A lot of photography styles and ideas are taken from the art that came long before it. Looking to art can give you ideas of how to hang unique, custom frames of the photographs you love in your home. One of these styles is the triptych. Read on to find out more about triptychs and how to use this style in your home for a stylish aesthetic.

What are triptychs?

A triptych is an artform where three pieces are displayed next to each other or one piece of art is divided into three sections. Traditionally, three sections of a painting were separated into frames but connected by hinges so that it can be opened and closed to display the entire work of art. This was common on the altars of churches.

In modern times, inspiration has been taken from these triptychs in both art and photography. One photograph may be split into three across three frames or canvases, or three different photos may be chosen and framed separately, but these three photos are similar to each other or connected in some way.

Triptych framing ideas

When you’ve got a lot of space to fill, a triptych can be a great alternative to a gallery wall made up of lots of photos. Let’s look at some tips and ideas that can help you choose the perfect triptych for your walls.

Landscape photography

Because triptychs tend to be wider than they are tall, landscape photos are perfect for this type of treatment. Whether it’s a photo you’ve taken on vacation or a professional photo that you admire, you can split this landscape into three connecting sections to create a striking framed wall.

Choose a subject

We’ve mentioned that a triptych can be three separate photos instead of one. One way this can work is by choosing a single subject, such as your baby or your dog, and framing three different photos from the same photoshoot. For example, you may take your baby for a professional newborn photoshoot or have a couple’s photoshoot done and frame your three favorites to position together. The fact that these photos are from the same moment maintains the strong visual link and continuity between them.

Choosing your frame

Once you’ve chosen the photo or photos to use for your triptych, you also have various decisions to make about the framing of the images. One style choice is whether to have the photo fill the frame completely, as is popular with canvas design, or to have white space between the frame and the photo. Custom framing professionals can help guide you through these decisions to choose the right frame and style to suit your preferences.

If you need custom framing services for your triptych or other design ideas, then contact Tanglewood Art and Frame or visit us at our store in Clemmons, NC for all of your custom framing needs.

You don’t need to pay for a professional photographer to get photos worthy of custom framing and hanging on your wall or placing on the mantel. You can buy your own camera for a reasonably affordable price, and even smartphone cameras can produce some impressive photos these days.

Once you’ve taken your photos, you can even improve them using various photo editing apps to make sure they’re really frameable. Let’s look at some of the free photo editing apps you could try.

Adobe Photoshop Express

Photoshop is well known for its photo editing skills, but the full program can be difficult to understand if you don’t have any design or editing skills, not to mention expensive. Luckily, Adobe have a free version of Photoshop for iPhones and Android devices that gives you some of the program’s basic and even some more advanced functions for editing photos on your smartphone.

With Adobe Photoshop Express, you can crop images, remove red-eye, apply filters, adjust things like brightness and contrast, and much more. And it’s intuitive and easy to use on a touchscreen. If you have more experience with Photoshop, then you might want to try Adobe’s Lightroom Photo Editor, another free Photoshop app but with slightly more sophisticated and complex features for those who know how to use them.

Snapseed

Snapseed is another free photo editing app with an impressive range of tools and pro editing features that let you finetune your photos. Use a brush tool, adjust white balance and other levels, adjust the perspective, as well as all your basic photo editing tools like cropping and adding filters. One of the great things about this app is that you can edit your favorite filters to apply them perfectly, or even create your own.

LiveCollage

If you can’t choose just one photo that’s worthy of your walls, then why not make a collage out of a few of your favorites? LiveCollage and a variety of other collage apps allow you to easily and seamlessly stitch photos together however you like. You can choose from thousands of layouts on LiveCollage to get your photos just how you like them, as well as experimenting with different styles and backgrounds.

Adobe Photoshop Fix

Did you have an annoying pimple on the day of your family photo or while taking photos with friends? Or perhaps you want to hide the dark circles under your eyes from your lack of sleep? Another of Adobe’s free Photoshop apps, Adobe Photoshop Fix makes it easy to hide and remove these kinds of blemishes. You can even adjust the size, shape, and position of someone’s facial features if you really want to tinker with how you or others look in the photo.

