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One of the oldest companies, Olympus has had a long and historical journey. Olympus digital cameras are being used all over the world today. Let us take a look at the glorious history of Olympus here.

Olympus was started way back in the year 1919 under the name of Takachiho Seisakusho. In fact, the first optical product made by the company was not a camera, but a microscope! The name ‘Olympus’ was introduced in 1921 as a trade name for the company’s optical products.

There is an interesting story attached to the name of Olympus. It has a deep, deep meaning attached to it as well. According to Greek mythology, Olympus is the mountain where the Gods live. And, Takachiho is the mountain where the Gods live according to the Japanese texts. In fact, all the names associated with Olympus cameras have a hidden meaning to themselves. For example, the first product made by Olympus for photographic purposes was the Zuiko 75mm/F4.5 lens in 1936. This is an abbreviation coined from the name of Olympus optical plant (Mizuho Kogaku-kenkyujo) and also has a hidden Chinese meaning.

In the ’30s, Olympus introduced many different types of cameras. Due to the world wars, production suffered from time to time till the ’40s. The Twins Reflex camera was introduced in 1950s and became instantly popular. In fact, hundreds of models based on this technology were developed by several manufacturers. But it was the Olympus Rolleiflex which set the standard for these cameras in the industry.

However, it was the Olympus PEN which was launched in 1959-60, which established Olympus as the manufacturer of small cameras in the market. The PEN was light, small, innovatively designed and could take 72 shots in one roll! It became increasingly popular and helped Olympus to gain hold of the market. After this, there was no looking back for Olympus and it went from strength to strength.

As far as digital cameras are concerned, by the 80’s and ’90s, the video camera and the consumer digital cameras were already present in the market. However, they were not of very high quality and could only used for web publishing or low-res prints. But, by the late ’90s, technology had advanced greatly and prices had also dropped, hence consumers were now going in for digital cameras more and more. It was at this time, in the year 1996, that Olympus introduced its P&S style cameras which had a resolution of 810.000 pixels. Slowly and steadily, Olympus came up with a 2 mega pixel and then a 3 mega pixel camera by the year 2000. At this time, one of the significant launches of Olympus was the 2.11 mega pixel model C-211 which also had an in-built Polaroid printer.

Today, Olympus is considered to be one of the well-known digital camera manufacturers in the industry. The latest digital cameras by Olympus are:

D-Series: Simple point-and-shoot cameras for beginners.

C-Series: Digital cameras for advanced photographers.

Stylus: Stylish cameras in attractive colors and designs.

E-System Digital SLR’s: Professional SLR’s for digital cameras.

Kevin Rockwell worked as a network TV cameraman for 20 years shooting news and sports. Now a devoted fan of digital photography and video he works to gather information, tips and news for digital camera users. Oh and he loves to shoot pictures of his kids playing sports.
http://great-digital-cameras.com/gdcj.html

One of the most important and very easy things to do is make sure that you format your memory card. The reason for this is that when you delete the photos the information isn’t wiped from the card as you might think. Basically, it just tells the camera or computer that it isn’t really there which allows the camera to record another picture over the top. Sometimes when the card is very full this can cause a memory corruption which renders your card inaccessible.

Another possible cause for corruption can be by taking the memory card out of the camera before it has finished saving the files to it. This has been overcome in a lot of newer cameras but you should always make sure that the camera is turned off first.

By formatting your card you do a clean wipe of the card and
start fresh. Generally this means that no photos can be recovered although my Minolta Dimage 7i seems to go against that theory.

To format your card, first make sure that all the pictures you want to keep have been saved to your computer or to CD or DVD. Then check your manual for where the Format Command is hiding in the menu system.

I just looked where I thought mine would be and it was in a totally different spot. Generally though it’s in the replay menu. Go to Format Card and say yes. It will only take a few seconds and will give you a fresh start

By the way if your card does become corrupted, stop using it straight away and take it to a photo lab who will in most cases be able to recover the photos from it. Software is also available to do it yourself but for the price it is cheaper to use your photo labs expertise and they will generally have a number of different programs available to them.

