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Q&A
This page answers some of the more common questions that I am often asked by prospective clients and customers. It also explains some of the more technical terms used throughout the site. Questions:
Terms:
Questions & Answers:
Some of the images on this site don’t look too sharp or clear. Why does the quality look poor? In order to facilitate quick loading, the file size and resolution of all images on this site have been reduced to a minimum. Unfortunately, such operations affect the quality of the images. Please be aware that the quality and sharpness of all full-sized image files and photographic prints offered on this site are of a much higher standard.
Can the coloured images on this site be ordered as black and white photographs? Any colour image on this site can be converted to black and white. If you spot a particular image that you think would look well as a black and white, please don’t hesitate to contact me with details. I will do the conversion and then make a sample image available for you to view. If you are impressed with what you see, it can be ordered as a photographic print or high resolution file.
How do you ensure that the image I see on screen will be the same as the final print? To ensure that the colours being displayed by your screen are accurate, you must routinely reset some of your monitor options to standard values. This process is known as calibration, and is extremely important if you want to buy prints or any artwork on the internet. If you don’t calibrate your monitor, you are not seeing the real colours of the image you are looking at. So, to guarantee that my final prints match what you see on your screen, I implore all prospective customers to please calibrate your monitor before you decide to purchase. This topic has been explained in more detail on the Monitor Calibration page. Also on this page, I have included details of several free calibration software packages.
How is payment achieved? Once a sale has been agreed, the final payment transaction is done using PayPal. PayPal is a secure online payment system used and trusted by over 78 million users worldwide. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards are all accepted. Payment using direct debit cards and bank account transfers are also possible. The main advantage of PayPal is that it enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. For a more detailed explanation of the PayPal process and its advantages, please read the Payment section. If you do not want to use PayPal, other payment methods are available on request. These might include personal checks, bank drafts or money orders. Please contact me if you would like to arrange alternate payment options.
How are the prints packaged and shipped? I ship photographs using ‘Royal Cambodian Post Office’ Airmail Service. Their shipping costs are calculated by the gram (not by 0.5kg or 1kg payment blocks), so this is the cheapest option when shipping from Cambodia. They offer a very reliable service with transit times varying from 1–3 weeks, depending on the destination. To learn more, please read the Shipping section. If you need a print quickly, other shipping options are available which offer faster transit times. In total there are 6 companies which ship from Cambodia. For a full comparison of all shipping possibilities, please click here. My personal preference is to ship prints rolled. The prints are placed in an acid free poly bag, before being sandwiched between layers of protective plastic foam sheeting. Next they are carefully rolled and placed inside solid, industrial-strength, PVC piping of large diameter (3 inches). On request, prints up to 40x50cm (A3+) can be shipped flat. The prints are placed in acid free poly bags, before being sandwiched between layers of plastic foam sheeting and solid cardboard. For a more detailed description, please read the Packaging section.
How do you guarantee the prints safe shipping? All prints are packaged carefully using sturdy materials to ensure that they are not damaged during shipping. For a more detailed description, please read the Packaging section. I ship photographs using ‘Royal Cambodian Post Office’ Airmail Service. They offer a very reliable service with transit times varying from 1–3 weeks, depending on the destination. To learn more, please read the Shipping section.
What happens if the print is damaged during shipping? In the unlikely case that your photograph has sustained damage during shipping, simply contact me within 5 working days of delivery and I will replace the damaged print at no additional charge. For more information, please read the 100% Satisfaction Guarantee section.
Are you available for assignment work? If you like my work, and would like me to capture some specific scene(s) in Cambodia, please don’t hesitate to contact me with details of what you are looking for. From there, we can try to negotiate a contract and quote. At the very least, I should be able to provide you with some advice or recommendations. There is no assignment too small or too great.
Do the prints come matted and framed? No. To lower shipping costs, prints are sold individually. Backing board, matting, frame and glass are not included. On the Products and Services page, I have included standard frame sizes in the table just as a guide to help you choose a suitable print size. The selection of matting and frame margins, styles and colours is left up to the buyer. This is a personal choice, which should compliment both the photographic content and the décor of the room in which it will be displayed. For more information on the intricacies of matting and framing images, please read the Matting Photographs page.
How should I frame and display my print? In order to maximize the longevity of purchased photographs, all prints should be framed using acid-free and archival materials and displayed in a low-humidity environment. Also, photographs should never be displayed in direct sunlight or fluorescent light. Although all light is damaging to a photograph, these two types of lighting are most damaging. To learn more, please read the Displaying Photographs section. The selection of matting and frame margins, styles and colours is left up to the buyer. This is a personal choice, which should compliment both the photographic content and the décor of the room in which it will be displayed. For more information on the intricacies of matting and framing images, please read the Matting Photographs page.
