I start with rough cut, four-quarter Mahogany from a mill in Manahga, Minnesota. I cut it into lengths that work for my frame sizes, rip it into planks the width of my specific frames, and run it through a molding machine using knives I designed. While each frame is made from a single piece of wood so the pieces all have similar grain and take the stain with a similar color, any time one works with real wood, grain and color can change through a board.  When I find a knot or other unusual feature in a board, I make sure that section is on a frame.  This and the fact that every piece of Mahogany has its own grain, iridescence, and look, make each frame a unique piece itself.

I use a miter saw to cut the molding to the appropriate lengths, then glue the edges and put the pieces in a Merle Clamp, which holds it firmly while I get all the corners lined up.  Then I use pocket-holed screws for a strong joint.

I use framers points to install my linen liners, so if sometime down the road, one needs to remove it, it can easily be done.  Frame shops premanently nail the liner to the frame, so it cannot be changed without destroying it and possibly the frame.

I install the mounted canvas with framers points, then seal the back with kraft paper, install hanging wire with D-rings, and put foam bumpers near the bottom edge.  While there isn’t really a reason to seal it,  I like the clean look of the sealed back, and it prevents dust from collecting and having to worry about cleaning the backside. Lastly, I put on a label identifying the image and print number with my name and copyright.

Keep in mind that despite being kiln dried for consistency, solid wood rarely stays perfectly straight when cut into strips, as it ages, or with changes in humidity. The different grains within a board can be at varying moisture content over time, or react differently to changes in humidity, so frames may not always lay perfectly flat, and individual pieces may not always be perfectly straight. This is natural and a trait of all wood products made with narrow strips. Also, more intricate the grain patterns and the area around knots are most susceptible to board to flex when cut, aging, or with humidity changes.

Printing on canvas revolutionized photographic printing, especially with larger prints. Canvas prints are varnished like paintings, thus eliminating the need for glass, so canvas prints have no reflections or glare at all. This allows the full color of the image to show, making them vibrant and beautiful, and the entire image can be seen from any angle in the room. Without glass, they are lighter and safer to hang, and since there is no matting, a larger image is displayed in the same footprint on the wall. Moreover, the texture in canvas brings an image to life—it ‘feels’ real, like looking at an actual scene instead of a picture.

More recently, printing on other surfaces has become available, such as metal, acrylic, and glass, with metal prints being the most widely used. While the shine of these surfaces make an image seem amazingly vibrant—an immediate ‘wow’ factor—they have even more glare and reflection than glass. It’s almost impossible to position them so that one can view the entire image without glare or reflections—often of the viewer themselves—and it won’t be possible from every position in a room. Also, as the texture in canvas brings an image to life, the ultra smoothness of metal has the opposite effect—it makes them flat and lifeless. Once the novelty of the shine wears off, the reflections and glare become genuine irritations—not ideal for something that is supposed to make a room feel pleasant and welcoming for decades.

My customers buy my work to set the mood in a room and to take them to those places. Canvas prints provide a richly colored, natural scene that feels real, and allows people to feel like they are there, experiencing the scene for themselves, from everywhere in the room. They have a refined and classic look in solid wood frames, and a contemporary feel in wraps, but always provide the room with the ambiance desired.

I plan to experiment with other woods as time goes by, and I can now make frames out of specific woods if a customer has a preference.

Or the related, uplifting comment…

“Oh, these are just photos…so they didn’t require skill or anything…”

Comments like these are made occasionally in my booth at art festivals. The reality is that photography is one of the most difficult, time consuming, and expensive forms of art to create. Photos are expensive due to the enormous investment of time and resources required to create them.  It requires not only talent and skill, but tenacity, patience, travel, endurance, and braving the elements at all hours of the day.

Every art form requires a different set of skills. Photography involves technical thinking as well as artistic aptitude for composition and color. Understanding the physics of light and how it is captured by the equipment, and using that knowledge to fully utilize those tools requires extensive study and experimentation. Understanding lighting is a lifelong endeavor, and using it effectively through composition is a talent, a skill that is constantly developing.  The various steps involved in processing images and making prints take tremendous amounts of time and dedication to learn and master.

Unlike other art forms, however, photographers cannot simply apply their skills and create images. Beyond the talent and vision required to capture effective images, photographers must find an actual place, and work with whatever lighting is present at that time and location. This challenge is unique to photography.

This often requires hours, or even days, of driving followed by hours, or days, of hiking with heavy equipment in tow. Once a scene is discovered, it must be explored for composition, then analyzed for lighting. The trek is then repeated regularly, each time setting up all equipment, and waiting in hope for amazing light, which is fleeting if it occurs at all.  Photographic excursions are expensive and time consuming, emotionally and physically demanding, ultimately dependent on good fortune, and often yield no usable images. This reality makes photography very expensive and difficult to pursue.

Furthermore, each photo is an exclusive, once in a lifetime opportunity–which is also unique to photography. If a painter makes a piece that is very popular and the edition sells out, they can make similar paintings at will. When the edition of a photo sells out, it cannot be replaced. A photographer cannot recreate the scenes they photograph–they will never again have that lighting in those conditions on that scene. Thus, time, money, and effort are continuously order mexican tramadol invested in acquiring new images.

In the realm of art, photography is distinctively difficult and costly to create, and it is priced accordingly. Like all art, it must be enjoyed passionately to be pursued successfully.

Please comment on this or any post if you’d like further discussion of the topic…

I hear these comments regularly in my booth at art fairs.  For some reason, people routinely credit the camera for photos that impress them. These statements are no different than telling a painter “Your brushes make nice paintings!” or telling a chef, “My oven doesn’t make food like that.” The camera is merely one tool used in the first step of the photographic process. The end results demonstrate the skill of the one using it, just as with paint brushes and ovens. Like all artistic endeavors, it is the tenacity, vision and talent of the photographer that result in great photos.

To make stunning photos, one must start with a good capture, which requires going to the location at the right time of day, doing so repeatedly until the light cooperates, and then using the equipment skillfully. The camera must be kept stable, which is generally achieved with a sturdy tripod and cable release. Photographers then utilize many techniques–filters, multiple exposures, varying shutter speeds, etc.–to capture images that they can process to fulfill their artistic vision.

Capturing the image is only the first step of the process. Photographers “work” their images extensively–bringing out details in the shadows, making sure bright areas aren’t blown out, and meticulously fine tuning color tones, saturation, contrast, and all other aspects, in every area of the image.

This is followed by test printing to ascertain how these details display on a print. Then, if necessary, further fine tuning of all adjustments until the prints are accurate.

Capturing and processing a photograph for display and sale is a long, arduous, and creative process. The notion that a photograph is good because a high quality camera was used completely dismisses the work and expertise involved.  While most professional photographers do–as do professionals in any field–use high end equipment, it is virtually irrelevant in regard to the excellence of their work. The quality of their photos is determined by their skill, vision, talent, creativity, persistence, and attention to detail throughout the process.

Feel free to post any comments…I love discussions on all areas of photography!

The wood is mahogany, which has a subtle grain and takes stain very well, giving them deep, rich tones.   When combined with the linen liner, these frames provide an incredibly beautiful presentation that is elegant and refined.