Your Preferred frame color for B&W

[Chris Strobel]

Just curious what you B&W photographers prefer when it comes to frame color for your work.Assuming a white over mat, Black, silver white, other?

[Greg Lockrey]

Matte black simple frames with white rag matting.

[JW Dewdney]

one vote for waxed basswood.

[PViapiano]

Black, without hesitation, is my first choice.

Shade of dark brown is a possibility if the print is an obvious sepia tone with an off-white mat.

A light maple can be effective with a B&W print and white mat.

[gregstidham]

I used German Silver for my last show. They worked nicely.

Normally, I think black is great looking and I use them for larger shows.

[Ron Marshall]

Black metal:

http://www.framedestination.com/showitem.aspx?productid=rfnipc00009000014100

[Vaughn]

Silver metal (profile #11) for selenuim-toned silver prints -- bright white mats

Black wood for carbons and Pt/pd prints -- natural white mats.

Sometimes a dark reddish wood for Pt/pd prints

Vaughn

[Ben Chase]

I am a big fan of the slightly wider, wood black frame with a pure white single mat.

I don't like the black metal frames for B/W...couldn't tell you why for sure...just doesn't look right to me.

[Chris Strobel]

I've always used thin black anodized and grained metal frames, black, with bright white mats at 16x20 with my 8x10 prints, but now that I'm doing 16x20's I'm thinking of going with maybe a brushed silver, or even white.I'm not sure why but the black is just not sitting soldily in my mind.Maybe seeing Ansel's show a couple months ago all in silver has messed with my head.


I am a big fan of the slightly wider, wood black frame with a pure white single mat.

I don't like the black metal frames for B/W...couldn't tell you why for sure...just doesn't look right to me.

[Ben Chase]

I've always used thin black anodized and grained metal frames, black, with bright white mats at 16x20 with my 8x10 prints, but now that I'm doing 16x20's I'm thinking of going with maybe a brushed silver, or even white.I'm not sure why but the black is just not sitting soldily in my mind.Maybe seeing Ansel's show a couple months ago all in silver has messed with my head.

I'll have to take a look at silver...hadn't considered it before.

[Vaughn]

I'll have to take a look at silver...hadn't considered it before.

It can look very clean and miminalist -- enough to seperate the print from the wall, but not be in-your-face like black. Also depends on the wall paint color and surroundings.

Vaughn

[tim atherton]

I did a series in white frames recently - looked good.

[Eric Brody]

Have you considered contrast gray? It looks terrific with white board matted prints.

Eric

[Donald Qualls]

I like a neutral gray -- pewter finish works very well, especially the gradated "antique" look where indents are darker than protruding surface areas. A cove molding type shape gives a nice series of light-dark gradations that will pick up almost any tone in the image. Within the frame, I like a neutral matt with a value chosen to complement the image -- if the image is overall dark, a darker matt makes the low-value detail easier to see, while a lighter image will be less "dazzling" in a lighter matt.

I should also point out that I strongly prefer neutral to cool tones in the print itself, unless the subject matter really cries out for warm or sepia (which would require an entirely different matt and frame color).