How do you sign your photos?

SteveM(PA)

SteveM(PA)

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My boss (creative director) has taken a shine to one of the 4x6's in my cubicle. He asked me if I wouldn't mind getting him an enlargement. He's since bought a very nice matted frame for it, and would like me to sign it. I've never done such a thing. So, I'm signing the mat, right? Pencil? Should I put a date?
 
I like to sign the lower part of the print with a fine silver paint pen. That's what I ask for too when I get a print from somebody. I'm in the minority here though, most people do not want the signature on any part of the image itself for some reason. The worst idea that I hear is signing the back of the print - gone for good as soon as you mount the print. If you sign the mat, that could also part with the print at some time, plus a signature on the mat is far more distracting then one on the print, imho. The mat is supposed to be blank - a single smudge on the mat, and it needs to be re-done.

On one occasion I asked a photog to sign a print of his for me, and he signed the paper just below the image, so when I matted and framed it I had to leave a white space below the image so his signature would still be there. Not what I like, but I got a comment from a person who liked that way of doing it.
 
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The best place for me is over the white space bottom the image. Also, I think framed images must have white space bottom, top and sides. I like the bottom white area be larger relative to others
 
I recently had the pleasure of selling and signing my first photograph. I didn't have a silver pen to sign the photo. I signed the matt in pencil in the manner used by my real artist mentor to sign lithographs many moons ago.
 
Steve.. have a laugh... sign it "Langdon Alger" :D (in pencil.. HB pencil.. or even better.. see if you can find an HCB pencil ;))

Cheers
Dave
 
My photog was 4,000 miles away, unable to sign the mat with a pencil after I mounted, mated and framed his picture.
 
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lZr said:
The best place for me is over the white space bottom the image.
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Ditto.

You know, they claim there are some snobs out there. I've known some that would faint at the thought of "amateurishly" signing a photograph.

So I always ask. Different people have different ideas of how wet water should be.
 
As others have suggested, most signed prints I've seen have been signed, usually in pencil, in the white border at the bottom of the print, and the mat (matt, matte?) cut to show it.
 
i own a frame shop, so we have this issue come up often. a lot of photographers sign in ink in the white margin or on the back. i would say they are about evenly split on where they sign their photos, on the back, the margin or on the mat. i prefer the actual piece be signed, you can put a signed mat on any picture and pawn it off as being from the original artist. also, it kinda depends on what kind of paper it is, slick photo paper is not very receptive to ink or pencil so then we have them use a sharpie. you can also sign the mat with a staedtler 5B pencil. that pencil is also great for photos on watercolor paper.

this isn't fool proof, i have a large damien hirst(big bucks) that the signature faded away to nothing in two years time. it was signed with a 'marks a lot' marker instead of a sharpie. his reps sent me an apology letter with a laserjet repro of the piece signed in pencil. gee thanks. they said he signed about 30 of them with the wrong marker and they're keeping track of that group of the edition. maybe it'll be worth more money someday...

bob

edit--if you do want to sign on photo paper, we use a staedtler 6H pencil. you can get them at any art supply store.
 
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If the print is signed on the back, do you mount it with hinges so the thing can be dis-assembled if somebody wants to see the signature?
 
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feenej said:
If the print is signed on the back, do you mount it with hinges so the thing can be dis-assembled if somebody wants to see the signature?
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always use hinges on larger photos. with small(8x10 or smaller) you can use photo corners. some people use them on larger pictures, but i don't.
if there is a signature on the back, i usually make a color copy of it and stick it to the backing paper.
 
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