 ReNae Ravan |
How to prepare a photo to sale? I am new to photography and still learning. I created a Deluxe BetterPholio Website because my family and friends wanted to see my photographs. I had a family member contact me about buying 3 of my photos. Since she is family I am not charging her. She wants to have them matted and framed. Had this been anyone else; someone I did not know, would I just print the photos out and give them to them or should I mount them first? On different photography supply websites I have seen supplies for mounting photographs and read several different methods of mounting photos. If I should mount them any suggestions on how? I know this question may seem silly to those of you with more experience but I am new to all of this.
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Thom Schoeller |
ReNae Mounting and matting supplies can get rather costly. The real cost savings there is you buy in bulk if your in the business and do this frequently.
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- Dennis Flanagan Contact Dennis Flanagan Dennis Flanagan's Gallery |
You can get precut mats at Michaels. They don't give the service away, but they will also do your custom mounting. Another option is finding online labs that offer the service. Again, they don't give the service away. Mpix.com has a very good matting and framing service that I have used.
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ReNae Ravan |
Both of your responses were very helpful. Thanks.
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Thom Schoeller |
Yea Michaels is a good option for picking up just a few matts. I Have one nearby, keep my eyes open for sales on frames. I never did answer the question on the method of mounting photos. I always use sturdy foam board. Always secure the photo from the top and let it hang. This way it can acclimate to the rooms humidity changes and not curl on you.
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Dan W. Dooley |
I have a question on sizing. Common frame and mat sizes are 5x7, 8x10, etc. Those are not the size format ratios of the typical photos we're working with. Is it best to size and crop to match the common size ratios or deal with trying to find and work with odd sized mats and frames?
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Dan W. Dooley |
Another question. I understand that the printed photo should be mounted on a backing such as foam board. Does that also apply if the print is going to be mounted in a beveled edge mat for framing? Also (you can tell I've not dealt with prints at all to this point) how is the print affixed to the foam board? I presume some sort of glue or material which is safe for the purpose.
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chrisbudny.com - Chris Budny Contact Chris Budny Chris Budny's Gallery |
Hi Dan... It definitely helps to crop your image yourself, to the known print size ratio you expect to print and frame. That way a lab isn't making a crop decision for you. Cropping to a "retail" standard size will allow you take advantage of self-serve places like Michaels, for potentially cheaper supplies (particularly when you're not framing or matting in bulk.) Of course, some images scream out for a custom size or ratio, and then you have little choice, if you don't have your own mat-cutting supplies. Other times you can reduce expense by going with retail-sized frames, but having custom mats cut--the cutout fits your unique print size, while the mat's outer dimensions fit a standard frame size. Takes some experimenting, to ensure the mat doesn't look too thin or too off-kilter in a frame, but I've seen many off-standard print sizes matted into standard frames. I don't believe the choice of a bevel-edge mat makes any difference in how you would want to mount the photo to a backing. (I haven't mounted photos for sale, only for my personal use, so don't take my comment here as 'professional practice'.) Also, in my personal use, I've developed the habit of NOT affixing my prints to a board, beyond a tiny amount of tape; again, only for my personal use---because I have limited wall space at home, and I want to rotate what images I have hanging from time to time, I end up printing new images at the sizes of my existing frames & mats already on my walls, and just "swapping out" the old print for the new print... much cheaper, for my home use, than getting every single print I love, framed and matted, since I can't possibly hang them all! Granted, this isn't remotely close to an "archival" mount, but since I'm changing my prints (mostly 5x7 through 11x14 sizes) somewhat regularly, it works for me.
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hello ReNae, I had anticipated selling my photos from my Deluxe site but when my printer broke, I decided to have my print orders done by MPIX which led me to another option I use now. I have a Zenfolio website that I direct my print purchases to and they give you several options and control. Zenfolio uses MPIX for the prints and it has worked well for me. Click on my Deluxe site and anywhere you see "Buy Prints" is a link that will direct you to my Zen site. And - my Canon printer cant compete with the $25,000 printers MPIX uses :) Hope this helps, Carlton If you decide to get a Zen account - use my Referral Code: KFZ-B24-7PG to get a discount.
