Art of Fine Framing Brings Out the Best

The way in which you display your prize photographs can do a lot to bring out its hidden qualities. The proper frame can make an average picture look good and a good picture look spectacular.

However, just as photography is an art, so is framing. And, as in taking pictures, there is a great deal of interpretation to be done.

“The job of a framer is not to change the way the photographer wanted it to be but to enhance it,” says Renee Lynch, president of the Orange Coast Professional Picture Framers Assn.

Lynch recommends giving the photograph room to breath by using a mat. “When you frame a photograph to the edge you’re not giving the viewer any room to see the photograph. You’re also likely to put glass against the photograph and when you do that your photo has a high chance of sticking to that glass. A mat allows you to see the photograph within the frame but it also keeps the glass off the surface of the picture.”

The reason that glass should never touch your picture is that the temperature of the glass is different on the outside than it is on the inside. That tends to work on the emulsion in the picture and causes a destructive glue to form.

Lynch, the owner of The Frame Dept., a custom framing shop in Santa Ana, also says there are different approaches to framing black-and-white as opposed to color pictures.

“With black and white you can go with a museum approach, which is very sterile,” Lynch says. “A museum approach is when you use rag board--either white or beige--that really shows off the work the best.”

As might be expected, there are more options with color photography.

“It’s important to know where you want to display the photograph,” Lynch says. “You also need to find out the person’s style, whether it’s contemporary, traditional or something else.

“With color photographs you should use lighter color mats if you want to open up the picture in the frame. A lighter color brings the photo out. A darker color is more intimate. It makes a photograph appear smaller.”

Lynch advises against ever hanging a picture in a bathroom or over a fireplace. The kitchen isn’t such a good place either. The key is to keep your pictures away from excessive heat or humidity.

There are other reasons to consult a custom framer, she says, the least of which is you always get the right dimensions on your frame. A professional framer isn’t likely to try and squeeze a slightly bigger picture into a slightly smaller frame. Lynch even suggests that everyone try framing a picture once just to get an appreciation for its difficulty.

Professional framers all have different specialties and different styles. “I like to compare it to hairdressers,” Lynch says. “You go to a certain hairdresser because they do things the way you want and you like what they do. They all have specialties.”

Even if your pictures are framed professionally, you should open the frame every three to five years to make sure that everything is going OK. Acid or bugs can often creep into a frame and ruin the photograph.

The cost of framing varies greatly with the materials that are used. An 11-by-14-inch photograph can be framed for as little as $25 or it can cost up to $75. The molding material is usually the biggest factor.

The photography column, which runs each Saturday in Orange County Life, is intended to help both the serious amateur and weekend shooter. Questions and ideas are encouraged. Write to: Robert Lachman, Chief Photographer, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.