Help with frame and mount size and colours

JJ!

JJ!

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I would like to get this photo framed for a friend who lost her horse.

It will be printed either 15x10 or 12x8 depending on framing costs.

Just after peoples opinions on frame width and mount width and colour.

Was thinking black frame with white or off white mount?

The frame width I was thinking of was 23mm - as any bigger on a print this size might be too much?

Then maybe a 25mm mount? Seem like ok ratio of frame/mount etc? This is all new to me but want to get it right as its a gift.

Any opinions from any framers be appreciated! Thank you!

Canvas Final by Justin Akehurst, on Flickr​
 
Personally I have no problem with a wide mount.

Colour and thickness of frame will obviously depend on the decor where it is to be hung, grey seems to be in trend at the moment and has the ability to fit in with most decors.

Also I would avoid an off-white mount, my choice here would be black either leaving a small white border around the image or a black mount with a white core.

It really comes down to personal choice and decor in the end though.
 
I think a 25mm black or charcoal moulding will be fine. I'd be inclined to increase the mount size to at least 50mm as it may look a little cramped otherwise. Go for a white mountboard too, it'll look much cleaner. I make a lot of frames for all of my work (albeit mainly paintings) and simple is definitely best and most effective.
 
Birdy06 said:
I think a 25mm black or charcoal moulding will be fine. I'd be inclined to increase the mount size to at least 50mm as it may look a little cramped otherwise. Go for a white mountboard too, it'll look much cleaner. I make a lot of frames for all of my work (albeit mainly paintings) and simple is definitely best and most effective.
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Think I like the overall look of a white mount. Will have a look at width though.
 
Have a look at frames.co.uk

They have a faculty where you can upload your image and then pick frames and mounts.
Even if you don’t buy the frame from them it’s a good tool to give you an idea on colours etc.
 
ecoleman said:
Have a look at frames.co.uk

They have a faculty where you can upload your image and then pick frames and mounts.
Even if you don’t buy the frame from them it’s a good tool to give you an idea on colours etc.
Click to expand...

Cheers! Perfect that! Good prices too.
 
JJ! said:
Think I like the overall look of a white mount. Will have a look at width though.
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Take care with white... not all whites are equal, plus you have white in the image which will be influenced by the substrate you are printing on.
 
With a black background in the image, I’d be recommending a black mount and black frame to my customers, it will make the horse stand out more as there are less distractions. With a white mount on this image, for me, the contrast difference is too much to feel comfortable.

As an example, which annoyed a few members at our local camera club who insist that everything has to be in off white, I did a mounting demonstration to new members and held up an almost identical image in both a black mount and a white mount. When asked their preference, it was 100% for the black.

The problem you have here is that it’s a gift, your preferences might not be the same as the person who is hanging it on their wall.

Now, of course, if it had a light background, the advice would be totally different, probably a warm white and solid oak!

Oh, and at least a 50mm mount, too small just looks cramped and don’t be scared about frame sizes, the larger it is, the more important it will look!
 
Black mount with a white core in a black frame would look great. I’ve done a few like that and really like them.
 
An off-white mount is infallible in my experience, especially perhaps for colour images, and commonly available in conservation / museum grade mountboards.

Don't crowd the image in the frame and so cheapen it - it needs 50 - 100mm around it. Bear that in mind, source a ready-made frame for economy, work out whether you can use the stock matt that might come with it, or get one made separately, and size the print to suit (that bit's easy!) ...
 
Unlocker said:
As an example, which annoyed a few members at our local camera club who insist that everything has to be in off white, I did a mounting demonstration to new members and held up an almost identical image in both a black mount and a white mount. When asked their preference, it was 100% for the black.
Click to expand...
Since when have new members of a camera club been held to be worthwhile arbiters of taste? Sorry ...
 
droj said:
Since when have new members of a camera club been held to be worthwhile arbiters of taste? Sorry ...
Click to expand...

Hence, perfectly proving my point.

To continue the example the image was entered in the next competition, deliberately in a double glossy black mount (which is a deeper black than the matt one) with a black core and to top it off a black undermount too. It totally stood out, drew everyone’s attention as somebody dared to break ‘the unwritten rule’ and got top marks with special mention to the presentation that perfectly complemented the image.

With images with black backgrounds like this, when presented with the choice which we always give, most people go for the black option.

There’s no right or wrong here, it’s all subjective but in our experience, just the fact that it doesn’t look like an off the shelf, no thought put into it mass produced option, makes it look like a lot more thought has been put into it and as a present, that can go a long way. Try it and see, you might surprise yourself!
 
Not the best example photo but enough to get an idea:-

IMG_3894.jpg
 
I've used frames.co.uk - the online tool is useful but their product quality is variable in my experience, I've had about twenty five frames from them over the past few years and had to reject two or three of them, one on the eve of an exhibition. They managed to replace it and send it direct to the gallery, but I've not used them since.

Perosnally, I'd recommend going to a number of local framers or art shops if you have any locally, and get advice from them, they will be able to suggest stuff you'd not even thought of.
 
Sometimes choosing complimentary colours to either the horse or the decor works better than the standard (and at times very boring imo) white/off white matte board. It can also apply to the frame.

Having space around the subject really does improve it too (most times imo).

I agree with Andy (@viewfromthenorth ) above, local framers are often a godesnd ...
 
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