8 Simple Tips to Photograph Your Art

8 Simple Tips to Photograph Your Art

Always photograph your art, even if you only save it for posterity. Accidents can happen to your artwork, so having a good photographic record of your work is essential.

First impressions are essential, and a photograph of your work is usually the first thing a viewer or buyer will see, so make it good. Here are some simple tips to help you photograph your art.

You don’t need a huge budget, fancy, expensive camera, or a lot of photography knowledge to get started. 

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1. Snap First, Frame Later

Got your favorite varnish and a terrific frame? Great, put them away for a day or two. Always photograph your work before you varnish or frame it.

Varnish and framing glass can produce reflections and glare that will appear in your photo and distort the image and colors. You can end up with bright spots or reflections you don’t want.

Photograph your artwork as soon as it dries before moving on to the finishing process. 

For tips on how to varnish your artwork, see this article on How To Varnish Acrylic Paintings. 

2. “Beautiful Sunsets Need Cloudy Skies…” Paulo Coelho

A quote by one of my favorite authors also holds true for beautiful photos. Clouds act as diffusers, making the light appear from all angles instead of just one specific point.

Photographing your work outside when possible is the best way to get a true picture. The colors in your artwork are not influenced by artificial light when you photograph your painting outdoors.

3. Don’t Flash Your Art

Turn off the flash on your camera. Using a flash can cause all sorts of issues, such as color washout, reflections, and bright spots. Take your photos where there is sufficient natural or artificial light.

Use daylight bulbs in dark areas of your home or studio. Try and take your photos in the early morning or early evening when the light is good but not too intense to wash out your photos or give you glare.

4. Use A Good Camera

Your cell phone is OK for taking in-progress photos to post to social media, but it is not great for producing photos for quality prints or submissions.

You need a digital camera that you can adjust to meet your needs. Good cameras are expensive, so if you are on a budget borrow one and start saving your lunch money.

A good camera is an investment in your art biz. The best camera to start with is a 35 mm digital camera that has a resolution of at least 14 megapixels.
If you can get one with RAW + (Large) JPEG format, you will get the best color information and, ultimately, the best print.

I started out with this one. They are pricey, so check around and see if you can find a good used one to start with.

5. Read

Having access to a good camera is great, but if you don’t know how to use it, you may as well have your four-year-old nephew take your photos.

Reading a manual is like watching cement dry (I would have said paint, but artists watch paint dry frequently 🙂 ), but to get the most out of your expensive piece of equipment, you need to know how it works.

There are also many YouTube videos and photography websites that provide great information about all kinds of photography.

6. Get Set

If you are setting up your photo shoot indoors, position your artwork at a 45-degree angle from the light source to avoid glare.

If you can afford it, a couple of diffused lights set at 45-degree angles on either side of your art will also work well.

Set your artwork against a white background and ensure it is straight and not leaning in any way to avoid distortion.

If possible, set the camera parallel to the artwork on a tripod. If you don’t have a tripod, set your camera on a table or a stack of books to get it parallel.

7. Shoot

Adjust the white balance on your camera or use the auto setting. Set your zoom so that the artwork is framed with no distortion.

A good place to start is mid-zoom and then move the camera closer or further away.

Frame your art in the center of the view with a slight white border all around so you have room to edit your photo later.

Take multiple photos and check them on your computer before you dismantle your setup. You may need to adjust the camera settings or angle further to get a better shot.

8. Edit

Once you have the best photo of your artwork, it’s time to make it better.

Use Photoshop or a free online photo editor like Gimp to crop the picture and adjust the color and tone of your photo.

Use these editors to remove any glare or dust spots that might have accidentally appeared on your photo.

You can also resize your photo to fit upload requirements if necessary. Save copies of your image in a file or thumb drive so you will always know where to find one if you need it. 

Bonus Tip

Photograph and edit your artwork in batches. That way, you don’t have to repeat the time-consuming setup process or find frequent blocks of free time to take photos.

Wait until you have several pieces of work done and ready to photograph. You could also collaborate with a fellow artist and share the setting up and photographing.   

I hope these simple tips will help you get the best photograph of your artwork. There are many great tutorials online that go more in-depth, or you might consider a photography class to get the most out of your camera.

Either way, these tips should give you a good start. Happy shooting!!

If you have questions, you can leave them in the comments below. You can also join our free Facebook group, Trembeling Art Creative Corner, where you can ask questions, post your work and get to know some fantastic artists from all genres and skill levels. 😊

Thanks for reading.