GeekSugar

Ask Casa: Framing Fine Photography

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:13 -0800

Hi Casa,

I am adding, for the first time ever, fine photography to my apartment. However I am at a loss when it comes to framing styles and arrangement.

One set of four photographs is horizontally-oriented and black-and-white. I'd like this set in my bedroom but don't know how to arrange them so they look more interesting seeing that they're all horizontal. Tips? Regarding framing them, I'd like to know which types of frames (color, matting, etc.) you recommend for my room seeing that the walls are white but most of the accessory pieces in my room are either antique brown wood or a few wood pieces I've painted bright coral and Yves Klein blue. Are white frames my best bet? Can you frame b&w photographs in brown wood?

The other set of photographs are two color photographs, also horizontally-oriented, that will be nearly facing each other on opposite walls. Tips on framing, matting, and color? They need not match, do they?

I appreciate any tips you might be able to offer me!

Best,
Daniela

To see my suggestions for Daniela, read more.

Hi Daniela,

How exciting! First of all, I wouldn't worry too much about making them "look more interesting" - adding fine art to your home will instantly give it a face-lift regardless of how it's arranged! But, I'll give you a few tips.

As for color, I do think white frames are your best bet. They won't compete with the artwork, and they go with everything. But, you can also go with silver or stainless steel for a more contemporary look. And yes, you can definitely frame black and white photography in brown wood. Another option is to use frameless glass clip frames, which have a more contemporary, minimal look.

I'd say for the set of four photographs, keep the frames cohesive. If you want to choose two different mat colors for the set, you can do that to give it a little edge. But don't get too crazy, maybe go with a gray mat.

For the set of two color photographs, go with a white or off-white mat. For the frames themselves, you can do two different colors or finishes if you like seeing as they'll be on different walls. Select colors that will make the images pop. But make sure the two colors don't clash.

As for arrangements, one option is to use picture ledges. This style allows you to easily move around your photography when it's feeling stale. You can also add a smaller piece of artwork, or even a knickknack, to play with scale. A layering effect (setting one frame slightly in front of the other) is nice, too.

You can't go wrong with a box-shaped arrangement. Just make sure you keep them evenly spaced.

You can also hang two rows of frames a bit off-kilter from one another. It should be enough that the arrangement doesn't look like a mistake, but not too much that the bottom frame is hung between the top two. If you choose an off-kilter arrangement, make sure the distance between the top two frames and between the bottom two frames is the same.

Or, if you happen to have a really long wall, you can hang the four of them side by side. This will give you more of an art gallery effect.

Hope that helps!
Cheers, Casa

Source and Source

Cool Capture: Mediya's Philippines Vacation

Geek Community — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:07:46 -0800

GeekSugar reader Mediya used her phone camera to document Philippines vacation, and posted photos in our Cool Capture group:

Rather than being caught without a camera on a vacation, I decided to take pictures with my My|Phone Dual-Sim Phone, taking advantage of my 2GB memory card storage. The resolution is a very low 96 dpi with image sizes of 352-x-288 pixels, but I sharpened my images using Paint.net, a free download. I must admit that I am a newbie at photography, but I enjoyed my vacation, and Puerto Princesa City in Palawan Islands is still one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines, if not the world.

View the rest of Mediya's vacation photos in her Cool Capture slideshow.

Do you have a photo you absolutely love? Join our Cool Capture group and share your image, the model of camera used to take the photo, and a little about the image or moment you captured and it could be featured on GeekSugar. Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Do You Consider Detail Views When Shopping Online?

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:00:49 -0700

In my review of the Home Decorators Annandale Jute Area Rug last week, I voiced my concern that the rug didn't resemble the product image on Home Decorators website. An anonymous commenter on the post shared a similar concern, saying she would have passed on the rug from looking at the product image, but after reading my post and seeing my own photos of it, she ordered it! Home Decorators was pleased to receive my feedback and have let me know that they've already begun to add "Detail View" photos to certain rug collections, including the Annandale Rug. And, they've said they will continue to add more photos to other collections and products.

I'm really pleased to hear this, and to see how swiftly they responded. I personally rely on detail photos a lot when I shop online, and I also look at them before I recommend a product to you all. Home furnishings are investment (and a hassle to return), and if you don't have the ability to see them in person, it's important that you can get a good look at a product through photos. I know the power of Photoshop and I am wary of being fooled, so seeing detail views is reassuring to me. Do you consider detail views when you shop online?

