Framed or unframed, and which colour
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Every print here comes either unframed or in a box frame, in black, white or natural. Here is how I would choose, and when I would choose the other one.
What the frame actually is
A box frame — sometimes called a shadow-box or float frame — holds the print slightly recessed behind the moulding, with acrylic glazing in front and no mount board. The print appears to sit inside a shallow box rather than behind a window.
Two consequences worth knowing. It reads as more contemporary than a mounted frame, which suits photography and suits aerial work in particular. And because there is no mount, the image runs to its own edge, so nothing crops it.
The glazing is acrylic rather than glass. Lighter, does not shatter, and survives being posted across the world — which matters, because these are made to order at the lab nearest you and then shipped.
When to go unframed
Three good reasons:
- You already have a framer. A local framer will beat any mass-produced frame, and if you have one, use them. Buy the print alone.
- You are hanging several. Groups often work better with framing decided as a set, in person.
- You want the largest possible image for the budget. An unframed 61×91 costs less than a framed 41×61 and covers more than twice the wall.
Unframed prints arrive rolled in a tube. They will want a day flat, or a few hours under something heavy, before framing.
Choosing the colour without seeing it
Black is the safe one and the one I ship most. It reads as a border, containing the image and separating it from the wall. Best on white or pale walls, best with images that have real contrast — the cliffs, the darker aerials.
White disappears against a white wall, which is either exactly what you want or a waste of a frame. It suits high-key images — pale sand, bright water, a lot of sky — where a black frame would feel like a full stop the picture did not need.
Natural is the least neutral of the three and the one that most depends on your room. Against warm walls, wooden floors, or in a room with other timber, it belongs. In a cool white room it can look like it wandered in from somewhere else.
The honest shortcut
If you cannot decide: black frame, largest size that fits the rule about two thirds of the furniture width. It is the combination that goes wrong least often.
If the image is mostly pale — sand, shallow water, mist — switch to white and keep everything else.
What you cannot change later
Nothing, really. That is the point of made-to-order. Nothing is held in stock, so there is no batch to match and no reason to compromise on which frame you actually want. But it does mean each print is made once, for you, and cannot be exchanged for a different colour afterwards — so the five minutes of deciding is worth taking.