How to Display Black-and-White Photos

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Black-and-white photos make a dramatic statement in whatever manner they are presented. Timeless and elegant, these photos have an air of the past while remaining distinctly contemporary. Give your black-and-white photos the presentation they deserve with this simple yet striking method of display.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Select Your Photos and Frames

Step1

Choose several photos to include in your display. There is no limit to the number you choose beyond your own preferences for how large you want your display to be. Pick pictures that hold meaning or sentimental value to you. Or, if the display is purely for aesthetic value, find your most stunning pieces to showcase.

Step2

Use pictures in an array of sizes, from very small to large. Have enlargements made as necessary. Opt, as well, for non-traditional sizes for some of your pictures, such as square or long horizontal.

Step3

Buy picture frames to accommodate all of the variously sized photos you have selected. Find a uniform black frame in a classic design that is available in sizes to accommodate all of your pictures.

Step4

Find white matting to insert into the picture frames as a background for your photos. Either have mats custom-made to fit the picture frames you have selected or buy sheets of matting and cut them to the necessary sizes. You can omit the mats, but the white matting contrasts starkly against the black frames, along with your black-and-white photos, creating a dramatic look.

Hang the Photos

Step1

Insert the photos into the frames, cutting them down in size as necessary to create your desired look on the matting. Don't worry about making the photo-to-matting ratio consistent on every frame; the variation will add character.

Step2

Find an empty spot on the wall in the room where you want your photo display, and decide how much room you want to devote to the display. Consider where you will place the frames in relation to furniture, doorways, light switch plates and other artwork.

Step3

Design the arrangement of the photos and mark the wall to indicate where to hang the frames. The frames will look best in a square or rectangular pattern. Plan where you will hang the frames before actually hanging them so that your arrangement scheme incorporates all of the frame sizes.

Step4

Hang the frames according to the placing scheme you marked on the wall. Hang frames close together, about 1-2 inches apart, for the best effect.

Tips & Warnings

Turn non-digital colored photos into black-and-whites by taking the negatives to a photo-development center, where they can easily create black-and-white photos for you.
Don't worry about making the edges of your square or rectangular pattern perfectly aligned. The uneven edges and gaps between frames of different sizes will serve to give your display a distinctive look.