need tips mounting, lighting and where on earth can i get 4x7 prints?

*touchmyichi* · 10-13-2009, 10:14 PM

Hi everyone!

So I'm going to appear in a mixed multimedia show to present my photos next month. I'm pretty excited, it's kind of like the debut of my photography. It will be a house show with several musicians, poets, and visual artists. I have plenty of room to put up as many shots as I want though. When thinking of solutions for me, keep in mind that this show is pretty low key, so I don't want anything that sticks out too much. This is especially important for lighting.

Anyways, I have a lot of questions about this. My idea is to put large black drapes on the wall and then attach my photos on to that. I'm actually considering passing on framing entirely though I am toying with the idea of making my own frames. I feel frames would jack the price of this way out of my budget and I can do something more creative given the limitation. Would any of you guys have any ideas for attaching photos to a cloth? Is there something I could put behind the photo and then on the other side of the cloth that would adequately hold it up in place?

My second question is where in the heck can I get some 4x7 or 8x14 prints? A ton of my pictures use this crop and I would really like to keep them in that ratio. Out of curiousity, does anyone else use this ratio? I find it so perfect for landscapes.

Lastly, I'm looking to find some cheap solutions for light. During the performances people are probably going to be crammed in the space my photos will be in. So, anything on the ground is out of the question. The best thing I could think of would be to hang some lights down from the ceiling or on the wall closely adjacent to my shots. Would anyone know anything about some cheap/effective lighting that would mount in such a way?

Some of this was really hard to describe so sorry if this is confusing at all.

*Wheatfield* · 10-14-2009, 07:09 AM

A good lab operator will set up a channel for making 4x7 prints, it isn't hard. Otherwise, put your 4x7s onto a 5x7 canvas and then trim the rebates off.

little laker · 10-14-2009, 04:19 PM

I believe that on fuji frontier labs 4x7" is already a preset size. It prints a 178 mm photo on 102mm paper.

At least that's what we do at the lab I work at, so I imagine they're all set up with that size.

*Wheatfield* · 10-14-2009, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by little laker

I believe that on fuji frontier labs 4x7" is already a preset size. It prints a 178 mm photo on 102mm paper.

At least that's what we do at the lab I work at, so I imagine they're all set up with that size.

4x7 is the full frame print from APS, so it is a size that should be set up on any photo lab that prints that film format.

mysticcowboy · 10-14-2009, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by Wheatfield

4x7 is the full frame print from APS, so it is a size that should be set up on any photo lab that prints that film format.

You may be right, but I though that the APS sensor was 2x3 (4x6 print).

little laker · 10-15-2009, 01:38 AM

Originally Posted by Wheatfield

4x7 is the full frame print from APS, so it is a size that should be set up on any photo lab that prints that film format.

I've never had to develop any APS film, so I had no reason to know this

Although it makes sense to me, thanks for the info.

I was thinking of looking at a used Nikon earlier today, which takes APS film.... that is until I read Ken Rockwell's report on it, saying that it was Nikon's crummiest APS SLR

It would be nice having a small, light weight, good quality SLR for when I'm out on a hike.

little laker · 10-15-2009, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by mysticcowboy

You may be right, but I though that the APS sensor was 2x3 (4x6 print).

It does, however there's no relation between them other than the name

I copied this from Ken Rockwell's page, located at this link.

APS is a dead film format from the late 1990s. APS is a little smaller than 35mm film, but a little bigger than Nikon DX or Canon 1.6x cameras.

The full APS-H frame is 30.2 x 16.7mm. The shapes don't match, but comparing diagonals, APS-H has a 1.254x crop factor.

The side-cropped APS-C frame is 25.1 x 16.7mm. APS-C has a 1.435x

alohadave · 10-15-2009, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by mysticcowboy

You may be right, but I though that the APS sensor was 2x3 (4x6 print).

For APS-C. APS-H is slightly different in aspect ratio.

Advanced Photo System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

*Wheatfield* · 10-15-2009, 07:36 AM

Originally Posted by mysticcowboy

You may be right, but I though that the APS sensor was 2x3 (4x6 print).

