APOGEE PHOTO MAGAZINE: Presenting Your Photographs

Apogee Photo Magazine

Presenting Your Photographs

By Steve Traudt

The moment you trip the shutter is important, but it's only the beginning. How you choose to display or present your work can determine the reaction your work receives.

Matting: Your first concern is preparing a mat for your photo to provide protection, visual isolation, and enhancement. A mat protects a photo from physical damage, including keeping it from touching the glass of the frame. A mat also isolates the photo from its surroundings, allowing the viewer to study the image without distraction. In addition, mats--especially the colored ones--can contribute dramatically to the visual appeal of a photo, although this is more of a decor issue than an artistic choice.

Several types of mats are available. Generally, the use of acid-free materials is essential to the long-term stability of a photograph. Even less expensive mat board is now acid-free. To remain acid-free, the mat board may have an alkaline buffering agent like calcium carbonate added. This buffer resists changes in pH over time. As a general rule, use buffered boards for black-and-white prints and non-buffered boards for everything else. Rag board, made from cotton fibers, is often used by museums. It's very stable but much more expensive than paper products. If you're preparing b/w archivally processed photographs or Ilfochromes (Cibachromes), you should probably use rag board. Otherwise, regular acid-free boards are acceptable.

The topic of mat colors merits discussion. You can control the emotional response to your photo by your choice of mat color. On the other hand, you may wish the photo to stand on its own merit. Thus, if you're preparing prints for a gallery exhibit, you should use white or off-white mat boards. However, a photograph destined for the living room wall might look best with a colored mat. I tend to use light, pastel colors, so as not to overwhelm the image. Perhaps the best way to choose colors is to lay out six or eight colors and place the photo on each color. Usually, one color "feels" best. Selecting two colors for a double mat can be done in the same manner. You might want to cut some corner L's from scrap pieces.

The width of the mat border is important. I've found that wider is usually more effective than narrower. I prefer at least a two-and-a half-inch border. If the mat is too narrow, it doesn't isolate the photo from its surroundings. You can also be bold and try some very wide borders such as four or five inches. Try cutting several different widths and assessing the differences yourself. When the print is hanging, the bottom border is often constructed slightly wider than the other three sides to compensate for the illusion that the bottom is narrower than the top.

Next, we need to cut the mats to size. In recent years, several low-cost cutters have appeared. Logan, Fletcher and Alto now make cutters in the $100 to $200 range. These cutters will work fine for occasional use. For high volume work, however, you may want a professional cutter made by Fletcher, C&H or Keencut. The simplest method is to use a Dexter cutter (about $25) with a metal straightedge. Use a T-square to mark the mat. The elegance of this approach is its cost and simplicity. After a few minutes practice, you'll be cutting professional-looking mats. My friend Bruce Wendorff designed a simple mat cutter made of plywood to be used with the Dexter unit. His invention speeds up work but still costs very little. (For plans, send me a SASE and ask for the "Dexter Mat Cutting Jig" plans. Mail SASE to: Steve Traudt, Box 2585, Grand Junction, CO 81502)

Print Attachment: Attaching the print to the backing board is the next concern. This backing board should be acid-free and should be at least four-ply thick to resist warping. Some framers even use foam-core for the backing to reduce weight, but I prefer Crescents' acid-free 3X board. In former days, dry mounting the photograph was often the preferred method. Dry mounting involves a press that applies heat and pressure with an adhesive tissue to bond the print to the board. However, dry mounting should be considered permanent. A dry mount press is also very expensive. Dry mounting glossy prints often leaves an "orange-peel" effect. In recent years, collectors and galleries have begun to view dry mounting as an unacceptable attachment method due to its essentially permanent nature. Many photographers now prefer passive mounts such as acid-free corners and linen tape to hold the corners in place. Archival plastic corners are useful, too. Some photographers use Scotch Photo Mount spray, but this spray is not archival. You must consider the various methods and determine the best one for your needs.

Framing: A frame provides maximum protection and enhances general appearance. I've found aluminum metal frames to be nearly ideal. They're durable, assemble easily, and are available in any size, including fractional sizes. You can find them offered in many finishes and colors, but I prefer silver or gray. Occasionally, I use gold or white. An aluminum frame provides a quiet, understated look for your photograph. I've never found a photo that didn't look attractive in a metal frame. On the other hand, wood frames are also good. They cost more and scratch easily, but wood offers a certain beauty not found in metal. Just as bright mats are distracting, so too, a very ornate frame can overpower a photo. Remember; photography is a young art form and often looks best when presented with contemporary materials. Choose a simple frame design that enhances without competing with your photograph.

