Mirror retainers do the trick.
As any art museum creator what fraction of his inventory is on display at any time and you will learn that most of the catalog is in the basement. Museums rotate displays all the time, thus exposing new works from their basement for all to see and making the viewer’s repeat visit always fresh, without overloading the visual senses.
For large prints I have long standardized my mounts at a 22″ x 28″ size. This allows the use of like-sized mats with varying apertures, be they 8″ x 10″, 13″ x 19″ or 18″ x 24″. Traditionally I have glassed and framed these into what is a pretty costly ‘per print’ assembly, and a labor intensive one at that. At $70+ a framed, glassed original, two-thirds of the cost is comprised of the frame and glass.
I am moving away from this semi-permanent approach by using mirror mounts to hold prints on the wall. The prints are not glassed or framed. The mirror mounts run $2 a packet of four at the hardware store and the provided, ugly, drywall screws are replaced with 1″ roofing nails. These have a large, flat, shiny top and can be hammered into place in seconds, needing only a spirit level to get things aligned just so.
Mirror mount and roofing nail in place.
Using a 3/16″ mount and standard thickness mat, the mat + print + mount ‘sandwich’ can be replaced with another like-sized print in seconds, simply slid into place using the existing mirror retainers. The thickness of the sandwich is just right to allow the mirror mounts to gently hold things in place, the rest being done by gravity. The mat is glued to the mount using 3M Double Sided tape.
The finished display is simple and elegant, with the mirror fasteners sporting a pleasant Art Deco retro look. And, like that museum curator, you can switch what is on display with ease.
Redimat sells archival mounting board in 22″ x 28″ for $7.10 with mats running some $22.05 plus shipping. So call it $26 a print if bought in quantities of more than ten. That’s a lot less than a glassed, framed print will run you. It’s also a great presentation for those interesting in selling their work, requiring just the addition of a glassine envelope ($0.50) for protection when displayed in a sawhorse at an art show.
Want to distinguish a photographer from an equipment fetishist? Simply ask what percentage of his annual outlay is on gear compared to prints. The higher the percentage, the lower the quality of the work, for the most part.
Rajan – I have written lots about it here – using both PT Lens and predecessors.
Type ‘QTVR’ in the search box at right – I have focused mainly on VR 360 panos, some of which you can view here. Much of the technique involved in assembling QTVRs decribed in these articles still applies with newer products as most use the same underlying pano engine, so all that information about control points remains valid.
Alternatively, click categories->photographty->technique->qtvr at right.
I wrote about PTLens here which has the advantage of working in Lion as no Rosetta PPC emulator is required.
The superb Canon 15mm Fisheye in conjunction with this software would be a great addition to your landscape arsenal at a fraction of the cost of the less effective Canon 14mm ‘L’ optic, whether you simply need an ultra-wide rectilinear result or want to render QTVRs.