Gary French is a photographer and minilab operator in Melbourne Australia
with a number of years experiance in selling and serviceing digital cameras.
His website http://www.photosatthepark.com.au has a number of useful articles for digital camera users.

The Nokia company is an international telecoms corporation, concentrating on the vital expanding areas of wired & wireless telecommunications. Nokia is, today, the planets largest fabricator of mobile telephones, with a world-wide telephone hand-set market share of just about 38%. Nokia supplies cellular sets for every primary market portion & protocol. The company additionally supplies telecoms network gear for applications, for instance, mobile & fixed line voice telephony, ISDN, broadband access, voice over IP, & wireless LAN.

Nokia has an immensely big role in the economy of Finland. Nokia is unquestionably the greatest Finnish company, comprising just about 30 per cent of the market capitalization of the Helsinki Stock; an extraordinary status in an advanced country. It is an important Finnish employer and various spin-off businesses have matured into big firms as Nokia’s subcontractors.

Nokia increased Finland’s Gross Domestic Product in excess of 1 ½ % in nineteen ninety nine alone. In 04 the Nokia allocation of the Finland’s Gross Domestic Product came in out 3½ % and made up around ¼ of Finland’s exports in 2003. In 2007, Nokia made revenue that for the first time surpassed the state budget of Finland. This has led some to refer to Finland as “Nokialand.”

The people of Finland have named Nokia (lots of times) as the pre-eminent Finnish brand and employer. Nokia is the fifth most valuable brand on earth in BusinessWeek’s Best Global Brands compilation of the 20 favorite outfits internationally in Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies.

Nokia’s Mobile division serves folk with mobile voice and data products across a large assortment of mobile devices. The aforementioned department strives to focus on above all large volume type sales of cell phones and devices, with the general public being the most crucial customer segment.

Nokia considers that design, brand, ease of use and price are established mobiles’ most decisive contemplations for customers. Nokia’s product portfolio includes mobile phones, camera phones with super features, for example, mega-pixel cameras and MP3 players which appeal to the mass market.

In the 1st quarter of ‘07 it sold more than 15 million MP3 mobile phones, which means that it is not only the world’s primary fabricator of mobiles and digital cameras (as the best part of Nokia’s mobiles feature digital cameras, it is also believed that it has lately improved on Kodak in camera making, making it the greatest in the world), it is today also the primary fabricator of digital audio. It means to sell 80 million music phones by the end of 2007, surpassing sales of gadgets such as the iPod from Apple.

Candid photography is photography that focuses on spontaneity rather than technique. Your subject’s focus is not on the camera, but on their current task. So we’re not talking about the photo albums full of people looking at the camera and smiling here! Your subjects are un-posed and the shots are unplanned.

Candid photos are usually simple photos without a lot of technical equipment or any time taken ’setting up the shot’. Thus they capture some wonderful ’slices of life’!

Here are some tips for taking candid photos:

- Take your camera everywhere you go! Keep alert for candid situations - they can be found everywhere.

- Some examples of candid shots: A daydreaming store owner; an elderly man sitting beside you; commuters waiting for a train; two lovers on a park bench about to kiss; a child’s delight when feeding ducks; elation of a football supporter when a goal is scored; a city tramp surrounded by clutter; a woman lost in thought staring at the beach.

- It’s rare to get a second chance with candid photography. When you see an opportunity, grab it!

- Don’t use complicated lighting techniques for taking your candid shots. Concentrate on the simple and use your camera’s automatic features. Technical problems don’t matter so much if you have a great candid photo. Most technical problems (like if the image is too dark or too light) can be fixed on your computer.

- Set your camera to “ISO 400″ so it uses a fast shutter speed. This will help you ‘grab’ the shot even if you are moving.

- The best candid photographers blend into the background so don’t be too obvious. Do what everyone else is doing so you fit in with the situation. Then when you see a good candid moment, bring your camera up to your eye.