Once you’ve finished experimenting with photo editing and have the perfect pictures to display in your home, contact Tanglewood Art and Frame or visit us in-store for professional custom framing services to suit you.

Ever wondered how the custom framing process works? Well, we’re here to explain this process to you to help you understand what’s involved in the art of custom framing. Read on to find out more about our process…

Choosing your materials

We work closely with our customers to get their input, helping to ensure that the final product is one they’re pleased with. So, when you bring something in to be framed, we look at all the elements of the frame together to choose the best ones. This includes the matting, the glazing, and the frame itself. There are lots of different styles, materials, and colors to choose from, and we can help by advising you what we think works best. Considering the room the frame will be placed in will also help you determine the right style and coloring.

Preparing the artwork

Whether it’s a photo, a painting, or a piece of memorabilia, we’ll first do any preparation work required to make sure the piece is in good shape and ready to be custom framed.

Mounting the artwork

With the carefully selected materials at hand, we start preparing the frame by, firstly, mounting the artwork to the backing board. This helps to keep the piece rigid, which is especially important for your typical 2D pieces such as photos and paintings. This process also keeps the artwork in place on the board so that it doesn’t slide about in the frame.

Matting the artwork

Next up is the matboard, which is applied on top of the artwork, essentially framing the piece itself. This piece of material keeps a small space between the artwork and the glazing, helping to keep it protected. Matboards are available in various colors to complement the artwork, the frame, and the room it will be placed in.

Glazing and framing the artwork

We craft the frame to suit the specifications agreed on at the beginning of the process and bring all the elements of the framed artwork together, including the glazing, creating the finished piece. There are various options when it comes to glazing, which serves the purpose of both protecting the artwork and presenting it as well as possible.

Professional custom framing gives you an excellent result compared to purchasing a standard frame in a store. If you’re looking for custom framing services around Winston Salem, NC, then contact us at Tanglewood Art and Frame to get a frame that fits perfectly in your home or workplace.

When you think of family photographs being used to decorate the walls of a family home, what comes to mind is usually a thoroughly planned picture of the family posed nicely in a line or with the parents at the back and the kids in the front. But this kind of rigorously planned and posed photography doesn’t often capture the personality of the family and individuals being photographed. This is where candid photographs can offer up something a little different.

What is a candid photo?

A candid photo is one that is not posed or planned. The subject may not even be aware you are taking photos, such as snapping shots of your kids while they’re happily playing in the backyard.

Other times, the subjects may be aware of the photographer but still don’t know when photos are being taken. For example, a wedding day photographer often acts as a fly-on-the-wall during the ceremony or the reception, taking photos of people happily chatting, drinking, or wiping a tear away.

Either way, the idea is that the subject does not change their behavior for the photograph, they are simply acting natural doing whatever they are doing.

Candid photos vs. posed photos

Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of candid photos compared to posed photos.

When people complain about not being photogenic, it’s often because they feel uncomfortable in front of the camera. Someone might have a nice smile when they’re laughing with friends, but point a camera at them and it suddenly becomes an awkward and forced smile, instead. Candid photography eliminates this because you’re photographing natural behavior rather than a forced pose.

However, candid photography can still lead to unflattering poses. It can be difficult to time a photograph just right when someone is moving, talking, and laughing naturally. Candid photography can involve a lot of luck and perseverance to achieve the perfect shot, especially if you’re photographing hyperactive children or animals.

But the best thing about candid photos is that they reflect people’s (or animals’) real personality and uniqueness by capturing them acting naturally or in their natural environment. You can capture an image of someone having fun, working hard, pursuing a hobby they love, or the loving look in someone’s eye when they look at their kids or partner. Whatever kind of candid photo you’re taking, the results are real, not staged.

Great candid photos are perfect for custom framing and hanging on the walls in your home, or even to be given as a gift. If you’re interested in custom framing services around Clemmons and Winston Salem, NC, then contact Tanglewood Art and Frame or visit us in-store.