You have several choices in what glass to use. Clear glass preserves the sharpness of the photograph, but glare can be a problem. Non-glare glass will soften the sharpness of the photograph slightly. Tru-Vue Reflection Control glass is my favorite, because it causes very minimal softening of the image. For the ultimate glass, UV absorbing glass is now available. However, it's very expensive. Besides, recent research indicates UV rays are not the only villains. Visible light can cause just as much damage as UV.

In Conclusion, I hope this discussion has given you a foundation for evaluating the many factors involved in presenting your photographs well. Of course, preparing them yourself provides certain economic advantages, but it also supplies artistic satisfaction. Your decision on how to present your photograph is a natural extension of your creative self.

Resources:

Light Impressions is considered the Guru of matting and framing. Their catalog is required reading. (PO Box 940, Rochester, NY 14603. Phone 800-828-6216 or on the Web at: http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/ )

The framing industry publishes a monthly trade journal called Decor. It is $20 a year and worth getting. (330 N. Fourth St, St. Louis, MO 63102. Phone 314-421-5445)

Crescent and Nielsen-Bainbridge are the two most common mat board companies. Call and get their "mat board specifier" to see all the color choices. Also, visit their web sites for lots of info:

Crescent Cardboard Co: 100 W. Willow Rd, Wheeling, IL 60090. Phone 800-323-1055 or: www.crescentcardboard.com

Nielsen-Bainbridge: Phone 800-927-8227 or visit: www:Nielsen-bainbridge.com

Century Business Solutions (formerly called 20th Century Plastics) is a great source of slide, print, and negative storage materials. (Get their catalog. Box 2393, Brea, CA 92822. Phone 800-767-0777)

Frame Fit Company is a good source of metal and other frames. (Call for their catalog. PO Box 12727, Philadelphia, PA 19134. Phone 800-523-3693 or go to: http://www.framefit.com/ )

How Long Is Forever?

Photographers go to extreme lengths to get great photographs. Yet, they often fail to consider just how long their masterpieces will actually last! Ironically, it was a sad day for photography when color was invented. Up until then, black-and-white photographs were quite stable. A properly processed and toned b/w image can be considered essentially permanent. However, the advent of color dyes has led to often-disastrous problems of stability. The curse of decay cuts a wide path, spreading from motion picture films to drugstore prints. The issue has been complicated by the relative reluctance of the industry to admit or reveal the true extent of fading and color-shifts inherent in many popular processes.

Perhaps no one individual has been more active in this area than Henry Wilhelm. He was a founding member of the ANSI sub-committee that established test methods to measure the stability of color photographs. He served as a technical advisor to film director Martin Scorsese. In fact, he received a Guggenheim grant to continue stability research and also assisted Ansel Adams. He has spent much of his life in these endeavors, and his research was first published in his 1993 landmark book, The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs. (I highly recommend study of this important book. Details about it as well as ordering information can be found at his website: http://www.wilhelm-research.com/ .)

Although this subject takes a whole book to cover properly, the following are some general guidelines to help enhance image stability:

Color materials fade because of the color dyes used. Light increases fading. The extent of the damage is dependent on the brightness and length of time the photograph spends in the light. Heat and humidity also affect this reaction. Even at moderate home temperatures of 70° -75° F, fading always occurs, even in the dark! To reduce fading to a minimum, the materials must be stored in cool, dry environment. Paper stored at 35% RH and 65° F will last several decades longer than paper stored at 65% RH and 80° F. Cold storage is the best but often not practical.

For color slide film users, the results are interesting, if not sobering! Wilhelm found the best slide film in dark storage stability is Kodachrome. However, this same film has the worst projector fading stability. The best overall E-6 films are clearly Fujichrome. Of the Fujichrome films, Velvia is not quite as stable as the others. However, Velvia is more stable than Ektachromes and much more stable in the projector than Kodachrome.

For making prints from color slides, Wilhelm named the legendary Cibachrome, now called Ilfochrome, as the clear winner. Although Ilfochromes will fade in light, they're permanent in dark storage. The glossy version is the most stable, due to its polyester base. The next most stable material is Fujichrome Type 35. This product performs better in both light and dark conditions than Kodak Ektachrome papers.