- You don’t always need to take the shot with your camera at eye level. Support your camera on your waist when taking the photo. Some luck or experience is needed here to get the framing right.

- Use your zoom lens to it’s fullest extent so you can keep away from the action while taking your shot. A Telephoto lens is essential if you’re going to be a fair way away.

- Never take photos of people’s backs. Nothing is more boring than a group of people with all backs turned to the camera. It just doesn’t work.

- Try converting the image to Black and White to get that extra punch and emotion.

- People ‘doing things’ make the best candid photos. Sports players, trades people, farmers and accountants are all excellent examples of subjects with ‘things to do’. Try to capture the essence of the person’s task. For example, you might capture a plumber concentrating on fixing a leaky pipe.

- If you’re in a public place, it’s usually okay to photograph people. If they object however, you need to stop. If you’re not sure, it never hurts to ask permission before hand. Your subject may want to pose, so explain what you saw them doing and ask them to continue as if you weren’t there.

- Experiment! Sometimes the artistic expression of a candid photo can be limited by you; the photographer. Try different angles, places and scenes. Look at candid photos created by others (they can be found in lots of magazines) for inspiration.

Candid photography is a great way to add some artistic flare to your photos without spending a lot of time with the technical aspects of photography.

David Peterson has a great love of photography and has created a series of free tips at http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/ to help digital photography users everywhere take better photos.

Night photos can take on a somewhat magical quality you may find lacking in normal daytime photography. Amazing night pictures certainly can attract attention. As the sun goes down, however, it becomes harder to capture images without the proper equipment and techniques. Thus, as was mentioned in Part I of this series, taking incredible nighttime photographs requires a lot of planning.

When your digital camera receives less light, it cannot absorb the surroundings as well in the resulting photographs. Some pictures may turn out too dark. Others can be too blurry. Your camera requires more time to absorb enough light to create an effective picture, so any shaking of the device will result in photographs lacking sharpness.

To compensate for the lack of lighting, here are several things you can do with most middle and high-end digital cameras to get the results you need. Part III of this series will continue with even more expert ideas.

* You may think that professional photographers take a large amount of time to set up a shot, perform complex calculations, talk about all sorts of topics such as f-stops, shoot one photograph that accurately represents their interpretation of a particular scene, and then leave.

While most of this may be true, the last part - only taking one photo - is far from it. Many, if not most, professional photographers commonly take a multitude of shots for every subject! Traditional photographers can go through rolls and rolls of film on a single shoot, and digital photographers may use gigabytes of memory.

Professionals know that no matter how well everything has been factored in when setting up a shot, ’stuff happens’. It is better to take time shooting a particular subject ten times and get one outstanding photograph than to take one or two photos that turn out blurry or dull.

Most photographers perform a trick called bracketing, where they intentionally adjust their camera settings in small increments in case their calculations were not precisely correct.

Heed this advice when taking photographs at night. If you have a particular subject you want to reproduce in digital form, don’t rely on taking ‘the one perfect shot’, but take several photographs in case problems occur with the lighting, or lack thereof.

Remember, you’re shooting digitally, which means you can later throw out all the bad photos in your camera’s virtual ‘trash can’, and no one ever needs to know! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this, especially when taking late-night shots of the Chicago cityscape in places I couldn’t bring a tripod. I may shoot hundreds of shots and only keep a few dozen.

* If your digital camera has a special nighttime mode, study your manual and learn how to enable this feature. Perhaps your camera has a button or dial next to a graphic of a half-moon to signify this setting. This works well for some late-night situations.

* Forget about using the flash unless you purchase a high-quality accessory flash unit. Flash shoots a burst of light out of your camera and works most effectively when your subject is within a few feet. If your subject is a long way away, your small flash unit will never reach it effectively.

Nighttime photography requires a little extra work out of you and your digital camera. To prevent against mistakes and increase the chance of a spectacular shot, it may be necessary to take the same picture multiple times, adjusting your camera settings slightly to help ensure at least one picture will come out well. The digital camera manual must be studied, as many high-end cameras contain automatic features to help take better photos. And, a natural tendency most people have to use flash must be avoided. By heeding this advice, you can learn to take spectacular nighttime photos.

