Assignment 211 Presenting Photo Images

Now back at college in my last but one week and trying to consolidate my thoughts in regard to the final assignment in the course.
"How do we present the images"

Before embarking on talking about this particular topic we must set out the base criteria. In order to achieve this we must answer three basic questions

Why - are the images to be displayed
How - in terms of how to display the images
Where - in terms of where the images are to be displayed


WHY - This is the most fundamental of all questions and is the basis of the main point of the question on presentation. Why is the image to be displayed ? who is the audience ? What are their aspirations ?
For instance are the images for display, purchase, personal use or contract purposes

In the case of my images, the question is simple to answer. The "why" is to attend the course and obtain an initial qualification in Photography. The audience is the marking authority and I need to convey the images as professionally and impressively as I can. In addition I need to consider the ease of viewing from my fellow students and lecturers and be ever mindful of the cost aspect of this issue.

But in the broader context the "why" is far deeper. Are the images to be displayed by family, sold in isoation, used as advertising material, wedding albums or other reason ?? The answer must be clearly defined in order to answer the following questions of "how" and "where"

Indeed the answer may well determine the form and context of the picture inorder that the maximum value( not just financial) is achieved. Ina ll walks of life it is important to always understand the drivers of the market and exactly waht thier aspiration are. Only with that understanding will we ever be able to answer the "why" question and its relativity to photography.


HOW - This question refers to the medium of display and will vary greatly depending upon the answer to the question above.
Online, blogg, album, canvas, prints or whatever to capture the required mood, performance as well as the audience aspiration.
Being specific to my case, the choices are varied. Do I present single images, a bound portfolio or other means. Cost and accessibility are major things to consider as the opinions of my fellow students.  If I present as a series of pictures there is the inevitable problems associated with changes, choices of materials, taking on board comments etc.
It does seem that the blogg will be the most appropriate as it specifically does answer the main questions in terms of cost, ease of access etc and give ample opportunity for the other students to comment on the images.
However again looking at the broader picture, lets just explore the other mediums of presentation which will display my images assuming I had not chosen the blogg route.
There are various web sites available for photo books, canvases, prints, mugs, mouse mats or a variety of other products. Some are shown below.

For each of these products I will need to download the relevant software and go through the various options in order to arrive at my optimum output.
The most popular is the photo book which outputs a photo album of printed images. As part of this process I will need to chose which pictures I wish to feature, which layout, which colour, back ground and a host of other variables to suit the subject matter I am trying to convey.
Also important is the size of the image and the layout on the page. Both can easily be viewed and changed in the respective software.

With single pictures there are a number of ways to present the image. Borders are a very important aspect and can add considerably to the mood of the picture. A photographer once said that pictures should be viewed as music is listened to "with great mood". Dramatic pictures with a high mood content could look better with a vivid background or even a strong frame whereas a more sombre picture would ideally be suited with a sober background, subtle frame or even sepia. Again it is important to understand "our market" and exactly what the drivers are and what message are we trying to convey ???

For instance, one of my chosen pictures I have explored the principles behind changing the border to achieve a better end result.

The mood of the picture demanded a blue tone but the darker colour served to enhance the lightness of the sky and contrast the river. I tried various other colours but none seem to have the desired imapct as the blue.

Canvases also provide great expression, especially with textured finish.

Assuming the pictures are to be presented on their own, the decision needs to be made in terms of the materials to be used, the colour, the frames and the size. Are we to print on acrylic, textured or smooth paper ?? Which suits the presentation better ?? Softer pictures are better expressed with greater relief on the canvas as the indents tend to enhance the natural shadows.

There are again a number of suppliers who can supply the relevant materials either for manual presentation or online images.

Manufactured borders and frames are another way of expressing the end result. Numerous are available in all shapes, sizes, textures and colours. The final choice will again depend upon the image itself and the message to be conveyed and of course the audience who will eventually view the image.

For instance a heavily detailed picture with many focal points and "sub" images will not need a "busy" border or frame, which would inevitably distract the eye from the main subject. On the other hand a fairly simple shot with subtle detail would work better with an elabolate border or frame and well defined colour. 

Samples of frames are below



WHERE - Again depends upon the answer to the questions above but could include, on wall, in books, on computers, in albums.
As I note earlier the "where" in my particular case referred to the "blogg" which we created some months ago. Its ease of access, lack of cost and adaptability made it the obvious choice. But it has its draw backs. Images are viewed as small jpeg images where detail is lost and images are very much "flattened". Also tbe colour contrast is not great so although it is agood medium "in the short term" for longer and better presentation and appreciation other areas of display should be considered.

The gallery is an obvoius choice and the choice of many good photographers. The reason for this is the great availibility of size of the end result to greate a greater appreciation of the image. But here agin lies great variation and options to explore.
Is the image better presented as a large image or small ?? is it better in a higher plane or lower ?? is it better with low or high light ? Also the way the images "sit" with others can be greatly explored in a gallery situation.
There are no fixed rules but what ever works is good.

Of course we cannot ignore the use of online galleries of which there are numerous but they suffer the same fate as the blog noted above.
Albums are another choice of display but there size and ease of reading lend them rather more to the commercial and advertising medium than anything else. But once again the layout, colour, arrangement and final choice of material will inevitably depend upon the image to be conveyed and the message to put out.