Seeking advice on printing/framing/displaying wildlife photo: For my very good friend’s 80th birthday, I want to give him one of several fox-in-snow photos from this winter. He wants...

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

For my very good friend’s 80th birthday, I want to give him one of several fox-in-snow photos from this winter. He wants to display it in his beautiful mountain home.

How would you recommend printing/framing such a photo to make it special? Metal, acrylic, matted and framed? What size would you recommend?

I am attaching one of the photos that I am considering to give context to my question.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

(Download)

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

My experience with mountain homes / cabins is they are very dark-wood centric. I would assume a charcoal-black wood frame with white matt would work with both this image and the assumed space for hanging the image.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Thanks. His home is actually quite bright with many floor to ceiling windows with a wonderful view of the Vail Valley. Does this change your recommendation? What size do you think is optimal for such a photo and setting?

bleirer

In my opinion a mat should pick up or complement a color from the image. Double mat. Thin layer of grey, thicker of orange/rust. I'd crop out the tree on the right, nothing interesting as far as texture, light, sharpness, and the tree on the left is sharp, nice texture, good quality of light, and tells the viewer where the fox is and what it is doing.

Photocraig

bleirer wrote:

In my opinion a mat should pick up or complement a color from the image. Double mat. Thin layer of grey, thicker of orange/rust. I'd crop out the tree on the right, nothing interesting as far as texture, light, sharpness, and the tree on the left is sharp, nice texture, good quality of light, and tells the viewer where the fox is and what it is doing.

I agree with the crop suggestion, cut in from the right to the base of the tree and the top to make the aspect ratio work. Nice expression capture.

As far as the double mat, this is a "taste" issue. Keeping the photo colors like the fox or gray liner with white over mat would look great. Frame color should suit the decor and not distract from the presentation. Also, suggest using glare free glass in a light and airy space.
C

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

How do you think the fox cropped would look in acrylic or metal? What size would you make it?

bleirer

Framed prints are classier, unframed better for informal areas such as a rec room. Size depends in part on the wall it is intended for, it should not look crowded or lonely. I've used Bay Photo, they are a top quality pro printer but anybody can place orders. They offer many standard sizes and will customize. They will, mat, mount, and frame as simple or as fancy as you wish. Not cheap but not bad. Download the ordering app, you get a lot more choices than just using the online ordering. Might be a coupon for money off your first order.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Bay Photo will provide you with professional matted, and I think maybe framed but can't recall, images. I generally use plain, but wide frames and a white or cream-colored single mat. I do all my own matting and framing. It's really simply a matter of taste, yours or his. I like brown frames for many animal shots as opposed to a black frame. I also have found that it's nice to have multiples that match, i.e., mat and frame. These are all "designer" choices and are personal to the individual.

Nice shot, very crisp and clear. If you use Lightroom you can use the Transform tool to increase the image which will move the trees out of the shot. For animals, I generally make every attempt to highlight their face and brighten their eyes.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

genocolo wrote:

For my very good friend’s 80th birthday, I want to give him one of several fox-in-snow photos from this winter. He wants to display it in his beautiful mountain home.

How would you recommend printing/framing such a photo to make it special? Metal, acrylic, matted and framed? What size would you recommend?

I am attaching one of the photos that I am considering to give context to my question.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

First, talk to your client to get his thoughts. Visit his home and look where he wants the images hung.
Then, yes, consider metal, acrylic, matted and framed results. I prefer matted and framed because I use my double and triple matted images to enhance the colors in the image BUT also bring out colors the client wants in their living environment.
Metal prints are nice and maybe a mix would work well. But, first things first, check with you client and spend time with them to determine exactly what their needs, wants, are.

Dan Mc Loc: NM

I have used EZ Canvas Prints for a while now....canvas over a frame, no frame visible. Inexpensive and rather unique.

BudsOwl Loc: Upstate NY and New England

genocolo wrote:

For my very good friend’s 80th birthday, I want to give him one of several fox-in-snow photos from this winter. He wants to display it in his beautiful mountain home.

How would you recommend printing/framing such a photo to make it special? Metal, acrylic, matted and framed? What size would you recommend?

I am attaching one of the photos that I am considering to give context to my question.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

I would consider cropping out the tree on the right and at the same time changing the aspect ratio to square. Then depending on the hanging location print at 9 x 9, 10 x 10 , 12 x 12 or 16 x 16, double matted and framed in an appropriate sized square frame having a minimum of 1.5 inches to a maximum of 3 inches of space between the photo and the frame. I have done a couple of shots this way where square was better than the in camera aspect ratio.
Bud

ngrea Loc: Sandy Spring, Maryland

Since you are doing several pictures, consider how they might be grouped together on a wall, and what size walls he has available. Maybe 4 squares to make a bigger square? Or assorted sizes that highlight different poses to hang over a bed or sofa for a gallery wall? Or will the each be hung in a different room? How they will be hung may influence shape and color/style of frame and mat.
Does he live there full time or is it a second home? An unoccupied Cabin may have higher humility (I know from personal experience). If that is the case consider canvas, acrylic or metal prints as they are less likely to get musty.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Many thanks everyone for your interesting and innovative suggestions. I agree that I need to find out exactly where one or more will be displayed in his home. That will determine size. I can also ask his preference on framing. Your recommendations on Bay Photo, cropping and even squaring the images are all good and will be considered. I will let you know how it all comes out.

Bill P

Go into a real museum, not a sales gallery, but a place where fine art of all times are displayed. Note how things are framed.

You will never ever see a colored matte. Mattes are always either white of cream in color. Frames are likely black wood with no needless ornamentation, which would distract from the image. And mattes are usually substantial, at least several inches wide at a minimum. And rarely are the mattes weighted at the bottom.

And almost always the image is signed on the print, on a wite border below the image. Rarely signed on the matte.

MichaelMead

First of all, I would recommend against non glare glass as it makes the picture fuzzy when raised up by mats. Instead I would use anti-reflective glass. It looks like clear glass but has an anti reflective coating. It also provides UV protection which should be considered if the house has a lot of light. Second I would consider the suggestion of a gray mat, or possibly the gray top with small orange bottom. You're framing this for a friend not a museum so make it personal. The frame should reflect his style of living area as well as go with the image. Something in a woody frame that goes with the picture and the space around it. You want to make it personal, not bland. It's a very nice image.