Friday 12 October 2007

Mounting and Finishing Photographs - Part 5 (Framing & Wrapping)

Framing
For exhibitions I buy my frames in bulk from lecira. I find that a wall of pictures that are all framed and mounted in a similar way, looks much more cohesive than lots of different mounts/frames and concentrates the eye on the images, not the presentation.

In addition I find a high percentage of images I sell at exhibition are framed, but sales are not evenly distributed, one image might sell lots of pictures, yet others won't sell at all. If I could work out which ones would sell at each exhibition I'd be a happy man! Being able to reuse the frames to meet orders is a godsend and saves keeping loads of extra frames in storage between exhibitions.


My Framed Pictures on Exhibition
(Click to wander round the virtual exhibition)

To frame a photo, the picture is dropped in to the frame and the back held in place with flexipoints. The frame is then turned over and checked for dust and hairs. Once I am finally satisfied that everything is clean then I add the hanging equipment (hooks & wire). I use flat D rings that slip on to the backingboard and Super Softstrand wire for hanging as it is very easy to work with and gentle on the fingers! The back of the frame is sealed up with framers tape to prevent dust getting in the frame. Finally the certificate of Authenticity is fixed to the back of the frame.

All frames are then finally checked and wrapped in bubble wrap to prevent damage during transport & storage.

Wrapping
Mounted pictures are wrapped with clear polythene wrap to protect them and this stuck together with 3M crystal tape and makes for a very attractive package. I intend in future to use clear plastic bags but am at the moment unable to find a supplier who will do them in the sizes I need.



Other posts in this series (Mounting and Finishing Photographs)
Part 1 - Introduction
Part 2 - Preparation
Part 3 - Mount Cutting
Part 4 - Final Assembly
Part 5 - Framing
Part 6 - Equipment
Part 7 - Conclusion

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