4x6 is a bit of a crop off the sides of the APS format.

Gampa · 10-15-2009, 01:53 PM

touchmyichi,

Best of luck on your show! In regards to hanging, you did say you were considering not framing your prints but at the very least you might want to consider having the prints drymounted on acid free foamcore and displaying them that way. It would be less expensive for you than framing and the foamcore is rigid and comes in standard white and in black. And if someone purchases a print, it's "ready for framing" and all they'd have to do is get their own frame. You'll have to find a picture or frame shop that does drymounting OR there is self stick foamcore available if you want to do it yourself. Be forewarned that while not dificult to do, the self stick is pretty sticky and not very forgiving so you have to be careful in positioning and laying the print down to avoid creases and air bubbles.

Hanging without a frame creates a problem but if you use a cloth backdrop, my suggestion would be to locate some type of hooks that you could tape to the backside of the print/foamcore then simply hook through the cloth backdrop. Check at a fabric store or an art and craft store. I believe I've seen thin S shaped hooks made specifically for hanging artwork on fabric panels at art shows but don't know exactly where you can get them. Maybe a Google search would help.

Just my two cents.

Gampa

*Wombat* · 10-19-2009, 07:33 AM

If you really want to just display the photos, you could buy some acid-free poly sleeves, pop the photos in them, set up a clothes-line against the drapes and hang the pictures in their sleeves with clothes pegs. I've seen it done and it's quite effective and very cheap to do. Having just had an exhibition where I did my own framing I'm here to tell you it doesn't do your blood pressure any good at all! (But it does look good).

For some zero-cost lighting, depending on the room, you could borrow three or four bedside lamps (the goose-neck type), clamp them onto a broomstick or length of plastic pipe and suspend it from the ceiling.

Best of luck, mate. I'm excited for you.

*touchmyichi* · 10-19-2009, 06:54 PM

Thanks so much for all of the replies everyone! Lots of good ideas here to play around with.

First off, I was looking more for a place that would do 4x7 online, any suggestions? If not, I guess I can look for a lab or cut the 5x7's.

I really like your ideas gampa and wombat! Clothesline sounds interesting, but I kind of want to theme all of my shots together, so I want to have a lot of control over placement. Lately I've been thinking of buy a bit of cloth and using velcro to attach it to my photos? Or maybe I could use the foamcore. Either way, it's great to have a lot of ideas to toy around with and I really appreciate all of you guys throwing them at me.

*Canada_Rockies* · 10-20-2009, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by Gampa

touchmyichi,

Best of luck on your show! In regards to hanging, you did say you were considering not framing your prints but at the very least you might want to consider having the prints drymounted on acid free foamcore and displaying them that way. It would be less expensive for you than framing and the foamcore is rigid and comes in standard white and in black. And if someone purchases a print, it's "ready for framing" and all they'd have to do is get their own frame. You'll have to find a picture or frame shop that does drymounting OR there is self stick foamcore available if you want to do it yourself. Be forewarned that while not dificult to do, the self stick is pretty sticky and not very forgiving so you have to be careful in positioning and laying the print down to avoid creases and air bubbles.

Hanging without a frame creates a problem but if you use a cloth backdrop, my suggestion would be to locate some type of hooks that you could tape to the backside of the print/foamcore then simply hook through the cloth backdrop. Check at a fabric store or an art and craft store. I believe I've seen thin S shaped hooks made specifically for hanging artwork on fabric panels at art shows but don't know exactly where you can get them. Maybe a Google search would help.

Just my two cents.

Gampa

MPix, among many others, will mount on foam core. I had some 12x8's done by them. Watch that they might come out a bit undersized in the mounting process. Wait until the prints arrive and measure before specifying the mat opening if you are planning on matting the prints.

I second the motion on the foamcore backing. It makes the prints flat. Use Filmoplast or similar tape to hang them on your draperies. It's archival, and will hold long enough for a show. It's meant to mount prints onto mats.