What am I suppose to do

[Pfiltz]

with all these prints now? Someone told me that once I got a DR up and running, I'd run out of wall space soon. I haven't even gotten into toning either. I think I need to be more selective about what I'm printing and shooting.

I'm just now moving into printing 8x10's, and am wondering what to do with the 20 or so, 5x7's that I've printed well enough, that I wouldn't mind seeing them on the wall somewhere... I don't even dare to take them home to hang.....

[vinny]

Tack them up somewhere. Wait a year. Reprint all the ones you've come to realize could be better.

[Chuck P.]

I have plenty of wall space, a goodly amount of prints, but the decision to spend money on the mounting and framing must be done very selectively.

[sully75]

push pins are really not that bad.

[Peter Lewin]

I have plenty of wall space, a goodly amount of prints, but the decision to spend money on the mounting and framing must be done very selectively.

One way around the cost is to use the metal sectional frames, where you can open the frame with a screw driver. Within a format (35mm, 6x6, 4x5) I normally print to very similar sizes, so when I have a new batch of prints, I swap the weakest of those already on the wall for the strongest of the new batch. Because things are "standardized" I can re-use mats, and I'm re-using the frames, glass, etc. I normally dry mount, but if you corner mount, that too is minimal cost.

A more interesting discussion, and possibly not for this thread, is what becomes of all those "archival prints" we proudly make. Even if we are selective in our printing. over the years I, and probably many of you, have accumulated boxes of lovingly made archival prints (in my case, carefully dry mounted on 16x20 archival board...). I do wonder what my daughters will do with them when those boxes become part of their "inheritance." (I suspect I know the answer...).

[Andrew Tymon]

Maybe there needs to be a "don't let out life's work end up in the dumpster print swap" .

[Pfiltz]

but the decision to spend money on the mounting and framing must be done very selectively.

So true. So far, I'm just getting pre-cut mats and metal frames from Hobby Lobby. I probably have 30 16x20's and 10 or so 20x24 prints on the wall at the studio, but those are all digi work.

I think I need to find one image that I really like and print it, and push myself to get the max out of it, -vs- just shooting, and printing this and that.

Trying to find my way...

[Cletus]

Maybe there needs to be a "don't let out life's work end up in the dumpster print swap" .

This sure sounds like a good idea to me! The vast majority of my best prints are "displayed" in archival boxes under my darkroom counters. The notion that someone other than myself might see and appreciate them someday is an appealing one.

[papac]

I think Peter Lewin have a point. Treat it like a portfolio, only the strongest should be there. I limit my portfolios to 10 or so and my goal every day is to make a new picture that can take a place among them and put away another. My goal keeps me on my toes and I do this both for my clients image, my portfolios and for my personal work. What happens with all the killed darlings is an other topic

[mike rosenlof]

I have a bunch of prints, almost exclusively 8x10, in plastic pages and in a file cabinet. A whole bunch.

I share prints with friends and family. They're almost always 8x10 prints that I just give as prints, not mounted, not framed. The recipient can do whatever they want with the prints and I won't be offended. I realize they might look at it and toss, put in a drawer and forget, album, or frame and hang on the wall. I expect that some have been tossed, and know that the other actions have happened.

I don't think it's a great idea to give artwork as gifts. People have such varied tastes and don't necessarily want to feel obligated to display something. I think if you give away something matted and framed, you're saying "this is art, hang it on the wall". When I give away prints, I do so as prints, not as a piece of art, even if I think of it that way. I treat them pretty casually.

I've heard the story that when Edward Weston printed a new neg that he liked, he would often fold up the print (contact from 8x10 neg) and send it to his sister. Maybe even without an envelope, just stamp on the print folded in thirds. (I've probably heard this about 5th hand, treat it as unconfirmed rumor) That's one way to treat a print casually!

Just my opinion.

I do like the portfolio idea. I'm feeling like I should go through my prints regularly with the following goals:

Pick my N favorites (N is To Be Determined)
Pick some I like but could print better
Note some ideas for future photographs (some I like but could shoot better)
Throw away the weakest 25%