Stunning Cool Captures From Around the Globe

GeekSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:05:48 -0700

The submissions to our Cool Capture group - a place where we encourage readers to share photos they've taken, the model of camera used to take the photo, and a little about the image or moment when it was captured - are an absolute treat to look at. If you've got a photo or a collection of images you'd like to share, and are new to the PopSugar Community, here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups. And if you'd like to learn more about any of the photos below, just click on the thumbnail!

View 10 Photos ›

Wonderfully Wacky Camera Phone Accessories

GeekSugar — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:13:24 -0700

I'm all over my iPhone's camera (not only for snapping pics, but for useful stuff, too), so finding these camera phone accessories made me giggle with amusement. These gadgets may help your camera function more efficiently and expand its range, or they could turn out to be humorous exchange gifts for your next office Christmas party. You be the judge. Source

View Slideshow ›

Cool Capture: A Black and White Long Exposure Experiment

GeekSugar — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:02:20 -0700

There are so many awesome photos to choose from in our Cool Capture group, that it's getting hard to decide which one to feature here! If you're anything like me (and I have a feeling you are), then you always have a camera handy just in case an opportune moment arises to capture something beautiful, just like GeekSugar community member icecreamsprinkle who shot this image. I adore light trails, and sometimes it's experimentation that gets you the best results. She says:

Using my Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, I took this picture while experimenting with the long exposure setting on the highway at night and it was raining.

I love how you see something new in this picture every time you look at it. (Do you see a face? I do!) If you want to test out long exposure yourself, check out my tips on shooting light trails, and get to snapping!

Do you have a photo or photo collection you absolutely love? Join our Cool Capture group and share your image, the model of camera used to take the photo, and a little about the image or the moment you captured, and it could be featured on GeekSugar. Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Cool Capture: San Diego Clouds Taken With a Cell Phone

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:27:04 -0700

Can you believe that this stunning photo was taken with a cell phone's built-in camera? And it wasn't even the camera on an iPhone or a BlackBerry, but a 2-megapixel camera on an LG Versa cell phone. I have to say, the entries in our Cool Capture group continue to impress me!

One of the latest breathtaking submissions comes from reader tlmort13. She says:

I drive out to a job site in the desert from San Diego every week, and a few weeks ago I was able to capture these images using my LG Versa cell phone . . . the sun was just streaming through and the clouds looked amazing.

Create Your Own Photo Planets With the Polar Panorama Effect

GeekSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:35:46 -0700

I stumbled upon this great blog post, which shows examples of panoramic photos that have been altered in Photoshop to create your own little planets (like the one shown here), and got lost inside the 50 examples they provided for this fun and unique effect. I'm all about learning new ways to have fun with my photo library, so naturally I added this to my editing experimentation to-do list. Plus, the effect totally reminds me of the planets from Super Mario Galaxy, and you all know how much I adore that game.

This tutorial shows you how to make the effect yourself, and although it looks like a labor-intensive process, the steps are actually quite easy - just straighten your photo so the image is level, make the image a square, rotate, and apply the "polar effect" in Photoshop.

Check out the details on this tutorial page and have fun with your own images!

Cool Capture Roundup: Picturesque Travel Photos

GeekSugar — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 07:02:00 -0700

As our Cool Capture group grows in popularity, so do the wonderful submissions. Last week I was loving the beautiful photos of flowers and today I want to showcase some gorgeous travel photos from readers: KWM, laxchick13xmx, senorita, and KristinDaBomb. Click on the photos to read about each photo and to learn what camera and technique each reader used to get such a great shot.

Leopard On an Evening Hunt	Just Another Day in Paradise
Rhode Island Sunset	An Orphan in Oaxaca, Mexico

Will You Use the New Photoshop App?

GeekSugar — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:16:08 -0700

There's no shortage of photo editing software programs or cool iPhone camera apps, but Photoshop is arguably one of the best around. The free (yes, free!) app lets you perform basic photo editing tasks: crop and rotate, adjust colors, add tint or switch to black and white, and add filters or effects like vignette blur and warm vintage. Creating an account on photoshop.com and store up to 2G of photos that you can access anytime straight from your phone.

You can download the Photoshop app from the App Store.