For most of us it seems fairly common sense that you can't fit a square peg into a round hole, yet many beginning photographers attempt to do just that. If you have a tall, vertical subject like a person or a tree your camera needs to be held in a vertical position. Why? Because if you do not fill the frame of your camera, you are wasting visual space. Have you ever seen a finished painting where 2/3rd's of the canvas has no paint on it at all? Very doubtful, because to the painter ever square inch of his canvas, is part of his creation. Therefore the first photo tip is the format (vertical or horizontal) must match the subject.
This basic concept covers several elements of design. To have balance in your image the subject must match the format. To make sure the subject is the main focus of your viewer, you must be aware of the background so it does not distract. Of course, the easiest way to eliminate visual distractions is to move in closer.
Getting back to the painting analogy, most painters are very aware of the point of focus in their finished product. Likewise; as an up and coming photographer your next photo tip to remember is to always be aware of the viewer's point of focus. Just for clarification, I am not talking about depth of field. When I use the phrase "point of focus" I am referring to what the viewer sees within your image. You might think that is obvious, they are looking at my subject. That is only true, if you shot your subject correctly.
For example, let's say you take a picture of a girl at the beach. Regardless of what format you choose if the horizontal line of the water crashing on the sand is dramatically off it will distract your viewer. If in the background there is a little boy playing with a big round ball, this will also pull your attention away from the main subject. If the subject is fairly light skinned and you have her lying on a bright red towel, that color will also visually distract.
To this end, learning the rule of thirds will greatly enhance the odds that your viewer is looking specifically where you want them to look. If you divide any image into thirds, (both vertically and horizontally) the points where those thirds meet are the natural focus points of most viewers. Therefore if you design the image so that your subject falls on one or more of those natural focus points, you will have a great advantage over those who shoot everything dead center. The third photo tip is this; place your subject where it is visually the most pleasing.
Most painters when they have finished their great work of art will frame it. Why is that? A frame helps draw your attention into the image and says, "Hey look at me, I'm important!" While you can do this in the same way that most painters do, when it comes to photography the word "framing" tends to take on a different meaning.
In most cases, framing consist of something in the foreground (usually slightly out of focus) that helps set off something in the background. One of the reasons this is such a powerful tool, is that this is exactly how the human eye sees things. Think about it: A flower at the edge of a canyon, you can either focus on the flower or the canyon, but not both. Your camera, can make both in focus at the same time (depth of field), but that's not really how you saw it. Another great photo tip is to make the viewer feel what you felt. This can often be done by framing and the creative use of a narrow depth of field.
To summarize:
A) The format (vertical or horizontal) must match the subject.
(Don't waist space, plan every inch of your canvas.)
B) Always be aware of the viewer's point of focus.
(Don't let lines, shapes, or colors become distractions.)
C) Place your subject where it is visually the most pleasing.
(Use lines and the Rule of Thirds to your advantage.)
D) Make the viewer feel what you felt.
(Use framing and Depth of Field to your advantage.)
Source - EzineArticles
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
How To Find Photo Framing Supplies Online
Both conservators and hobbyists alike are concerned with the preservation of photos. It can be impossible to replace photographs, so it makes sense to take time and effort at the outset to preserve your photographs to the highest standards, in order to increase the longevity of their undiminished beauty. Atmospheric conditions, pollution, dirt and dust, light and acid-containing photo framing supplies can all work together to destroy your photographs. However, there are steps you can take to ensure your prized photos are protected.
Temperature changes can cause adverse effects on your framed photograph. These changes can cause the artwork within the frame to expand and contract, which over time can cause the photograph to buckle and can damage the print. One way of mounting your photographs to help avoid this issue is to use photo corners. The edges of the art is placed inside these corners, and then the picture is matted and framed. Because the corners are not permanently attached to the mount board, it allows for a bit of movement and they will help protect your photograph from this damage.
Humidity can combine with contaminants such as pollution and dirt to create acids that can cause discoloration to photographs, as well as damage to wood photo frames. This effect is heightened if the glass used in the frame is in direct contact with the artwork. To prevent humidity damage, one technique is to frame your photographs with mat board. The mat board helps to provide air space between the glass and the photo, so that water will have a lessened opportunity to accumulate on the glass.
Light can wreak havoc on framed photographs because it can cause photo fading. Low level lighting is the best for the preservation of photos, but if that is not possible another option is to use metal frames with glass created to filter out the harmful light rays or plexiglass.
There are excellent photo framing supplies that are acid free, and ideal to use with your choice of mount board and mat board when framing a print. Both the mat board and mount board should be made of acid-free materials, and the photograph should be attached to the mount board using acid-free products, such as acid-free hinging tape, or archival quality photo corners.