You’ve just put in a lot of effort to complete a puzzle and you feel extremely satisfied to see the finished result. Maybe it took you hours, or maybe days, weeks, even months. But the next step can feel a little soul-destroying. All that fun and hard work just to break it up again and put it back in the box, maybe never to be looked at again.

Sure, you could take a photo of the puzzle to remember it and show off your achievement, but it just isn’t the same. So, why not frame the actual puzzle and put it up on your wall?

Choosing a puzzle to frame

Which puzzle to frame should be completely personal to you. Usually, it’s one that you’ve spent a lot of time on or that has sentimental meaning to you or a loved one you’re giving a gift to. Here are a few ideas:

• A challenging puzzle – Perhaps there’s one puzzle that was a real challenge and that you spent a lot of time on, either alone or with friends and family. Frame it to show off your achievement.
• A custom puzzle – You can get a puzzle printed with whatever photo you want, complete the puzzle, and then frame it for your wall.
• A child’s puzzle – Celebrate your child’s achievement by framing the first puzzle they completed by themselves or preserve the puzzle that they repeatedly did as a child.
• A couple’s puzzle – Did you and your partner spend one of your early dates doing a puzzle together on a rainy day? Frame it and remember those happy moments.

How to frame a puzzle

After you’ve completed your puzzle, you want to make sure that all the pieces will stay together even if you move the finished puzzle. The last thing you want is for some pieces to come apart once inside the frame.

One way to achieve this is to use glue on the puzzle. You can get special puzzle adhesive for this purpose, or you can opt for ordinary glue, but try to find one with low water content to reduce the risk of the pieces wrinkling or peeling. Spread the glue evenly over the face of the puzzle using a sponge or a piece of card, for example. You can use a paintbrush for this, but you may end up leaving brush strokes. A spray adhesive could also be quick and easy to apply.

Another option is adhesive tape designed for puzzles. This is usually quick and easy to apply and doesn’t create as much mess as glue. Once your puzzle is secure, you can bring it into a custom frame shop to complete the framing process for you. When choosing a frame, a float mounting frame is the best to choose for these purposes.

If you want to frame a puzzle for your home or as a gift, then contact Tanglewood Art and Frame or visit us in Clemmons, NC.

For many people, their pets are just as much a part of the family as any person, so they deserve to be a part of the family portrait or have their own frames on the wall.Whether you’re buying a gift for a friend or family member with a beloved pet dog or want to celebrate your own dog through custom framing, then we’ve got some ideas for the best things you can frame.

A dog portrait

A simple photo of your dog looking adorable would make a great addition to your walls or shelves. Choose a favorite photo to have custom framed or even book a doggy photoshoot to get professional shots of your pet. If you’re looking for a gift for a friend, then one of these photoshoots could be the perfect option.

A painting of your dog

Instead of a photo, you could opt to commission someone to draw a painting of your dog, which would usually be based on a photo you provide for them. This allows you to enjoy an artistic interpretation of your pup in whatever style or colors you’d like. Or you could leave it up to the artist to decide these details. You can even commission funny dog portraits like the uniformed dogs here.

Pawprints

Let your dog leave a mark in your home by framing a print of their pawprints. Simply dip the bottom of your dog’s paw in paint (make sure it’s safe for dogs!) and gently place their paw down onto a piece of paper or card. You can do this for one or more paw and can choose whatever colors you’d like. Properly wash the paint off their paws afterward. Or, instead of paint, you can have their paw imprinted in clay or a similar material.

Their collar and tags

Want to remember how cute your dog was as a tiny puppy? Save their old collars to display inside a frame when they move up to a bigger size. You can keep their tags on the collars too with their name displayed. If they have multiple collars as they get bigger, then you can frame them together, each circled inside the next.

Give the gift of custom framing to yourself or a loved one to commemorate a family dog. Contact Tanglewood Art and Frame to find out more about our custom framing services around Winston Salem and Clemmons, NC.

