ArtSmarts is an educational series meant to provide tips and advice for artists. Each post covers a different topic with real world situations and input from industry experts. Do you have a topic you’d like to see covered? Email Kristina at kcoopman@riverartsinc.org with your ArtSmarts suggestion!
Photographing Artwork
Click here to watch the full video
Photographing Your Artwork:
- Taking photos of your artwork is the absolute #1 best habit you can develop as an artist!
- This helps with:
- keeping records
- making sales
- applying to shows/galleries
- creating a website/social media platform
- And more
- Taking photos is the foundation for almost every other aspect of the business of art
- This helps with:
This video focuses on low- or no-budget options for how to take nice photos of your artwork. While it shows mostly 3D pieces, many of the same principles apply to 2D. More info and tips for 2D artwork are below:
- A few basics, no matter how advanced your process or equipment:
- Photograph 2D artwork BEFORE it goes in a frame
- Glass creates a glare that’s nearly impossible to get rid of, and frames cover the edge of a piece
- If a customer doesn’t like the frame you chose, they might be turned off of your artwork altogether
- Lighting is key (more on this below)
- 3D artwork should be photographed from all angles, if meant to be in the round
- Keep the background simple and non-distracting
- Put a little effort into staging this. Even a nice view outside is better than a messy studio table
- Taking the photo is step 1, editing can always help improve
- Photograph 2D artwork BEFORE it goes in a frame
- Lighting
- Indirect, natural light is best
- Try to be in a room with lots of windows, or take the piece outside if possible
- Artificial light inside can make the colors appear incorrectly based on the temperature of bulbs and reflective surfaces
- Cloudy day is perfect
- Avoid direct light, either sunlight or from lamps
- Hot spots, glares can show up in your photos
- If using additional lights/lamps
- place one on each side of your piece at a 45 degree angle to avoid hot spots
- To diffuse light, point at a sheet of foamcore and have it reflect back onto your artwork for softer effect
- Tip: If you paint with texture, you can have a strong light source (either direct sun or lamp) coming from one side. This is called a raking light, and highlights topographic details of an artwork
- For budget lights, try clamp on reflector lights from your local hardware store, paired with low heat LED bulbs
- Indirect, natural light is best
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them:
- #1 Distorted perspective
- When your painting looks out of perspective, it takes away all the hard work you’ve put into creating an accurate drawing or painting to start with. It could create an elongated face in a portrait or short legs or arms on a figurative piece.
- The key is making sure the angle of your painting and the angle of your camera/phone are the same.
- If you’ve laid your painting on the floor and you’re shooting down on top of it, there’s built-in help on an iPhone to make sure you’re aligned.
- Camera settings -> Grid -> On
- Then, when you’re looking down on an image, two crosses will appear in the centre of your phone display
- Move the phone until just one yellow cross shows – you’re now level – the same plane as the floor
- #2 Lens distortion
- Have you ever noticed the straight, square edges of your canvas look warped? Or a fence post you painted vertical has a slight curve to it?
- The culprit is distortion. Lines can appear straight at the very centre of the canvas and curve away at the outer edges.
- This is a small issue that is much more apparent when photographing 3D objects but can be evident on smaller canvases.
- Solution: Check your distance between camera and artwork. Go further back than you think you need to and try taking the photo again
- #3 Cluttered environment/background
- Busy/cluttered/messy backgrounds take attention away from your work, and make it look less professional
- Solution: Crop your images
- If using a phone, this can be done in Photos under the “Edit” setting
- If using a camera, upload your photo to Photoshop, Lightroom, or a free photo editing software like BeFunky
- Tip: Some background can sometimes be helpful, especially if you want to show scale. Just be mindful of what’s there and make sure it’s a benefit to your work, not a distraction
- #4 Shaky hands leading to blurred images
- A tripod will be your best bet for this.
- Here’s a great budget option for phone photos that comes with a bluetooth trigger, meaning you don’t even have to touch the phone
- #1 Distorted perspective
There is so much more we could talk about with this topic, but these are some great guidelines to go by!