How should I handle my purchased print on delivery? On delivery, please open the packaging carefully. Much care has been taken on my part to ensure that the print has been packaged and shipped in pristine condition. It would be a shame for it to travel such long distances, only for a clumsy buyer to mishandle the photograph causing fingerprints or kinks (small creases in the paper). Advice and guidelines for handling unframed photographs has been prepared in the Careful Handling section.
Is the quality of the prints good? To ensure high quality photographic prints, the entire printing process is done by a professional lab which uses the latest Fuji products. The lab uses Fuji’s Frontier 590 Digital Minilab printers and Fuji’s Fujicolor Crystal Archive photographic paper. Under normal display conditions, the paper will show no fading for between 60-70 years, and is not predicted to crack, discolour or yellow for over 100 years. This combination of the printing technology and paper produce prints with sharp images, rich accurate colours and lifelong longevity. Furthermore, all prints can be printed on matte or gloss paper. To learn more, please read the High Quality Prints section.
Do you offer both matte and gloss finishes for the photographic prints? Yes. I offer both matte and gloss. The final choice is left up to the buyer. A comparison and some guidelines to help you choose the most suitable print finish have been prepared on the Matte V Gloss page.
What is the expected lifespan of each print? The entire printing process is done by a professional lab which uses the latest Fuji products. The lab uses Fuji’s Frontier 590 Digital Minilab printers and Fuji’s Fujicolor Crystal Archive photographic paper. Under normal display conditions, the paper will show no fading for between 60-70 years, and is not predicted to crack, discolour or yellow for over 100 years. To learn more, please read the High Quality Prints section.
What happens if I am not satisfied with the final print or I deem the quality to be inadequate? Although shopping online is easy and convenient, it does have the disadvantage that buyers can not inspect the finished product before buying. Instead, they have to take the word of the seller. To allay any fears you might have and to encourage more people to shop online, Conor Wall Photography offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all purchases. For more information, please read the 100% Satisfaction Guarantee section.
Can I license an image for use? All images displayed in my online portfolio are available to purchase as low or high resolution stock images (for editorial or commercial use). I offer rights managed (RM) and rights protected (RP - rights managed with exclusivity) licenses. As part of my service, I offer prospective clients a full licensing history of any image’s use. This allows clients to make sure competitors have not already used a certain image, and also limits the possibility of over-exposure of the same image in the marketplace. I keep an open mind to client’s requests and needs, and therefore set unique terms for each individual license. The aim of this more flexible approach is to allow clients to tailor the license parameters to suit their requirements. I hope that by doing this the clients can achieve maximum results by using the image to its full potential. For more information, please read the Stock Photography section. Images and stories from this site may not be copied, saved, downloaded, altered or used in any other way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer and author. Please read the Copyright Information page for further details.
Are the personal details I supply kept confidential? During the ordering and purchasing process, certain personal details of the buyer are required. Such details might include name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and credit card information. This order information will be retained until payment has been received and the buyer has expressed their satisfaction with the completed transaction. Under no circumstances will your personal details be sold, traded, rented or provided to anyone else. For more information, please read the Privacy Policy page.
Is the purchase of print sizes not listed on the site possible? Because I use a professional lab to print, I am able to offer a wide range of paper sizes. As a result, I am not restricted to just the sizes listed in the Print Sizes section. Other sizes can easily be printed on request. Such freedom allows clients to custom make frames or mats which they feel best suit the photograph, instead of relying on pre-made frames and mats available in shops. To learn more, please read the High Quality Prints section.
Why are the paper sizes always larger than the image sizes? I always ensure that the paper size is slightly bigger than the image size for all my photographic prints. This results in a plain white border around all four sides of every print, which allows for safe shipping and handling, as scratches, kinks and creases usually appear near the paper edges. A border also makes the matting and framing process much easier. This is especially important for large prints.
Some of the borders around the images seem large. Will this cause a problem when matting or framing? I always ensure that the paper size is slightly bigger than the image size for all my photographic prints. This results in a plain white border around all four sides of every print. Leaving a border actually makes the matting process much easier. It is also safer for shipping and handling, as scratches, kinks and creases usually appear near the paper edges. On an odd occasion however, the edges of a border might have to be trimmed to fit the frame. This will occur if you decide to use very narrow matting margins. Nowadays, using narrow matting margins seems to be going out of fashion. It is not uncommon these days to see mats with margins that are double the width of 10 years ago. Wide mats seem to be becoming more and more popular as they add a more dramatic sense to the display. Because of this trend, trimming the paper borders will more than likely not be an issue.