You might find photobooths in shopping malls, bars and clubs, or at events like weddings, birthday parties, and corporate events. Wherever you come across them, they’re a great opportunity to take fun and silly photos with your friends, family, or partner.

So, you’ve got this printout of photos that are a great memory of the day, but what do you do with them now? Often, they get stuck in a drawer and forgot about. But it’s time to cherish those memories and display them proudly. Here are some ideas for what you can do with your photobooth photos and how to display them proudly.

Make a collage

If you’ve got a collection of fun photobooth strips from over the years, then combine them to make a frameable collage to display on your wall. You could stick them to a piece of cardboard, or something similar, in any arrangement you’d like. Bring your photobooth photos or a pre-made collage to Tanglewood Art & Frame to get your memories custom framed.

Add them to a scrapbook

If you have a photo album or a scrapbook full of memories, then photobooth strips are the perfect addition. You could stick a few together on the same page or scatter them throughout the scrapbook with other memories from each day or period of your life. If you had a photobooth at your wedding or another event, then you could make a wedding scrapbook filled with everyone’s photos for a fun way to remember the day and everyone who was there for you.

Use them as bookmarks

You don’t even have to do anything for this one. Photobooth photo strips are the perfect size and shape to place between the pages of the book you’re ready in order to save your place. And those memories will make you smile every time you pick up your book.

Turn them into fridge magnets

There are lots of websites and companies that can turn your photos into personalized fridge magnets. Pick your favorites to send in and stick them on your fridge so you can see them every day.

Create a giant photo strip

Why keep those memories in such small dimensions? If you have a single strip that you really love, then have it blown up to larger dimensions and custom framed to be hung proudly on your wall.

Turn them into a phone case

Another personalized item you can create is a phone case with your pictures printed on the back. Most of us have our smartphones with us around-the-clock, so having a cherished memory printed on it can be a great way to share and remember those memories.

All of the above ideas would make great gifts for the people you took those photos with, as well as being great ideas for yourself. If you want to get your photobooth photos custom framed in the Winston Salem and Clemmons area, then contact us today.

You want to adorn your walls and shelves with photos of the things, places, and people that you love. And if you have kids, they’re obviously going to be high up on this list. But taking the perfect photos of your kids can be difficult. From hyperactive infants that never want to stand still, to moody teenagers that won’t smile for a family photo, snapping the perfect still can be difficult.

In this article, we’ve got some tips on how to take photos of your kids that you can cherish forever.

Professional photos

One option is to pay and leave it to the pros. A lot of professional photographers are used to family photoshoots, so they’re skilled at getting kids to cooperate with photos and capturing good poses from them. You can get a wide variety of shots this way, both posed and candid. Of course, there are the costs to consider, but it can be well worth it for the great pictures you get out of it.

Candid photos

If it’s hard to get your kids to pose for a photo, then capture them while they’re doing something they enjoy. This means you won’t have to work at getting them to cooperate. Photograph them doing a jigsaw or while watching their favorite movie. Or go for action shots and photograph them running around the yard, playing with their siblings, or jumping on the bed. You might get a lot of blurry shots if you’re just using your smartphone, but keep snapping and you’ll eventually strike gold.

Draw their attention

If you really want a photo of a young child looking perfectly at the camera, then you might be in for a challenge. For babies and infants, you could try holding a toy or their favorite food over the camera to get them looking in the right direction. For slightly older children, you might need to get more creative. You could simply ask if they can see their reflection in the camera lens, or be more imaginative and tell them there are fairies in the lens, or whatever would pique their interest.

Hand the camera over

The selfie generation has arrived, and kids are practically born knowing how to use smartphones and tablets these days. Flip your phone into selfie mode and hand it over to them. They’ll be curious about their reflection on the screen and they’ll soon figure out how to snap photos of themselves. Just be prepared to scroll through hundreds of selfies on your phone.

Once you’ve got the perfect photos for your wall, bring them into our shop in Clemmons, NC for our expert custom framing services. Get in touch if you have any questions about how custom framing works.

