Leo Martínez
Artists may need to photograph their paintings for various reasons, such as uploading them to a website, entering a competition, or creating print-on-demand products. While hiring a professional photographer is an option, artists can also learn to photograph their paintings themselves. This involves understanding various factors, such as lighting, equipment, camera settings, and post-processing techniques, to ensure the digital image accurately represents the artwork. The painting's size, medium, and texture can also influence the choice between photographing or scanning the artwork.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Optimal lighting is natural light on a bright but cloudy day. If using artificial light, use two lights on opposite sides of the artwork, each at a 45-degree angle. |
| Equipment | A camera with a minimum of 12 megapixels, ideally a DSLR camera of at least 24MP. A tripod is recommended for stability and accurate angles. A polarizing filter can be used to reduce glare. |
| Artwork preparation | Remove the painting from its frame and any glass covering to avoid reflections. Secure the artwork to a flat surface to avoid shadows. Hang the artwork on a neutral-coloured wall, with the centre at eye level. |
| Camera setup | The camera should be centred and directly square-on to the artwork, with the line of sight perpendicular to the art. The camera should be parallel to the artwork to avoid distortion. |
| File preparation | Save images as JPGs or PNGs. Use RGB colour profiles for digital images and CMYK for printing. Adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation as needed. |
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What You'll Learn
Lighting
If you are shooting indoors, make sure you shoot in a room with plenty of windows and natural light. Natural light helps prevent images from taking on a yellow or blue tint, which can happen with fluorescent lighting, and provides much more even lighting. Avoid direct sunlight on your artwork as this may create glare and affect the colours of your photograph. If you are shooting in a room without windows, you can light your work with lamps. For 2D works, you will need two lights, preferably using daylight bulbs. Clamp lights work great for this.
Position the lights halfway between the camera and your work on the wall at a 45-degree angle pointing towards the wall. This angle will help eliminate any glare you might get from the lights. If you are still experiencing glare from the lights, you can diffuse them with white sheets in front of them. You can also bounce lights off neutral side walls or large pieces of white foamcore.
If you are using window light as your primary light source, position a large white piece of foamcore on the opposite side of the window beside the painting. Doing so bounces some of the window light back to balance out the darker side of the work. You can control the texture by changing the distance of the whiteboard from the work.
If you are using a smartphone, be aware that there is a lot of computational photography going on behind the scenes, and not all of it is helpful if you are trying to get an accurate colour reproduction. You will often need to adjust the brightness and colour of your images.
If you are using a DSLR, the ideal range for shooting artworks is between f/8 and f/11. A higher setting like 1600 will give grainy results, which is not suitable for reproducing artwork. To guarantee your aperture value doesn’t change, select aperture priority mode. Most digital cameras have a white balance control on the camera body or within its menu. You can select settings from cloudy to sunny or flash to tungsten. They even have the option to choose Auto or Custom to match the scene’s lighting.
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Camera setup
When setting up your camera to photograph a painting, there are several factors to consider. Firstly, the camera should be positioned directly in front of the painting, pointed squarely at its centre, and parallel to the artwork to avoid distortion. A tripod can help to achieve this, as it allows for stable and perfectly angled shots. If you don't have a tripod, you can use a table, stack of books, or any stable surface to rest the camera on.
The camera's line of sight needs to be perpendicular to the art. If the painting is on a vertical wall, the camera should be vertical. If the artwork is on an easel or leaning against a wall, the camera must be tilted to match the angle of the painting.
The ideal lens setting is 50mm, but should be no wider than 24mm, as wider lenses can create a minor curve and distort the image. The camera should be set up on a neutral-coloured wall, with as much room as possible on either side for lighting. The painting should be hung at around 48" high to avoid colour casts from the ceiling or floor.
The lighting setup is crucial. The optimal lighting is natural light, such as on a bright but cloudy day outdoors, as it provides an even light with no fall-off. If shooting indoors, a room with good natural light is best, and the painting should face or be positioned 90 degrees from the window to minimise fall-off. Two lights should be placed on opposite sides of the artwork, each at a 45-degree angle, to provide even lighting.
To capture the texture and colours accurately, a grey card can be placed in the frame to ensure neutral lighting. A polarising filter over the lens can also help reduce glare from highlights on the painting.
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Framing
Firstly, decide on the exact cropping dimensions that you want for your painting. You can lightly mark these dimensions on your painting with a pencil, which will be helpful when you crop your photo later. It is also recommended to include a small piece of paper with information such as the date, title, full paper size, and preferred crop size, which will be useful for your records.