Look forward to article III in this series in the near future!

Copyright 2005 Andrew Malek.

Andrew Malek is the owner of the MalekTips computer and technology help site at http://www.malektips.com. Visit his digital camera page at http://malektips.com/camera/ for hundreds of more digital photography tips.

If you’re a gadget junkie that just HAS to know exactly how everything works, join the club. Curiosity got the better of me when digital cameras first came out. But rather than blow a fortune by unscrewing the cover and watching all of the parts fall out, I contacted some of the camera manufacturers and begged for details. Here’s what I found out:

Digital cameras are all pretty much the same when it comes to what’s inside. Sure, one might be bigger, and another might have a better lens, but when it comes to the essential parts, it’s share and share alike.

Looking first at the outside, every digital camera comes equipped with at least the following items; Some may have more.

1) Shutter release 2) Flash 3) Lens 4) Power switch 5) Viewing screen 6) Memory storage slots 7) Zoom control Cursor control 9) camera/disk-image switch, 10) flash-set button

But that’s the boring stuff. Us true gadget freaks want a peek inside where the springs and gears are. Alas, there are no springs and gears in today’s digital cameras, but there is some cool stuff tucked inside nonetheless.

Before we peek into that waiting treasure trove, let’s take a quick detour for some basic theory of digital photography.

Just like an analog camera, a digital image begins with light entering an aperture through a series of lenses where it is focused on film, in the case of an analog camera, and a semiconductor in the case of a digital camera. Now in the case of an analog camera, that’s all there is until you take the roll to your photo processor to be developed. In a digital camera, however, the fun is just starting.

Putting on the X-Ray Specs

Besides a shortage of springs and gears, there’s an amazingly small amount of “stuff” inside of a digital camera. And what IS inside is contained within some printed circuit board and a few IC devices. Not much to look at, I’m afraid.

That semiconductor that acts as film is called a charge coupled device (CCD) in most cameras, although some of the low-end models use a less efficient “complementary metal oxide semiconductor” (CMOS) chip.

The CCD is an array of light-sensitive diodes which generate an electrical charge when they are hit by light. The brighter the light, the bigger the charge.

The light travels across the chip and is converted from analog to a digital impulses. These impulses are temporarily stored in an on-board memory buffer before being converted to JPEG or RAW format by a microprocessor. The final image is then stored in the camera’s removable memory device for later viewing and downloading.

The bulk of the inside of a digital camera’s case consists of the main circuit board the flash charge capacitor and the DC power connector. Tucked away in a corner or under the board you’ll find the connectors for the LCD display and the memory storage device. As manufacturers are fond of saying: “Caution, no user serviceable parts are inside”.

Hopefully we’ve satisfied your curiosity and kept you from grabbing your jewellers screwdriver to remove the cover and take a look for yourself!

Choosing the right digital camera for general use can be more challenging than actually taking a good picture. Like all things technical, digital cameras come in a vast array of styles, sizes and abilities.

However, you don’t have to research in great depth to make the right choice — you need only know what you want your camera to do for you. You’ll need to consider your own skills, your budget and how you will use your photographs.

Regarding your skill level, first consider your willingness to learn the technicalities of photography. Do you simply want to point and shoot? If so, there are plenty of automatic cameras made to do just that.

Or, do you want to be creative — experimenting with self-timers, flash, shutter speed, lighting, and photo enhancement features? To fulfill these creative desires, you’ll need a camera with a full range of manual controls.

Of course, with the hundreds of digital cameras that are on the shelves, you don’t have to make a commitment — many cameras have both automatic and manual settings. It all depends on what you want to spend.

Speaking of budget, you should know what you want to spend before you shop online or in a store. Then, only look at the cameras that match the amount that you came up with — it will keep you from suffering buyer’s remorse later.

