Having really cool photographs isn’t really much good when they just sit on the computer all day.  The true fun of photography is seeing your work in print, and printing, framing, and displaying your own work can be a lot of fun.  When I returned home in autumn after riding my bike across the country this summer, I took a job at a custom frame shop so I could learn the skills and art behind photo framing.  Custom framing can be very expensive, so for me it was worth learning to do so that I could frame my own artwork and save a bit of money by buying materials wholesale and doing the labor myself.  Plus, I like the added control I get over the final product.  It’s nice knowing exactly what materials and techniques have gone into one of my custom framed pieces.

I actually don’t have any of my own work up on display, because even with all my cost cutting practices, printing and framing pieces still isn’t cheap.  I decided that really needed to change, so I picked one photo I really like, my “Bull Elk on the Madison” photograph from Yellowstone National Park, had it printed on canvas.  One of my incredibly talented photographer friends, Paul Leverington, prints on canvas regularly and after seeing some absolutely breathtaking canvas prints he has produced, I really wanted to give it a try.  I wanted to print something on the bigger side so I chose the “Bulk Elk on the Madison” print because the quality and subject matter made it suitable for a larger print.  In my opinion, not all photos make good large prints, as some subjects, such as tiny birds like chickadees, are better suited to smaller pieces of art regardless of the quality of the photograph.  Eight inch tall chickadees just look funny.

Landscapes and large mammals, on the other hand, can generally be printed as big as possible and still look appropriate.  So had my elk image printed to 14×20 on canvas, purchased stretcher bars and a frame, and assembled the piece myself.  The end result is one I’m pretty happy with.  I think the frame works really well with the printed canvas and finishes the look nicely.  Here is the final piece, propped up against the wall via a table in my dining room.  Silly me forgot to grab picture hooks from the shop last night, so right now it won’t hang on the wall.  I’ll fix that soon, but I was just too eager to share my excitement to wait until it was up.

FYI, I do sell prints on canvas as well as custom framed pieces.  Because they take a bit longer (and my website is currently undergoing some major changes) I don’t have them listed right now, but you can contact me via email if you are interested in purchasing one of these beautiful pieces of artwork.