Today's color negative films are much more stable than earlier versions, which were terrible. As a result, whole generations of images have been lost. For example, I was born in 1949. Most of the images in my baby book are black-and-white and still look good. But my sister, born only six years later, has mostly color prints in her baby book. Most of them have faded beyond recognition.

Since the mid-1980s, color dyes have become more stable. Modern photographic prints from color negatives are now rated to last about twenty years, although the Fuji Crystal Archive material may exceed fifty years! However, this longevity assumes indoor display with no direct sunlight or spotlights. Previous materials faded in just a few years, even if they were stored in the dark.

Considering the evidence, you may want to go through your important family photographs and copy them onto more stable color papers NOW. If you have old slides (other than Kodachrome), you can preserve them by making duplicates on Fujichrome Slide Duplicating film. You can also scan old photos and negatives into a computer and digitally enhance faded colors to near original appearance. However, the computer is not the perfect answer it may seem to be. Many photographers assume they can "archive" their best images on computer to be stored on CDs, tape, hard drives, etc. The problem here is twofold. First, will these storage mediums be "readable" in the future? (Remember Betamax VCR tapes?) Second, will software exist in the future to "view or decode" these archived images? Both hardware and software are evolving so quickly that such storage for photos seems risky.

Since ALL color WILL fade (except Ultrastable Permanent Color and Polaroid Permanent Color processes), one might assume black-and-white photography is the way to go. Indeed, a properly processed FIBER base b/w print is especially stable. However, note the word "properly." This means using a two-bath fixing process for the prescribed time, elimination of residual fixer, proper washing, and toning with selenium. Only then can a fiber print be considered stable.

In 1972, Kodak made news with a new black-and-white paper called RC, for "resin-coated." The special paper was made by sandwiching the light sensitive paper between layers of polyethylene. This material soon became very popular due to the quick washing and drying and lack of curl. Unfortunately, very soon, serious problems arose. The polyethylene surface cracked. There was a mysterious "veiling" of the surface, depending on how the print was dried. And some prints exhibited a ghastly brown stain. Improvements have been made in RC technology, but you should still use only fiber-base prints for important images.

Another issue concerns the advent of inexpensive color inkjet printers. While these are found in nearly every home that has a computer, the color stability of the ink is horrible! Typical home-based inkjet prints may last just a few months! Companies are now offering ink sets to be used in popular printers like Epson and HP that are much more stable (and expensive!). One such company is Lyson http://www.lyson.com/, which offers more stable inks for Epson printers. Another source of inkjet inks is MIS Associates at: http://www.missupply.com/store.cgi

An encouraging sign is Epson’s recent announcement of new printers and ink sets formulated for increased stability. The new Epson models 870 and 1270 when used with Epson Heavyweight Matte paper are testing out at twenty-four years (per Wilhelm). Details of the new Epson printers can be seen at: http://www.epson.com/printer/inkjet/sty1270 . It's exciting to see manufacturers turning their efforts toward more stable color prints. Hopefully, HP, Canon, and others will soon follow suit. (Check Wilhelm’s web site periodically for updates.)

Proper storage of photographic images is crucial to maximizing their life. Never use "magnetic" photo albums, as these are particularly damaging. Use only acid-free paper and archival plastic corners to secure the prints in an album. Never use adhesives of any kind! To store prints, negatives, or slides, use plastic pages made only of pure polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene. Pages made of PVC (poly vinyl chloride) are very dangerous. To label prints, use a soft pencil, permanent marker, or black India ink. Write lightly and only in the margins, if possible.

Professional photography studios may store their negative files for only five to ten years. Likewise, you should have reprints made of important portraits before the negatives are destroyed or discarded.

In closing, the issue of permanence is complex and frustrating. Fortunately, improvements are constantly being made, and we now understand the process better due to the work of Wilhelm and others. Common sense will go a long way toward preserving your important images.

The Internet has many good sources of information and I have listed some sites below:

http://www.wilhelm-research.com

www.nara.gov/arch/faqs/aboutph.html

http://lcweb.loc.gov/preserv/careh/photo.html

http://agora.net.state.sc.us/scdah/artofarc.htm

www.uni.edu/petersog/icpctip5.html

www.hfmgv.org/histories/cis/photo.html

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/

http://archival.gaylord.com/

http://www.missupply.com/store.cgi

___________________________________

Steve Traudt supplies a number of unique Hyperfocal products and other great stuff for photographers including Flash X-tenders; Slot Canyon books and video; Black Cat exposure guide and more. See his web site at: http://www.synvis.com/ for complete details. Copyright © 2000 by Steve Traudt