In addition to your skill and your budget, consider how you will use the camera. Are you planning to email more pictures than you plan to print? Are you uploading them for online auctions or to share with your best friend who lives miles away? If so, carefully consider whether the pictures need to last for the next 100 years, or just until your online auction expires or your friend gets a chance to take a look at them.

If you are looking for professionally finished prints, brilliant color and a sharp image, you will need a camera with high image quality. The quality of an image is directly related to how many pixels it can capture horizontally and vertically. To print quality standard sized photos that will last, you’ll need a minimum of a 1-2 megapixel digital camera. Larger photos will require 3 megapixels to get the same quality. With at least 4 megapixels, 11 x 14 enlargements will look sharp.

Zoom lenses can also play a key role in the appearance of your photos. Many cameras will have zooms, but the size and type of zoom are important to consider. The larger the zoom (a 3x would be average and 10x large), the closer you will be able to get to subjects like sporting events and wildlife. But for good quality photos, be sure the camera has a true optical zoom rather than a digital zoom, which merely enlarges the center of the basic image.

Also, be aware that not all cameras with the same megapixels are created equal. Some have better optics and better zoom lenses. Some have more features such as the ability to make short videos. Some have better LCD screens for reviewing photos. Some have batteries that are proprietary and expensive to replace. Some are more prone to needing repairs.

So before heading to the store or to your favorite online site, check out the reviews for the models that interest you. Simply state your need at a search engine — something like 4 megapixel digital camera+review.

There is no need to spend hours researching every term and every available feature. Simply familiarize yourself with basic terminology, know your needs and know which models have the best ratings in your price range. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be more satisfied with your investment.

About The Author

Todd Nelson is webmaster at Triple Exposure Photography. Visit http://www.tephotography.com for the large photography resources or to register for the free Photo Age newsletter.

Children are naturally photogenic. Ive worked in studios and children are so easy to photograph. What I hear from parents is that they dont think that their kids are that easy to photograph. Thats only because they dont know some basic tips.

1. Young children especially infants take beautiful photos while they are asleep. Keep the light natural avoid flash if at all possible. Keep the image tight on the child and crop out distractions. For infants when theyre awake youre better off having another person in image, it gives the child someone to interact with and you can crop the shot to keep the other person out of the image or you can keep the adult and child in the photo.

2. Toddlers look best when they dont know that youre taking their photo. Candid shots are the way to go for this age group. Keep your camera handy and when they start doing something cute snap the photo quick. Remember your child doesnt have to be looking directly into the camera to take a great photo. Dont ever say to the toddler, Oh how cute, now look here. It wont happen.

3. Children ages 4 plus are really good at sitting for photos. But if youre going to dress them up make sure that they are comfortable and dont put them in some outfit they hate, it will show in the image. Crop tight on your subject, keep the light natural, and if youre using a toy to get their attention make sure that it makes them laugh and doesnt scare them. (I learned that lesson the hard way.)

4. Older children are really good at dressing up for photos. The hardest thing will be getting a natural smile from them. Say, cheese is a sure fire way to get a fake smile. Most of us learned young to smile automatically at that cue. Here you have to get silly. One time I was working with a young boy and his older sister. She was a natural smiler and loved being dressed up. He was not happy and kept pulling at his tie. His mother straightened it for the tenth time. I posed them and addressed the young boy I said, Now on the count of three I want you to say, I hate this tie! His sister smiled surprised at what I said, and he grinned. I took the photo. He then screamed, I hate this tie! Again both smiled wide and I took a second photo. The images turned out beautiful.

I hope these tips help you to take better photos of your child. With a little practice and a few tips youll see better family photos immediately.

If you have some specific questions please visit my Photography Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/index.php and post your question there.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

Each photograph has a story, which is different, but the ending is usually the same. People are sometimes desperate to save a bit of their history, and often it is crumbling before their eyes. These photographic treasures often need magic to take a faded, torn, wrinkled, or water-stained snapshot and restore it to its original beauty.

Why would you want to read an article about the care of old photographs? Because one day they may be important to you, and if you think there is reason to protect them now rather than wait a year or so, consider that one day you might have to go through the expensive and generally aggravating experience of re-creating something that would be so easy to protect now.

