you mentioned.