I have been known to agonize over the most minute details of my picture making process: all that goes into paper selection (more on this soon), print sizes, and yes, framing. Mat, no mat, window, 4 ply mat, 6 ply mats, metal frame, wood frame...
Online research helps to frame (pun intended) the issue, but in the end it is a highly personal process, one that depends on the individual photographer's style, whether their work is B&W versus color, what effect one wants to achieve. One consideration is to be raised above all: this is an integral part of the picture-making process. And in the end is no other way to resolve it if not by direct examination: visiting galleries and museums to find out what is being done out there.
In my personal quest for my individual framing style I've had to contend with this issue widely. At the moment I am in a transition phase, not with my work, but how I see my work displayed, the paper I want to use, and all of the other elements that revolve around the non-technical elements (the technical ones are more clearly defined, fortunately), the type of space and lighting conditions that my work will be displayed in, what I want to communicate with it, etc... Underestimating any of these issues will highly curtail the final result of one's prints.
I will spare the details of my personal plight, but if someone is interested in sharing, I'd love to hear what they are doing with their framing choices right now.
Here is a good, albeit quite high level point of view on the issue, in the words of the LACMA head curator of photography, Charlotte Cotton: LACMA: The Way We Frame Now. I'll post more resources as I find them.
{ Note on margin: I would love to read a treatment about the esthetics of the modern exhibition space... }
Note to the non LA insider: the LACMA is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, one of the paramount art institutions in Southern California and the country.