Sometimes it is just good to spend a little time with old photos just to reflect - it’s good for the soul and the rewards always exceed the cost. Proper care for what has been handed down to you at no cost to you, and with only an imaginary value, should not be taken lightly. Idealistically, care of family artifacts should, from one generation to another, be properly carried out. There are countless mishaps to family photographs that might have been prevented if only someone had taken some simple precautions.

So what are these simple precautions? For the most part they will be easy to explain, but first you must locate the family photographs and carefully assess their current condition. Hopefully, they will still be in the shoebox in the attic and the roof hasn’t leaked. Handling of individual photographs can make all the difference in the world, chances are if you have photographs that were produced before 1950, they were made from silver salts, which also include the ones that look brown or are colored with oils. Over the years the paper hardens and so does the emulsion, which contains the image you wish to preserve. They become brittle and very easily and permanently damaged should they get bent. Plastic in newer prints also gets brittle over time and first shows signs or deterioration when very small splits begin to appear on the surface.

Bending the photograph accelerates splitting of the emulsion until a “crack” becomes clearly visible. Generally, this is irreversible damage. Nobody could be that negligent you might think, but most damage is accidental. One very common mistake is to try to remove a photograph that has been glued into an album. Most often, it will rip apart. Damage usually occurs accidentally and often while the entrusted material is in your custody. It also happens while on loan to others, in the mail system, or by a concerned someone who didn’t understand proper handling techniques. Since most photographs are one of a kind, it is best to understand the risks involved before you begin to gather your materials.

The archival part of real black & white, sepia, or oil-tinted photographs is the silver process itself. Silver is a metal and cannot degrade any further. When it combines with other compounds such as sulfur sulfite in a toning process, the resulting processes yield different chemical formulas and with different chemical formulas you get different visual effects, but most have silver as their base principal component. Other metals such as gold or platinum may also be incorporated in photographic imaging. When silver, gold or platinum salts aggravate a paper surface after being exposed to light, the result is the image you see. When the paper dries after processing, the image hardens as a very thin emulsion and should never be bent. Photographs printed on tin or glass have rigid substrates, but can be easily damaged by scratching or high humidity.

The daguerreotype is generally considered the oldest of the old and even though some may be more than 160 years in age, one in good condition is a sight to behold. Unlike the process of contemporary color as most of us know it, the silver process used in black and white photography is far more stable and “thicker” than the multitude of dyes used in the manufacture of color photo paper today. Early photographs generally contain high contents of silver, which account for their exceptional ability to with stand time and capture the past. Often you will see a photograph shine when the silver has been exposed to high humidity, but rarely will the image disappear entirely.

“Natural color” photos, as we know them, need to be protected from ultraviolet rays of the sun. Because they are made from chemical dyes, their ability to maintain the color intensity level we see when we first get them depends in large part on the protection they get from exposure to the high energy of UV light. Over time, a “red” or “green” image is left which is not easily restored to its original condition. Products on today’s market, such as those generated from computers, often boast permanent inks, but they remain untested. So far, the only color pigments I have found in the thousands of photos I have worked on that are archival are the oil based pigments and pastels. Generally, a skilled artist applies them to a photograph. To resist scratching and moisture, the photograph was sometimes finished with a sealing lacquer.

It is also important to have an understanding of what “archival quality” is as it pertains to photographic materials and a general knowledge of the way they are constructed. Simply put, a black and white photograph is an arrangement of silver molecules imbedded in a clear gelatin resting on a paper surface. On the other hand, a color photograph is an arrangement of chemical compounds sandwiched on the surface of the paper and deteriorates and looses the image. Restoration of a faded color photograph often cannot be recovered without in-depth digital technology combined with an artist’s skill to add color back to the photo. Once you have identified the photos you wish to put into your album, you should assess their condition and determine what is necessary to preserve what you have, then keep them dry, flat, and out of direct sunlight.

