Tip: How to Photograph Art

As a former professional photographer I would like to share these tips about photographing art. Besides keeping a photograph for your inventory or portfolio, you may also need slides or prints to send to a gallery or competition. Photos of your artwork and photos of you with your artwork are good for advertising as well.

Lighting is critical to making a good photograph. Lighting can be provided naturally (using skylight) or provided using light fixtures. The perfect natural lighting is found on an overcast day, just lay your art on the porch and take a picture. Setting-up light fixtures is a bit more work. The illustration below shows how lamps should be oriented to get the best results.

In addition, here are some things to do and and not do when photographing artwork.

Don’t

1. Use a flash. You will get glare, hot spots, and unwanted light areas especially if your artwork is varnished or glossy.
2. Prop your art up on something creating an unwanted angle. This will introduce a distorted perspective that looks bad in a photograph.
3. Use incandescent, fluorescent, or other unnatural light sources. Fluorescent lights give a yellowish-green cast to everything. Incandescent lights, if low wattage, give a reddish-orange cast that looks like sunset.
4. Shoot your art in the middle of the day with direct sunlight shining on it. The colors may get washed out and you may get a hot spot in the image as well.

Do

1. Take the artwork out from behind glass. If it doesn’t lie flat, put a dab of masking tape under the corners temporarily to hold it down.
2. Lay your art flat and shoot it from straight above (or at least make sure you shoot the image straight on which will require that you tilt the camera if the artwork is tilted).
3. Use full spectrum lights if possible. If not, use two bright lights such as flood lights (100 watts or more), equally spaced, shining on your art. If you use man-made lights, set your camera on white balance, or use Photoshop to correct the color on the computer.
4. Placing both lights at a 45 degree angle from your art. This will create even lighting and compensate for any texture that could create unwanted shadows.

Susan Jordan