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Lynn R. Powers |
Hi ReNae, Unless it is your parents, grandparents, brother or sister they are going to have to settle for the "FREE" print only. This sounds as if it is for an Aunt or cousin. In this case they are probably fully aware of the costs to frame and mount a photo. It ain't cheap! An 11x14 mounted on a 16x20 board and single matted and framed with glass will cost in the neighborhood of $100 plus taxes and the cost to package and ship to their destination. You said that, "She wants to have them matted and framed. "Did she say that she wants you to do this for her? Either way send her the unmatted print with a note stating that you didn't know her taste or where the photo was to be hung and she would be better able to decide the proper color mattes and correct frame for the room than you could. Once the word gets out that you are doing this additional work for free everyone in the family is going to expect the same treatment. Time is money and by the time you purchase your supplies, do the mounting and matting plus framing it will take a couple hours to complete. Most professions now charge a minimum of $60 an hour for their services plus supplies, parts and shipping. If you do decide to have it done properly please follow Carlton's advice.
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Dan W. Dooley |
Since the time I entered my questions, I've spent a lot of time researching the subject and now I can say that I have a much better idea of how to go about it. I have found some on line sources where I can purchase mat material, backing and poly bags for packaging as well as mailing materials. For the time being I have decided not to go with the larger (11x14) size since all of mine will be sold through my web site and finding suitable mailing packaging at a reasonable price as well as reasonable shipping rates discourages that. I may come back to it later. For now, my sizes will be 5x7 and 8x12. Yes, I decided to go with that ratio to preserve more of the format of dSLR images. For anyone who does not have an already operational web site business, an outlet such as Carlton suggested is a good option. I have had a commercial web site for several years already set up to market and sell collectible related items so the mechanics are already in place for my intentions regarding photo print selling. I'm now in the process of building the pages to feature the collections. Dan,
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Sharda Gorin |
ReNae, I also just started my photo business..I am now getting into framing and mounting. I mount images 8x10 and bigger on a matboard or styrene Board that way I don't have to deal with any bending of my images. There are several companies that offer this to professionals. look into to it. My clients saw mine and now thats all I offer to them... Hope this helps!
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Dan W. Dooley |
Carlton, when you order your prints through MPIX, how do you manage sizing? Do you just use the standard sizes such as 5x7, 8x10, etc. or can you have variations? For example, I would like to have 8 x 12 prints but I want a small white border around them. I want the actual image size to be 8 x 12 so that means the paper would end up to be 8.5 x 12.5. The border allowing me to better secure the print in a mat mount. Does MPIX offer such capability? Dan,
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Dan W. Dooley |
After spending the day mulling over my options and a lot of time on line I've decided to rethink my direction. Going to abandon the idea of trying bordered prints in mat cutouts as I described before. Going to follow the lead of others who have been there, done that, and let a pro lab do their thing rather than my trying it myself. Mpix is one and the other is NPL (Nations Photo Lab). Both their prices for various sizes (I'm sticking with standard sizes) are comparable enough with each other and both use the same pro printing and papers. And will drop ship to my buyers. I think that's going to work out best. Just the printing and having them mounted on an appropriate size back matboard. That will save me from having to go through different sources for materials and will insure good print results. The numerous comments here on this thread convinced me. Thanks, all.
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ReNae Ravan |
Since all of you have been so helpful with my question, I wanted to ask you all another one. When I edit photos on my computer they will look great. When I download them on the web, open them on another computer or burn them to a disc and have them printed the people in the photos have a grayish tint to their skin. Since most of my clients want to purchase a disc of their images and have them printed themselves this is causing a real problem for me. What am I doing wrong?
