[pure-silver] Re: matting square prints
- From: Shannon Stoney <sstoney@xxxxxxx>
- To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2005 07:58:46 -0600
This is interesting. I am afraid I could not quite follow your
directions for optical center finding, but usually I can sort of
eyeball it.
Somebody told me once that the reason prints are usually mounted with
more space at the bottom, is that prints were formerly often hung
salon-style. A lot of prints, therefore, were hung up pretty high,
so that the viewer had to look up to see them. If you've ever been
to the Barnes collection in Philadelphia, you know what this means:
there are paintings from floor to ceiling it seems, on all the walls.
Horrible, really. But back in the days when prints were really
prints--that is, etchings, lithographs, etc from a printing
press--apparently they were often hung this way, and our photographic
tradition of calling our work prints, and mounting them with extra
space at the bottom, may derive from this. The extra space was needed
at the bottom to make the prints look centered, when they were five
feet above your head. Now, however, it's a convention, and that's
why it looks "funny" if you don't have extra space at the bottom.
This is just something I heard and I don't know if it's true.
--shannon
>This is a matter of taste.
>However, IMHO, a square print looks best mounted and matted on a vertical
>board. As the print placement, the 'optical center' should be considered and
>the print adjusted from there. It is easier to explain the optical center
>location with the aid of some illustrations, but FWIW here is an attempt to
>do so in some unpolished words, which are part of an article I'm currently
>working on:
>
>
>
>Print Orientation and Placement
>
>Since it is one of the most important functions of the mount to visually
>isolate the print, optimum print orientation and placement consists of
>properly apportioning the space around the print. Most photographers, unless
>specializing in landscapes, produce the majority of their images in a
>vertical print composition. Vertical prints demand a vertical mount-board
>orientation, and generally, the reverse is true for horizontal prints.
>Nevertheless, horizontal prints can also be successfully mounted on vertical
>mount-boards, especially when exhibited within a panel, dominated by
>vertical prints on vertical mounts. Square prints call for a vertical
>mount-board orientation more often than not.
>
>Unless you are aiming for a very special effect, nobody will probably argue
>with the understanding that the print should be centered on the horizontal
>axis of the mount. However, attractive print placement on the vertical axis
>requires a closer look into optimum print isolation and subjective
>preferences.
>
>It is commonly agreed, and obvious even to the most untrained observer, that
>a print, centered on the vertical axis, appears to be placed too low on the
>mount. This print placement creates the unfortunate optical illusion that
>the print is not equally spaced at top and bottom. In other words, the print
>seems to sag below the vertical center. To remedy this unsightly situation,
>alternative print-placement techniques must be considered.
>
>One accepted technique involves placing the print near the 'optical center'
>of the mount. This makes for an attractive print placement in the majority
>of situations. To find this optical center, align the upper left-hand corner
>of print and mount-board in point 'A'. Now, bisect the remaining spaces to
>the bottom and right of the print, creating lines 'a' and 'b', respectively.
>Then, connect point 'B' and '0', creating line 'c', which intersects line
>'b' in point '1'. Finally, align the lower right-hand corner of the print
>(point 'C') with point '1' on the mount-board. The print is now at the
>optical center of the mount.
>
>Nevertheless, this technique is only considered to be a good starting point,
>and not an automated substitute for accomplished design or personal
>preferences. If placing the print at the optical center results in an
>unattractive, narrow border on top or bottom of the print, additional
>vertical adjustments have to be made. While making these adjustments, the
>bottom of the print must never be below line 'd', to clearly avoid the print
>from being optically placed too low on the mount. Line 'd' resembles your
>individual, minimum, vertical print offset. Its location depends on your
>personal preference and style, but I suggest line 'd' to be at least 10%
>above line 'a'.
>
>Let us summarize the method of finding an optically pleasing print
>placement. Locate the optical center, and place the print at that location.
>If this results in the print being too high or too low on the mount, slide
>it up or down until you reach a more attractive distribution of space, while
>always maintaining a minimum, vertical print offset. In most cases, optimum
>print placement is achieved when the print is horizontally centered and its
>bottom edge is vertically located between points '1' and '2'.
>
>
>
>
>
>Regards
>
>
>
>Ralph W. Lambrecht
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>On 2/21/05 8:02 PM, "Shannon Stoney" <sstoney@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> I am getting ready to mat some medium format prints. I printed them
>> at 8"x8". I am trying to figure out whether it is "normal" to mat
>> them in a rectangular or square mat. Would it make more sense for
>> example to make the mat 16x16? or 16x20?
>>
>> --shannon
>>
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