My main foray into photography is more in the display of other people's picture's. And as you can imagine some of them are, well lets just say less than perfect. So I usually try to bring the subject to the centre and try to hide all of the distracting background. This is a picture of my grandson with what I would like to call a background masking frame. I would really like some comments on it. I am also inclosing a pic of the final product that I sell. So please don't hold back I want some honest comments here--Lenny
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In the face highlights and the dark spot in the hair bothers me a little, more natural tones would be better in my opinion. The expression and look into the camera are very good.

I think I follow that this would go into the wood frame as the others, would it replace one of them, or are those other shots, they appear to be untouched non-digital shots in the frame.

Sometimes bad backgrounds are overlooked and not noticed with Candid closeups and posed shots of family such as this. I wonder how bad the original might be. If the background can be blured through wider Aperature and longer Zooms that can be another way to remove the background. I've also been lucky using bounce flash for interior shots. I've also used burning and dodging of background to lighten or darken to help the subject stand out.

In your previous grandkids post I like the top one, the second is similar to this with contrast, and the eyes bother me(something not quite right, was it red eye removal, but then affected by post processing further?), The other shot in that thread is nice with the background removed and more natural tones than others, although contrast is still on high side for my liking.

I just grabed the picture of my grandson just for an example I'm more interested in the framing to the picture. The example frame is one of mine and the pictures are old (1970's) But as you can see in the frame all of the matting is produced in photoshop and I'm trying new one's that I hope are acceptable but not the centre of attraction as it were. I do collage's for these frames also and have posted one or two. I find if people have a lot of old photo's stashed away they like to put them on display but as I said some pictures have more background than subject so I try to mask it but also give the pictures a commonality. Its the over all look that I'm interested in.--Lenny

...but I really don't understand what you want help with...?
framing?
masking?
background?
color matching a set of photos?
positioning a "head shot" portrait in a frame?
It could just be me (as I said above, I'm a bit slow) but I'd guess you'd get more useful feedback if you were a bit more specific.
Apologies if you were specific and I missed it...
Bob

sometimes what I'm thinking isn't what I'm typing. I think what I am looking for is -Do you find the masking distracts from the picture more than just the normal background would? Because the frames I put them in are never the same size to suit a 10 x 7 photo I need to blend the picture to match. I realize I could just have a matting cut but I am trying to come up with a less expensive alterative. In the sample frame I posted, the pictures are just glued to a gold painted massonite. The result gives the whole frame a uniform look and somewhat three diminsioal appeal. I begining to realize that this is hard to explain what it is I'm looking for, but thanks for the input.

Well, my personal view is that I'd rather see portraits on plain backgrounds and with regular borders. Also I don't particularly like the idea of the portrait looking out from deep inside of a recess. Maybe they would be better appearing to be mounted above the background with drop shadow, or even physically on wood itself.
It is a difficult concept you have there...
John.

Hi Lenny,

Ok beware honest comments coming : Personnally, I'm not crazy about the curtain like fabric in the back and the recessed effect. I find it distracts from the picture and adds little to the overall artistic value. I find it almost looks like he is in a display box. I would not coutour the face like this. It looks uncomfortable. Or I would surround it with something less overpowering, lighter and more subtle (like you have in another thread), but as I said it is my very personal opinion and it has been known to be strange at times

Hope this helps

Julie
PS: the multi-frame wall mounting looks very nice.

as the ones on display have, a digital photo can be sized to fit the oval how you want it.

In my previous post I did not mention, but the dual pattern frame does not do it for me, I find myself distracted from the photo itself. I quickly pulled it into PS yeterday and tried to tone down the contrast, and then I tried darkening and then lightening the frame away. I think distracting background with a simple oval matte would work well as the ones you already have displayed.

Sometimes, and I'm sure this happens to all of you, you have to step back and have a good look. I get bored with things quickly and like to try new things out. Having said that sometimes what works, works and I have to learn to leave it alone. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond and give me some feed back.-Lenny