A simple way to save large quantities of images or transfer them to others is to scan them into a computer and onto a CD. It is cheap and easy. Though the visuals lack the personality reflected in the character of the originals, they are still fun for you to enjoy.

Simple precautions often prevent permanent damage. When asking to borrow photographs from others, bear in mind they probably are one of a kind and you are entrusted with an important responsibility. Someone who has not had their photos returned to them in the past is unlikely to loan them out in the future. In summary, never bend them and keep them away from liquid moisture, high humidity, and direct sunlight.

When photos are well preserved, they will be easier to see and appreciate. Always, they lead to stories, some good, some sad, and others just plain remarkable.

William Heroy – Owner of Old Photo Specialists – Founded in 1973

If you would like more information:

Visit Our Website
http://www.oldphotospecialists.com OR email us at oldphotospecialists@triad.rr.com

Old Photo Specialists is a highly specialized restoration studio. We provide a variety of services including original restoration, digital restoration, archival black and white and sepia tone printing, hand oil tinting, oils on canvas and a large variety of photography services. We educate our clients on how to take care of, preserve, and archive their precious family photos.

Write to Our Studio
Old Photo Specialist
909 N. Elm St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 271-6960

There are two sources for obtaining the moulding for making a frame. You can firstly start with a straight piece of timber, and using a home routing system make your own moulding shape with a rebate to take the art work. Alternatively you can pick from a large range of ready finished mouldings available from your local frame shop or hardware store. I recommend the latter. It’s easier, the choice is much wider, and it’s more cost effective. However, one word of warning. Always look for a moulding with a good straight back and not too flat on the surface. If the moulding has a bump or some raised section in the top surface it will cut and join easier than a flat moulding. Most mouldings are made from pine or obeche. These are soft grain timbers and cut and join well. Hard timbers like ramin are more difficult to work with.

Measuring and Cutting

How much moulding will you need? The outside dimensions of the frame are determined by the size of the mounted photograph. Carefully measure the overall size of the matted picture you’re framing, adding a little extra (3-smm) for “play” to ensure the picture fits easily into the finished frame.

Add the length and the breadth together, then double the total. This will give you the overall length. But you also have to allow for the mitre cuts, so multiply the width of the moulding by 10 and add this to your total (total length required = 2 x (length + breadth) + 10 x width of moulding). The 45 mitre cuts are most important - a bad cut will never join properly and will always look terrible. There are a number of machines on the market for cutting 45 degree mitres starting with the simple mitre box, radial arm saw with a mitre attachment, or a commercial mitre saw (see picture 1).

Cutting one side of a frame is easy. Cutting the second side to be EXACTLY the same side to the first side is the hard part of frame cutting. Using a measuring system you can cut lengths accurately every time. The FrameCo measuring system will attach to any brand of electric or manual mitre saw and will make the cutting of the frames quick and foolproof.

If you have a saw you can cut without using a measuring system. Follow this easy step-by-step guide to cut mitred lengths for your frame:

* Calculate the dimensions of your frame.

* Place the moulding into the saw.

• Cut off a small piece at 45 degrees with the saw in the lefthand position.

* Remove the moulding from the saw.

• With a tape, measure along the back of the moulding, to the length you require.

To this length you have to take into account the size of the moulding you are using. So you add to the length of the side an amount equal to twice the moulding width - not including the rebate. Then make a pencil mark on the back of the moulding near the top so that you can see the mark.

• Put the moulding back in the saw and align the saw blade on the pencil mark.

• Swing the saw around and cut the next mitre.

• Place the two pieces back to back so you can transfer the size you have just cut to the back of the moulding length.

• Repeat the cutting procedure for the other pieces.

Joining the Frame

To ensure a tight and stable joint, glue should be applied, especially if the frame is large. A light smear of a good quality PVA glue is all that’s necessary. Although it is possible to buy clamps that join two corners at a time, it’s simpler and quicker to clamp all four corners at once. This allows you to see how the corners match up before gluing and securing the mitres. There are several types of clamps…

Cord Clamps: This simple, but effective clamping system works well for small to medium-size frames. It consists of four flexible plastic corners and a length of cord. (See picture 2).

