I have done two photo galleries and have been asked to do a third.
The first one I had my photos in different size frames and matted to match the dominate color in the photo.
The second one I matted my photos all the same white mat and did not frame.
I have heard several different views on this topic. I don't think there is a rule or guide that is generally accepted. Problems occur when the frame becomes the main point of interest instead of the image. When I judge images, I have marked down images because the frame distracted my attention from the image and I have never upgraded an image because of of the frame. It is a good frame if I don't get distracted by it.
Frames/borders are important and should be used. If you look at my recent images you will see the same frame/border regardless of colors in the image. I am finding that this using this frame/border helps more than it hurts and it will never be the main attention grabber.
@cirasj I think @chapjohn makes some very valid points. In my opinion you can't go wrong with a black mat and no frame. You have probably seen it said hundreds of times on this site " Looks best on black" and I have yet to see a photo that wasn't improved by that. Just my opinion
i like @chapjohn 's points... i think the key thing is that the frame and matte should be simple and distraction free... i think either a white matte or a black matte would be fine - but i would want to be consistent so that the eye is never tempted to linger on anything but your image...
@northy@chapjohn I like the simple white mat. The issue I see with a frame is that it may not fit someones decor. With a simple white mat, they can frame the photos anyway they would like.
Consistency is the key. In general all the same materials, all the same theme, or all the same size.
Having never been in a solo show, I usually make sure when I am participating in a show that the frame and mat are the same for all photos, but I also look for a general theme. I like to think of showing a curated collection of a moment in time and not just my favorites. I recently handmade frames and cut the mats and was really impressed by that.
I would lean towards a lighter mat because rarely does it really look better on black (it just has less distractions of other screen items here). Also every photo in black has come back to me whereas the white mats tend to sell.
And in a gallery show here where the winning photo is purchased by the Philadelphia Museum of Art they actually start the judging on if the overall presentation was taken seriously and is mistake free. So framing does count as an upscore.
I like black mats with a white core (where the white core shows as an edge around the photo). I have shown my photos in mats (8 X 10s in 11 X 14 mats). I know some like white mats. I have also displayed my 16 X 20 photos framed. I have used natural wood framing and black framing. The black framing seems to be the most popular among the viewers of my shows. I do not mat the larger photos due to the cost of the mats.
The setting of my exhibit determines whether I used matted or framed photos. During a group exhibit of photos at a gallery, most of us showed matted photos. This was good for uniformity. I presently have a photo display at a local insurance office. I placed matted photos there, because their display shelf might or might not hold up to the weight of the frames. At other exhibits this year, I have displayed framed photos, because the smaller ones would have been lost in the space of the display area. In some instances, I wish I could have gone bigger than 16 X 20, but I could not afford to do so.
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Frames/borders are important and should be used. If you look at my recent images you will see the same frame/border regardless of colors in the image. I am finding that this using this frame/border helps more than it hurts and it will never be the main attention grabber.
how exciting to shown!!!!!
Having never been in a solo show, I usually make sure when I am participating in a show that the frame and mat are the same for all photos, but I also look for a general theme. I like to think of showing a curated collection of a moment in time and not just my favorites. I recently handmade frames and cut the mats and was really impressed by that.
I would lean towards a lighter mat because rarely does it really look better on black (it just has less distractions of other screen items here). Also every photo in black has come back to me whereas the white mats tend to sell.
And in a gallery show here where the winning photo is purchased by the Philadelphia Museum of Art they actually start the judging on if the overall presentation was taken seriously and is mistake free. So framing does count as an upscore.