The preservation of photos requires attention to temperature, humidity, light and archival quality photo framing supplies in order to give your cherished photographs the best opportunity to look great both now and in the future.
source -EzineArticles
Temperature changes can cause adverse effects on your framed photograph. These changes can cause the artwork within the frame to expand and contract, which over time can cause the photograph to buckle and can damage the print. One way of mounting your photographs to help avoid this issue is to use photo corners. The edges of the art is placed inside these corners, and then the picture is matted and framed. Because the corners are not permanently attached to the mount board, it allows for a bit of movement and they will help protect your photograph from this damage.
Humidity can combine with contaminants such as pollution and dirt to create acids that can cause discoloration to photographs, as well as damage to wood photo frames. This effect is heightened if the glass used in the frame is in direct contact with the artwork. To prevent humidity damage, one technique is to frame your photographs with mat board. The mat board helps to provide air space between the glass and the photo, so that water will have a lessened opportunity to accumulate on the glass.
Light can wreak havoc on framed photographs because it can cause photo fading. Low level lighting is the best for the preservation of photos, but if that is not possible another option is to use metal frames with glass created to filter out the harmful light rays or plexiglass.
There are excellent photo framing supplies that are acid free, and ideal to use with your choice of mount board and mat board when framing a print. Both the mat board and mount board should be made of acid-free materials, and the photograph should be attached to the mount board using acid-free products, such as acid-free hinging tape, or archival quality photo corners.
The preservation of photos requires attention to temperature, humidity, light and archival quality photo framing supplies in order to give your cherished photographs the best opportunity to look great both now and in the future.
source -EzineArticles
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Finding Good Picture Framing Supplies
Everyone cherishes the important events that happen once in a lifetime. Weddings and graduations, as well as trips to faraway places evoke fond memories. Participants in these events will want to remember them with quality photographs that will be displayed in their homes or places of business. When it comes to selecting appropriate photo framing supplies for your special photographs, you will want to consider the value of archival grade mounting.
When it comes to the matboard and the mount board, acid free materials offer the best protection for your fine photography. Picture framing supplies that contain acid can damage the photographs that come in contact with them. Acidic picture framing supplies can leave brown marks on the photograph, which may be hard to impossible to repair.
By using photo framing supplies that are acid free, you achieve the long unblemished life of the piece of art framed to archival grade mounting standards. The matboard used holds another key to the longevity of the art within the frame. The mat allows space between the glass or acrylic to be used to protect the art beneath it. Damage to the photograph can also occur if the glass comes in contact with the art, so matboard can be used to separate the two.
With archival grade mounting, the photograph does not come into direct contact with the mount board. Instead, it can be attached by several different means, all of which should consist of acid free framing and matting supplies. Photo corners can be used to attach the photograph to the mount board. The best for archival quality use are made of mylar or polypropylene. The mylar corners slip over the edges of the photograph, so that it is not permanently attached to the mount board. Another benefit that comes from using this method is that it allows for atmospheric temperature changes, which can cause the artwork, the frame and the mat to expand and contract, and the photo corners allow for a bit of movement so that the artwork is not damaged.
Another method used for archival grade mounting is to use an acid free hinging tape to attach the mat board to the mount board. Alternatively, you can also use hinging tape to attach the photograph to the mat. Both of these methods work well to keep the picture centered beneath the mat.
Light, humidity and temperature fluctuations can all pose a threat to your valuable photographs, but with archival grade mounting they should be safe for many years to come.
source -EzineArticles
When it comes to the matboard and the mount board, acid free materials offer the best protection for your fine photography. Picture framing supplies that contain acid can damage the photographs that come in contact with them. Acidic picture framing supplies can leave brown marks on the photograph, which may be hard to impossible to repair.
By using photo framing supplies that are acid free, you achieve the long unblemished life of the piece of art framed to archival grade mounting standards. The matboard used holds another key to the longevity of the art within the frame. The mat allows space between the glass or acrylic to be used to protect the art beneath it. Damage to the photograph can also occur if the glass comes in contact with the art, so matboard can be used to separate the two.
With archival grade mounting, the photograph does not come into direct contact with the mount board. Instead, it can be attached by several different means, all of which should consist of acid free framing and matting supplies. Photo corners can be used to attach the photograph to the mount board. The best for archival quality use are made of mylar or polypropylene. The mylar corners slip over the edges of the photograph, so that it is not permanently attached to the mount board. Another benefit that comes from using this method is that it allows for atmospheric temperature changes, which can cause the artwork, the frame and the mat to expand and contract, and the photo corners allow for a bit of movement so that the artwork is not damaged.
Another method used for archival grade mounting is to use an acid free hinging tape to attach the mat board to the mount board. Alternatively, you can also use hinging tape to attach the photograph to the mat. Both of these methods work well to keep the picture centered beneath the mat.
Light, humidity and temperature fluctuations can all pose a threat to your valuable photographs, but with archival grade mounting they should be safe for many years to come.
source -EzineArticles
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Art of Framing - Before You Make the Print
In the children's story Charlotte's Web; Charlotte concludes that people believe what they see in print. Likewise, people believe if something is framed it must be important. Therefore framing
demands respect for your work. People tend to look longer and deeper at photographs that use the concept of framing.
