Photo frames

In the day of digital photography many of us forget the importance of photo frames. We are so used to viewing our photos on our phones and computer screens, from our own galleries or online platforms. But how many times do we really look at the photos we take? How many of them end up abandoned in old hard drives and the cloud? In the days of film photography, most families kept a family photo album that they would browse through every once in a while and when guests called in. Most houses also had photos of family members on display in beautiful frames on windowsills and on top of cabinets. At Atelier Temppeli, we want to bring back these beautiful photo frames of our beloved ones and have them displayed where they belong.

“A photograph is a memory in the making, a frame turns it into a story.” – Anonymous

Sourcing photo frames

We want to source our materials as locally as possible, and that includes the photo frames as well. Like most industrial nations, Finland used to produce most of the consumer goods that the population needed from within its borders and import the rest from neighboring regions. The world has changed since then, and most manufacturing has shifted to countries with cheaper labor and easier access to raw materials. Finland, after all, is basically an island in the corner of Europe, disconnected from the European mainland by the Baltic Sea.

Vintage photo frames in different sizes with black and white darkroom prints. The frames are golden and silver in colour.
Vintage photo frame with black and white darkroom print. The frame is golden in color.
Vintage photo frame with black and white darkroom print. The frame is golden in color.
Vintage photo frame with black and white darkroom print. The frame is silver in color.

Thankfully, many frames were produced during the heyday of Finland’s industry, so old frames are still easy to come by in flea markets and thrift shops. These frames fit our theme well as they give off the authentic old world charm that we seek trough our film photography. We have secured a number of old frames that our customers can choose from, and we are always on the lookout for more vintage frames to add to our collection.

Eiri Kehykset

Relying solely on second-hand finds can be too limiting for a photo studio. One Finnish company, however, still produces the very same frame models from decades past.

Eiri Kehykset (Eiri Frames) is one of the last surviving frame manufacturers that operates as a family business in Lahti, Finland. According to their website, the current owners purchased the frame manufacturing side of Eiri, a larger photography conglomerate and a big player during the film era, in 2013, saving their traditional frame models. Eiri, the original company, filed for bankruptcy in 2005. Their business was essentially sliced up and sold to the highest bidder. The brand only exists now through frame manufacturing, as other parts of the business were absorbed by their new companies. I still see a lot of darkroom equipment from Eiri around in Finland. As a curiosity, my darkroom safelights are from this company as well!

Ruusukulma

Two vintage frames in gold, with black and white darkroom prints.
Ruusukulma frames secured from a second hand shop with black and white darkroom prints. Note the tonal difference? The left one is untoned, while the right-hand one has been treated with a selene toner to bring a more silvery colour to the print.

The quintessential traditional Finnish photo frame is the so called “Ruusukulma”-frame, or the rose corner. Simply put, it is a metal frame in gold or silver with decorative roses soldered to its corners. Most Finnish homes have at least one of these while older people would accumulate multiple throughout their lives. Eiri has been manufacturing these frames in Finland since 1959, prior to which the parts were imported from Germany. According to the same Wikipedia article that was cited earlier, by 2002, a whopping 7,5 million Ruusukulma frames had already been manufactured in Finland. And what’s best is that Eiri still manufactures their famous Ruusukulma frame in four variants: gold, silver and shiny versions of both.

At Atelier Temppeli, we believe in supporting local manufacturing, which is why we source our frames from Eiri Kehykset—a longstanding, historic company whose products stand the test of time.


Do you also want to turn your special moments into beautifully preserved memories? Click here to read more about our outdoor photoshoot!