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Dan W. Dooley |
ReNae, that is an excellent question and I suspect (hope so at least) you will receive a number of good responses all helping to lead you in the right direction. Here's my input. Monitor calibration and "Work Space" are crucial. Probably the most common Working Space profile is sRGB. Your editing software should be set to that. Additionally, the computer video will need to be set to the correct profile which again will likely be sRGB. The fact that they're looking different on another computer as compared to yours indicates that the different computers are not set to the same color profile. That most likely accounts for the difference you see in the printed copies as well. Printing adds a whole new dimension to the things we have to take care of. You need to look at the image using the profile of the printer to be used. Of course since you're giving your clients the images still in digital form they're going to print them on a wide range of printers which you won't have any control over. So the only thing you can do is to give them the most "standard" accuracy images that you can. A particular monitor can be seriously off in color calibration and we won't know it unless we have some standard to measure it against. While editing a picture, you are making it look good on that monitor but if the monitor is off, you are simply compensating for the difference between that monitor and truth. So the first thing to do is get everything set to the correct profiles and then try to caliabrate the monitor. That's a whole nutter' subject. Like I said, I hope others will add to the info for you. Dam,
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ReNae Ravan |
Hi Dan, Thanks for your help. I have calibrated my monitor, made sure I am shooting and editing in sRGB but am still having the same problem. I use an iMac and edit using Aperture. Someone told me this was my problem that Apple monitors were not good for photo editing. I LOVE my Mac. When I say I have calibrated my monitor I used the calibration system that came with the computer. I have been researching this online. In your opinion, should my next step be to buy monitor calibration software or get a new monitor? The software would be a lot cheaper but if it's true that Apple monitors are not good for editing then it will be a waste of money. Thanks again for all your help.
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Dan W. Dooley |
ReNae, I am surprised that you are receiving negative comments regarding Apple monitors. Though I have no personal experience with Mac software or hardware, I was always under the impression that Mac is the defacto standard when it comes to creative user preference including photo editing. I think I would discount the advice that Apple monitors are no good for photo editing. I've been using the tools which came with my monitor (Samsung) to calibrate mine and I know that there are various software packages avaialable for calibrating but I understand that the best choice is a hardware method. Those serious about monitor calibration will use hardware tools for the purpose. The problem with using software is that you are operating in something of a loop. If the software package displays a test strip of red, for example and you calibrate to make it look red, how do you know it's really red? It may look that way to the eye but it's sort of calibrating against itself and thus the accuracy is only going to be so reliable. My intent is to get a hardware system for monitor calibration. The one I've been recommended is on the order of $149 and is used by a friend of mine who swears by it and also by at least some pro-lab printing sources. Now the name escapes my mind but I suspect that there are a number of good options. One thing I did was to download the printer profiles from a major printing outfit (Mpix) and I use that to do a "proof look" at my images. For the most part the actual color differences are almost non-existant but there are often slight differences in brightness and saturation between my normal work area and the proofs. I have also played around with printer profiles for my own photo printer (though I'm not actually printing any photos on that one) so looking at the work space profiles you're using might be worth while. I can't make any suggestions on what or how since I have no knowlege of Mac software. Dan,
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Lynn R. Powers |
ReNae, Whomever it was that said that Mac monitors were not good for editing is full of hooey. Macs have been the preferred monitor by professional photographers for a long time. I am having different problems with my iMac and am ready to toss it and I haven't even finished paying for it. But for photography I am extremely satisfied. As to the photos coming out grey on other sites and CD's I think your screen may be a little too bright. I used the A-Z grey scale that is toward bottom of the reviews done by dpreview. I needed to reduce my brightness some so that the difference in white between A&B and the black between Y&Z were just discernible. By doing that you should be able to see the difference in shades in each square. It was senseless for me to use a color chart since I am partially color blind anyway. And as far as the deep shades of magenta are concerned, fugetaboutit.:-(
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ReNae Ravan |
Thank you both so much. Lynn I went to dpreview and you were right I could not tell any difference in A-C or Y-Z. I adjusted the brightness and the contrast. I think this will help.
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Dan W. Dooley |
Don't forget the gamma adjustment. That will make a big difference too. When I get back home later this week I'll try to remember to add the URL of a couple of pages which offer some pretty good test patterns for such adjustments.
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Jen Cordero |
We have the solution. At http://www.mattingplus.com we have better quality and prices compared to most Big Box stores.Our company is an On-line store. We also do custom work. Weather you have a small project or big project we can help. Check out our prices and see !!!! http://mattingplus.com/prices_ron.php Call us for FREE Estimates. LIKE US at: FACEBOOK and see our Gallery of clients.
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