There are lots of occasions throughout the year where you need to buy gifts for your loved ones. You want to get them something thoughtful and meaningful, but this can often be difficult. If you want your gifts to be displayed in pride of place inside your loved one’s home, then custom framing is the perfect accessory.

Here are some great gift ideas you could try that involve custom framing…

Print a special photo

You probably have lots of photos of you and your loved one having a good time together. These are memories that should be cherished. Although we can easily take more photos now, they often get left in the cloud and rarely looked at again. Trawl through your old photographs to find a special memory you can frame as a gift for them.

Frame tickets or memorabilia

Another way to commemorate memories you and your loved one have shared is to frame keepsakes from those times. Tickets are a great example of this. If you and your friend go to a lot of music concerts, sporting events, or movies together, then saving tickets from these events and then having them framed will mean a lot. You could create a collage of keepsakes or just frame one special item, such as a ticket from the movie you went to on your first date, for example.

A pet portrait

If your friend or family member has a pet, then they would probably love to see that pet immortalized in a portrait. Find a nice photo of their pet (you’re bound to find plenty on your friend’s social media profiles) and take it to someone who can paint or draw that photograph in a nice style. Or maybe you’ve got artistic skills yourself and can create your own drawing. Have the end result custom framed to create the perfect gift.

Framed book covers

If your friend, partner, or family member loves to read, then printing or acquiring the front cover of their favorite book can make for a really special, personalized gift. This could be the cover of a novel or a comic book, for example. If they love musicals and going to the theater, then you could frame the playbill of their favorite show.

Framed art from their kids

Parents are always looking for ways to hold onto the early years and memories of their kids as they grow up. Rather than just sticking their child’s best drawings or achievements on the refrigerator, frame them and hang them on the walls so that they can really show them off. It might embarrass the kids when they get older, but it will make for a very proud and happy parent.

What framed gifts would you like to give your loved ones? Get in touch or visit our frame shop in Clemmons, NC for our custom framing services.

These days, with pretty good cameras in most people’s pockets, it has become a lot easier to capture and save memories. You can just pull out your phone and take a photo, then upload those photos and print them off, ready to be framed and put up on the wall or the mantelpiece.

If you want to take some high-quality photos for framing without spending a lot on camera equipment, then we’ve got some tips to help you improve the quality of photos you take with your smartphone.

Select the focus

On modern smartphones, it’s easy to select an element of the photo you want to focus on, if it’s different to whatever your phone automatically decided to focus on. You don’t have to mess around with different settings, all you have to do is tap the subject on the screen. The camera settings will automatically adjust to focus on that element.

Adjust the lighting

There are various settings you can adjust within your camera app to improve your photos you take. How much you can utilize these will depend mostly on your technical knowledge when it comes to photography. Even if these pro settings go way over your head, there’s a simple adjustment you can make when taking photos; the brightness. Each smartphone camera will differ slightly, but you should be able to simply increase or decrease the brightness to get the best out of your subject.

Avoid flash

One aspect of smartphone photography that still has some catching up to do is the flash. When used for taking photos in the dark, the flash tends to produce photos that are grainy and overexposed, or still too dark. Wherever possible, rely on external sources of light to highlight your subject so that you don’t have to rely on flash.

Only zoom if you have to

Zooming in with your camera phone can also result in low-quality photos, especially if you’re zooming in a lot. Try to physically get closer to your subject if you want a more zoomed in photo, rather than relying on the zoom tool itself. If you can’t get closer, then try simply taking the photo from where you are (with just a little zoom if needed) and then cropping it to get the desired frame.

Consider buying accessories

If you’re willing to spend a little more money, there are lots of great accessories to help boost the capabilities of your smartphone’s camera. You can buy attachable lenses that allow you to zoom in better and achieve different perspectives. There are LED lights that attach to your phone to achieve better lighting. Or you can use a tripod or stand designed for smartphones to help you stabilize your photos.

If you have photos that you want custom framing, then get in touch with Tanglewood Art and Frame in Clemmons, NC.