What is the difference between US and European standard sizes? Unfortunately, common print sizes and frame sizes differ depending on what part of the world you live in. In most parts of the world a metric system of measurement is used (cm), but in America the old imperial units of measurement are used (inch). To accommodate everyone, I have provided images that fit both, US (inch) and European (cm) frame, mat and print standards in the Print Sizes section. For a more detailed explanation of the complications introduced by differing aspect ratios and frame standards, please read the Aspect Ratio page.
Will the prints fit in frames that I can easily buy in art shops or larger department stores? The print sizes listed in the High Quality Prints section were chosen to conform to aspect ratio restrictions imposed by standard frame and mat manufacturers. Buying prints in these sizes ensures that expensive custom frames or mats do not have to be made specially. Instead standard commercial frames and mats can be purchased from retailers at a much lower cost. These standard frame sizes have also been listed to help you choose a suitable image size. Just to confuse matters though, common print sizes and frame sizes differ depending on what part of the world you live in. To accommodate everyone, I have provided images that fit both, US (inch) and European (cm) frame, mat and print standards. And just to really, really, really annoy photograph lovers around the world some shops now sell frames measured in units that don’t match the prints available in that country. So, for example, a retailer in USA (eg. IKEA) might sell frames measured in centimeters which won’t fit American prints which are measured in inches. Or a retailer in England (eg. Debenhams) might sell frames measured in inches which won’t fit European prints which are measured in centimeters. Unsuspecting customers beware! So, to answer the initial question - yes, the prints will fit standard frames that can be bought in art shops and larger retailer. You must, however, make sure that you buy frames measured in the correct units.
Can I frame my print myself or should I go to a professional framing shop? I always advise customers to get photographic prints framed by a professional framer. The larger the print, the more important this advice becomes. Framing large photographs is not easy, as they are easily damaged (kinks, scratches and fingerprints). Furthermore, by using the wrong techniques or materials art-lovers can unknowingly cause premature aging (staining, bubbling, cracking and fading). On rare occasions the borders might also have to be trimmed, to make a print fit the frame. Buying high quality, large photographic prints is not cheap. So why not spend a little extra bit of money to ensure that the print isn’t damaged and lasts for your lifetime. In fifty years time when you are grey and old, and your framed photograph hasn’t aged a bit, you will consider it money well spent.
Terms: Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio of an image is the relationship between its width and its height. So, for example, an A4 sheet of paper with 8x12 inch dimensions has an aspect ratio of 2:3 (width : height). For every 2 units of width, there are 3 units of height. Please read the Aspect Ratio page for further details.
Mat / Matting A mat (also known as a mount) is a coloured cardboard border which is cut to surround a work of art or photograph. It is generally placed between the image and the frame. It serves two main purposes. Firstly, it adds a decorative effect, and secondly, it separates the photograph from the glass. If this is not done, the emulsion of the photograph will stick to the glass and ruin the photograph. For a more detailed description, please read the Matting Photographs page.
Cropping Cropping is the process where the borders of an image are cut away and discarded. This is useful when you want to remove unwanted parts of the image, but also can be used to fit an image onto standard paper sizes or into standard frame dimensions. Cropping can be easily done in any photo editing program. This topic has been explained in more detail in the Cropping section.
Monitor Calibration Unfortunately, not every monitor displays color and contrast in the exact same way. So for example, one of the photographs displayed on my website might look bright and colourful on one person’s monitor, but the same photograph might look dark with a red tint on another persons. To ensure that the colours being displayed by your screen are accurate, you must routinely reset some of your monitor options to standard values. This process is known as calibration, and is extremely important. If you don’t calibrate your monitor, you are not seeing the real colours of the image you are looking at. For a more detailed description, please read the Monitor Calibration page.
Custom Weighted Matting This process involves cutting a mat with different horizontal and vertical margins widths. Such a process is useful when an image of a certain aspect ratio (which cannot be cropped as important details of the photograph will be lost) is fitted into a pre-made frame of a different aspect ratio. As the two aspect ratios don’t match up, a unique mat opening can be cut. If the widths are large the difference between the horizontal and vertical margins is hard to spot. To learn more, please read the Custom Weighted Matting section.
Archival and Acid-Free Materials Archival and acid free materials are special materials used in the matting and framing of any artist work, in order to maximize it longevity. Such materials might include mat, back-board, tape and glazing. The use of such materials prevents premature aging such as staining, bubbling, cracking and fading.
Standard Frame Sizes Over the years, frame manufacturers have settled on certain common dimensions when making frames to display artistic works. This undoubtedly reduces manufacturing costs as framing companies can mass produce the standard sizes quickly. These standard dimensions differ depending on what part of the world you live in. In most parts of the world a metric system of measurement is used (cm), but in America the old imperial units of measurement are used (inch).
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