How to choose a frame for your art photography

You just bought an art photography and you wonder how to frame it:

Which choices will you made and how to make them?

Generally, you are not going to be alone to make those choices. Your gallery or your framer are going to help and guide you and give you the best advices.

However, here is some trails about those choices:

Which frame system should you choose?

There is tree kind of frame used in photography. 

The under glass framing:

The most popular solution is the framing under glass. Your photography will not be transformed. 

It is surrounded by a back, glass and may be a passe-partout (piece of cardboard which separate the photography from the glass).

Florin FIRIMITA, Margot (silhouette), series: “The bookstore project”

The mounted:

The mounted is a technique which look really contemporary. Your photography is stuck to a support like aluminium. It will turn the photography to a stiff picture, thanks to that, you will be able to expose it without a frame.

You can associate it to a frame and a glass, it’s usually done for big printings.

Douglas KIRKLAND, Australia, 2008

The shadow box:

This technique associate the two precedent type of framing. 

The mounted photography is hooked in the middle of a wood or aluminium box which give us the feeling that it is floating. 

So you can choose the color and the thickness of the box.

Stephen WILKES, E3 Woman’s Ward, 1998-2003, série : “Ellis Island”

You chose an under glass frame:

Which type of frame should you choose?  

When we talk about style, there is only your own decision. You can prefer an ornemental or a basic and simple frame. The gallery usually prefer minimal and plainness style, it helps highlighting the photography and wont disturb the eye. 

You can change the gap between frame and picture with a passe-partout. 

You can choose a wooden frame which will be able to sweeten the photography. If you choose it in black it will clearly separate the picture from the wall, and in white it will be more discrete . 

Some times it can be possible that a fantasy frame with moldings or thick wood, help the interpretation of the work. It’s only your personal choice and interpretation.

Douglas KIRKLAND, Dita von Teese, 2006

Which kind of glass should you choose?

If you chose an under glass frame, some different kind of glass from simple to really specialized exist to protect your photography. 

A simple glass will protect your art work from environment but you can be disturbed reflects it produce.   

Anti-reflective glass existe, there are frost on one side. It obstruct the reflection of light and let you watch the picture without being disturbed. Anyway you must be carful about the gap between the picture and this type of glass because the bigger it is, less transparent is the glass. 

Finally, you can choose more specialized glass which have anti-UV protection. It will protect the photography from damage caused by light. 

The two last treatements can be combined to protect and let you appreciate the photography.