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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> Are There Risks to Framing?
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01/19/2008 12:44:46 AM · #1
I'm curious how most folks view added digital frames when voting on challenge entries (this is unrelated to the current "framing" challenge).

I have been looking at quite a few entries lately where the first thing I see is the frame, not the "photo". My normal first step when viewing a photo (during the voting process) is to guess how I would view and compose the scene as presented through the viewfinder if I were taking the picture myself.

I never "imagine" a frame when taking a photograph. So, during voting, when I see a framed image pop up, it is disconcerting. I'm not voting on what I want to see hung in a museum or on my wall, I'm voting on my impression. Framing an entry ruins the illusion. There is plenty of time for framing after the ribbon is awarded.

Am I alone?

01/19/2008 12:49:10 AM · #2
To me borders = bad. Bad borders = horrendous.

As with every rule there are exceptions.
01/19/2008 01:10:26 AM · #3
There is a risk with everything here... someone isn't going to like it, no matter what. So, do what ya want.
01/19/2008 01:12:39 AM · #4
I am generally not a border fan, but lately I'm seeing some subtle, tasteful, minimal borders that seem to "dress up" an image. To me a good border on a photo is like having freshly shined shoes.

A friend of mine was describing a very young employ saying, "You're supposed to have shiney shoes and dull slacks, and he keeps getting it backwards." A bad border is as noticeable as "getting it backwards."
01/19/2008 01:13:56 AM · #5
Most of the time, I don't like them. I've seen outstanding pics deserving of a high score (and an expensive real frame after printing), but the digital frame does take away from the image in these contests. Definitely IMO!
01/19/2008 01:16:50 AM · #6
Originally posted by Dr.Confuser:

I am generally not a border fan, but lately I'm seeing some subtle, tasteful, minimal borders that seem to "dress up" an image. To me a good border on a photo is like having freshly shined shoes.

A friend of mine was describing a very young employ saying, "You're supposed to have shiney shoes and dull slacks, and he keeps getting it backwards." A bad border is as noticeable as "getting it backwards."


I'll second this. I too have noticed several photos with small accenting "frames". Personally I think that with a little common sense you can dress up an image with a little trim. Just my $.02 - FWIW
01/19/2008 01:17:13 AM · #7
You'd see the borders go away if you could set the background color to the page. Some photos simply look better in white or black rather than what we have now.
01/19/2008 01:27:54 AM · #8
Originally posted by Dr.Confuser:

I am generally not a border fan, but lately I'm seeing some subtle, tasteful, minimal borders that seem to "dress up" an image. To me a good border on a photo is like having freshly shined shoes.

A friend of mine was describing a very young employ saying, "You're supposed to have shiney shoes and dull slacks, and he keeps getting it backwards." A bad border is as noticeable as "getting it backwards."


I'm all for subtle, tasteful, and minimal as well. It should almost be a thoughtful afterthought.
01/19/2008 02:36:25 AM · #9
FWIW?

5 of the 9 current ribbon winners ALL HAVE BORDERS...



I know some don't care for "borders" but it appears that the majority of the voters do not mind so much.
01/19/2008 02:53:00 AM · #10
I've always been of the opinion that having a subtle border is much better than not having one. It tells the voter that it's a finished product. It also suggests that the photo is worthy to be framed even if it's not. I always try and use a border whenever possible. The only time I don't is when I feel it harms the negative space in the composition.
01/19/2008 03:50:11 AM · #11
Some photos just draw your eye right on out of the shot. On those, I hate suddenly coming up against a "wall". Some just don't look quite finished without a small, tasteful border and some, like the timelapse snowboarder, are just MADE by the border.

One size does not fit all! :)
01/19/2008 04:30:57 AM · #12
I agree with Yanko - please let us set the background colour! Or have it black for everyone.
01/19/2008 06:39:03 AM · #13
So what do you think about a border like this? I got some comments from people saying they didn't like it but it scored fairly high. I have a hard time deciding on a border too. When there are only a couple colors in the photo I tend to want to add color on the border. I have to fight with myself.

By the way...I just remembered. This is the Kodak Picture of the Day today!

Message edited by author 2008-01-19 06:50:51.
01/19/2008 06:41:32 AM · #14
Personally, I think I'd like it better without. I think it would accentuate the impression of "wide open spaces" that the scene evokes. :)
01/19/2008 12:56:45 PM · #15
About 10 entries ago or so I started adding borders to my entries. Not all borders work for me though. I have some early entries with borders that I just can't understand why I chose the border I did. The kind I use now is the same on any image I enter here. I make a 5 pixel wide selection along the edge of the photo and then decrease the lightness using hue/saturation to -61. Occasionally though I will go all black. So far I have been really pleased with this method.
01/19/2008 03:10:35 PM · #16
IMO, borders (and vignetting, for that matter) are best done when done with subtlety. If the viewer can notice it, or if it "jumps out" then it may be too much.

I saw another shot on another site this morning. It was absolutely beautiful. However the framing was not. While it wasn't a garrish frame, it just didn't "fit." The picture's subject was very delicate looking and the frame was very bold. It really detracted from the image.

When I'm voting, I will sometimes comment on the border, but will rarely (the case above would be one of the rarelys) vote down on it.
01/19/2008 08:11:39 PM · #17
So I guess I can assume that when in doubt, don't add a frame? I've heard no one say that they vote an image higher because of framing, regardless of how well done, but a bad frame can spoil a good image.

No one has indicated that a great frame can help a bad photo.

Venom's noting that 5/9 of the images on the front page are framed, doesn't prove that frames are the reason they're successful. It is circumstantial evidence at best. I took a random sampling of pages in each of the contests that are now represented on the front page and there were framed images in varying proportions in all of them.

01/19/2008 08:18:06 PM · #18
Originally posted by karmat:

IMO, borders (and vignetting, for that matter) are best done when done with subtlety.

I agree completely! ;-)

I border all my prints, mostly because I want to add captions, and they are rarely cropped to standard print sizes. But I've found I rarely border entries anymore, unless they really need to be separated from the gray background by more than the standard one-pixel black line, or they'd be too small to qualify without it.
01/19/2008 08:42:03 PM · #19
I used to put borders on everything. Now I put borders on nothing. Sometimes they're just a phase. As others have noted, when used subtley and with restraint, they won't hurt your challenge images.
01/19/2008 08:43:11 PM · #20
Sorry to ask a faq (and I've read the rules but I can't find anything) - is the border size to be included in the max 640 or 720 image size, or does the image itself have to be within those sizes and a reasonable border in addition?

I've never really framed any of my shots but I think I should give it a go but don't want to DQ a good image just for the border.

Thanks

N
01/19/2008 08:44:16 PM · #21
The entry size includes any border you add.
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