When you graduate High School and you get your graduation diploma, what do you do? You usually go home and frame it! When you get your first award winning photograph, what do you do? You frame it! Sure, sure you could just throw your photos into an album; or stick them in a drawer, but when something is important what do you do? You Frame it!
Why do you frame the important stuff? You've already done or accomplished whatever it is you're framing . . . so why bother? When you go into a doctor or dentist office, often you find numerous certificates framed on the wall. Why? It draws your attention and says: "Hey, look what I've done!"and "These things are important to me."
Have you ever been in a photo or art gallery, where all the work was either thrown in a box sitting on a table or stuck in a drawer and you were expected to thumb through it? I don't think so. Why not? Because they want you to see their work, they want to impress you. Often the framed version of the same exact image may be four to five times the price of just the image alone. There is a certain perception there on display. This perception; be it right or wrong, implies, that this image must be of great worth or why else would we bother to frame it? Is it any wonder that you're 10 times more likely to buy a framed photo than just a print?
Knowing the information above, how can you make people take your work more seriously? How do you let a total stranger know that what you have shot is important? Well, there's only one thing that can possibly draw your attention better than a good frame. That's two frames. If your photo is naturally framed; and then you add a frame and hang it on your wall, it's no longer a photo, it's now a work of Art. If you believe in your work enough to frame it, others will take notice too. They may not admit it out loud, they may not even know why they will want to look at your work again and again, but they will.
In most cases, framing consist of something in the foreground (usually slightly out of focus) that helps set off something in the background. One of the reasons this is such a powerful tool, is that
this is exactly how the human eye sees things. Think about it: A flower at the edge of a canyon, you can either focus on the flower or the canyon, but not both. Your camera, can make both in
focus at the same time (depth of field), but that's not really how you saw it. One of the key goals of any good photographer is to make his or her viewer have an emotional response. The art of
framing helps to breathe new life into an ordinary shot. It can make the difference between a good shot and a great shot!
Framing helps create a sense of depth by creating opposition. It can, but doesn't always add strength by duplicating a similar shape already in the photograph, that’s known as repetition. If you add a frame on a shot that already has framing being used it creates repetition in another way. The bottom line is, if you don't think your photographs are worth a second glance, why should anyone else? Using framing gives your pictures more depth and radiates a feeling of confidence. Give your viewers a reason to want to look again. Use framing.
Source - EzineArticles
demands respect for your work. People tend to look longer and deeper at photographs that use the concept of framing.
When you graduate High School and you get your graduation diploma, what do you do? You usually go home and frame it! When you get your first award winning photograph, what do you do? You frame it! Sure, sure you could just throw your photos into an album; or stick them in a drawer, but when something is important what do you do? You Frame it!
Why do you frame the important stuff? You've already done or accomplished whatever it is you're framing . . . so why bother? When you go into a doctor or dentist office, often you find numerous certificates framed on the wall. Why? It draws your attention and says: "Hey, look what I've done!"and "These things are important to me."
Have you ever been in a photo or art gallery, where all the work was either thrown in a box sitting on a table or stuck in a drawer and you were expected to thumb through it? I don't think so. Why not? Because they want you to see their work, they want to impress you. Often the framed version of the same exact image may be four to five times the price of just the image alone. There is a certain perception there on display. This perception; be it right or wrong, implies, that this image must be of great worth or why else would we bother to frame it? Is it any wonder that you're 10 times more likely to buy a framed photo than just a print?
Knowing the information above, how can you make people take your work more seriously? How do you let a total stranger know that what you have shot is important? Well, there's only one thing that can possibly draw your attention better than a good frame. That's two frames. If your photo is naturally framed; and then you add a frame and hang it on your wall, it's no longer a photo, it's now a work of Art. If you believe in your work enough to frame it, others will take notice too. They may not admit it out loud, they may not even know why they will want to look at your work again and again, but they will.
In most cases, framing consist of something in the foreground (usually slightly out of focus) that helps set off something in the background. One of the reasons this is such a powerful tool, is that
this is exactly how the human eye sees things. Think about it: A flower at the edge of a canyon, you can either focus on the flower or the canyon, but not both. Your camera, can make both in
focus at the same time (depth of field), but that's not really how you saw it. One of the key goals of any good photographer is to make his or her viewer have an emotional response. The art of
framing helps to breathe new life into an ordinary shot. It can make the difference between a good shot and a great shot!
Framing helps create a sense of depth by creating opposition. It can, but doesn't always add strength by duplicating a similar shape already in the photograph, that’s known as repetition. If you add a frame on a shot that already has framing being used it creates repetition in another way. The bottom line is, if you don't think your photographs are worth a second glance, why should anyone else? Using framing gives your pictures more depth and radiates a feeling of confidence. Give your viewers a reason to want to look again. Use framing.
Source - EzineArticles
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