When setting up your camera, use a tripod to stabilize the shot and ensure that your camera is directly square-on to the artwork. It is important to maintain a distance of around 5-6 feet away from the painting and zoom in slightly to avoid barrel distortion, which occurs when using the "wide-angle" portion of your lens. Make sure the painting is vertical and the lens is level, pointed directly at the centre of the artwork.
Lighting is crucial when framing your artwork. Ideally, use natural light outdoors on a bright but cloudy day, as it provides an even light across the painting without harsh shadows. If shooting indoors, a room with black walls and no windows is preferable to avoid unwanted reflections. Alternatively, use a black backdrop behind the camera or a large dark background to ensure that nothing reflects onto the artwork. You can also use two lights placed at a 45-degree angle on opposite sides of the artwork to provide even lighting.
If your painting is framed behind glass, additional considerations need to be made. Avoid using a light source that will create reflections, and use a polarizing filter on your lens to eliminate glare. You can also use a black cloth with a hole for your camera lens to block out unwanted light.
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File preparation
The first step in preparing your painting for upload to POD is to decide whether to scan or photograph it. Scanning is recommended as it captures the entire image, whereas a photograph only captures one perspective. However, scanning large paintings can be time-consuming and expensive, so photography may be preferable if your painting is too large to scan.
If you decide to photograph your painting, you will need a camera with a high enough resolution for POD. A 12-megapixel camera is the minimum, but a 24MP DSLR camera is recommended for the best results. You can also use a camera phone for social media and online advertising images, but this may require additional editing.
When setting up your equipment, use a tripod to stabilize the shot and ensure accuracy. Set up your artwork on a neutral-coloured wall, with the camera centred and pointed directly at the centre of the painting, parallel to the artwork to avoid distortion. If your painting is on paper, make sure it is tightly secured to a flat surface to avoid shadows.
The lighting setup is crucial. The ideal setup is to have two lights on opposite sides of the artwork, each at a 45-degree angle, providing an even spread of light. Natural light is preferable to artificial light, as it has no fall-off and provides an even appearance. If using artificial light, avoid tungsten lights and use flash instead.
Once you have taken your photographs, you can prepare the files for upload. Use editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom to adjust the image and get it as visually close to the real artwork as possible. Adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation, and crop the image as needed.
Finally, save your files in the correct format. JPGs or PNGs are typically accepted by most platforms, whereas TIFFs or HEICs may not be fully optimised for web use. For web images, save your file as an RGB colour profile, and for printing, use CMYK.
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Editing
Once you have your photos, it's time to edit them. The main goal of editing is to get the image as visually close to the real artwork as possible, as if you were viewing it on a gallery wall.
If you have access to editing software such as Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, you can use these to edit your photos. If not, there are also photo-editing options on smartphones that allow you to crop, rotate, and adjust the contrast, brightness, and saturation of an image.
- Lighting: Ensure that the lighting is even across the artwork with no shadows. This is critical for high-gloss paintings, where you should also check for reflections.
- Composition: Check that the artwork is centred and that the edges of the painting are straight and not distorted.
- Colour: Adjust the white balance, brightness, and saturation to ensure the colours of the artwork are accurate.
- Resolution: Depending on your intended use, you may need to adjust the resolution of your image. For example, for print-on-demand products, you will need high-resolution images.
- File format: Save your images in a web-optimised format such as JPG or PNG. RGB colour space is typically used for digital images displayed on screens.
It is important to review your images carefully and make adjustments as needed to ensure they accurately represent your artwork.
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Frequently asked questions
At a minimum, you will need a 12-megapixel camera to ensure a high-resolution image. If you want to reproduce your artwork as prints, a 24MP DSLR camera and a good lens are recommended. You will also need two lights, a tripod, and a grey card to ensure perfect colour.
Set up your artwork on a neutral-coloured wall, with as much room as possible on either side for your lights. Hang your artwork at eye level to avoid having to stoop while looking at the camera's viewfinder. Set up each light at a 45-degree angle from the artwork, approximately 6 feet away, to give a broad and even spread of light. Position your camera on a tripod, pointed directly at the centre of the painting, and always parallel to the artwork.
Take the painting out of its frame and remove any matting to prevent shadows. If your painting is on paper, make sure it is tightly secured to a flat surface to avoid shadows and distortion. If your painting is on canvas, make sure it is stretched and not sagging, which can also cause shadows.