Metal Strap Clamp: This clamping system is slightly more sophisticated and consists of a metal strap, flexible corner pieces and a screw operated tensioning device which allows you to apply a considerable amount of tension so that the corners are pulled together tightly. The Strap Clamp is suitable for large and small frames. (See picture 3).

Once the frame is clamped together and you’ve made sure all the corners are aligned, then the mitre joint should be secured or reinforced. Glue alone is not safe and secure enough for most sized frames. Here are some options.

Panel Pins: You can nail a panel pin across the mitre. It is advisable to pre-drill the holes and secure the joint in a vice before hammering the pins into the frame. Punch home the nail head and fill the hole with a coloured woodfiller.

V-Nails: Professional framers use these v-shaped staples, which are inserted using a special manual or pneumatic joining machine. The “PushMaster” is a DIY version of these machines and is suitable for low-volume high-quality framing such as required for photography or portrait framing.

Biscuit Joints: More suitable for large and heavy frames such as mirrors. Most commercial picture frame mouldings are small and a biscuit joint is not necessary.

V-Nail Joining Machines
There are several models of these machines and all are suitable for the DIY or low-volume picture framing. Here are some of the models.

PushMaster: Similar to a large punch, the PushMaster is a handheld, easy to use tool for inserting the v-nails into the back of timber picture frames. The vnail is loaded onto the magnetic end of the PushMaster, sharp end down, then simply pushed into the wood. The v-nail pulls the joint together because it is made from spring steel. The advantage of the PushMaster is that it doubles as a fitting up tool. The magnetic tip can also be used to fit flexipoints and backing nails to secure the picture into the frame.
(See picture 4).

BenchMaster: The BenchMaster is ideal for the serious DIY framing photographer. The powerful cam action of the handle combined with the heavy duty Push Master drives v-nails into the hardest of timbers. Its gentle hand action suits joining small or odd-shaped mouldings. If you start with FrameCo’s Push Master you can upgrade to the BenchMaster at any time. (See picture 5).

V-Nails - How Do They Work?

Upon entering the wood moulding from the base, the sides of the metal v-nail are deflected outwards. As the v-nail pulls back into its original shape this pulls the joint tightly together. There is a little curl on the outer leading edge of the nail that locks the nail into the grain of the timber. This stops the nail from pulling out of the end of the mitre, keeping the joint stable and secure. The v-nail method of joining is the preferred method of professional picture framers. With a few simple hand tools it’s possible to achieve the same result with a minimal outlay in machinery.

Making Multi-sided Frames

With most good quality suspension type mitre saws there’s always the possibility of cutting mitre angles other than 45 degrees. The problem is that the saws do not have a system of measuring the length of the cut. The FrameCo measuring system has a clever scale included with the unit. It allows you to measure a length for any angle. A six-sided frame has the six mitres cut at 30 degrees, while an eight-sided frame has the eight mitres cut at 22.5 degrees. The Measure Mate Scale converts the measuring system into a multi-angled scale so that each one of these different angled mitres can be measured.

So it’s possible for the amateur framer to make attractive multiangled frames that add style and creativity to your framing.

Finishing and Assembly

Now that the frame is joined and the glue joints dry you’re ready to assemble your mounted photograph into the frame. The PushMaster can be used to fit backing nails or flexipoints into the frame to hold the picture into the rebate.

Seal the back of the picture with gummed tape or good quality backing tape. The best backing tape to use is a silicone coated tape as this will not peel off over time.

Screw two small O-rings or screw eyes into the side of the frame, approximately one third of the distance down the top of the frame, then attach a length of wire or cord securely through the O-rings or screw eyes. After that, your image is ready to hang on a wall.

Gary Leete, of Frameco Picture Framing Supplies, is a professional framer. For further information on any of the his DIY picture framing tools contact FrameCo P/L Australia, Ph: (03) 98723600 or visit the web site at http://www.clubframeco.com