As a professional artist, so much of your time goes into creating masterpieces.
It is only natural to want everything about your artwork to be flawless and professional. That includes the photographs you take for your social media handles, demos reels, portfolios, and even for your blog page.
No client wants to spend time perusing sloppy photos in your portfolio.
There is something about first impressions. Photographs of your art need to be impeccable because they will create the first impression before the client sees the actual art. Especially in this age where we must submit everything digitally before we get the opportunity to showcase the real thing.
So how do you avoid bad images shot in dimly lit places with an unimpressive background? The answer is simple. Know how to properly take good pictures of your work. Especially if you do not have a professional photographer to help you with that.
Here are some of the tips that will help you improve the quality of your art pieces.
8 Tips on How to Photograph Your Artwork
Here are some tips to help you improve the quality of your photographs. You want them to be professional and eye-catching.
1. Hang the Art Piece on a Wall
You must have seen photographs of otherwise great art pieces taken against a very bad background. The angle could even be worse especially if it is coming from a downwards or overview angle.
The best way to go about this is to hang your piece on a wall with a neutral color. White is perfect. This helps to create a clean, cohesive, and professional look. Nothing creates trust like quality and reliability. But this is not to rule out other neutral options like grey and black. Once you have sorted the background, ensure that the camera lens of your camera is directly in the middle of your canvas.
2. Have Good Lighting
Natural light is the most beautiful and reliable you can take. Take photographs of your art pieces in a well-lit place. Avoid dark poorly lit places that cast bad shadows on your pictures. On a good sunny day, you can take good pictures outside. But taking pictures with open windows and doors still does great.
Optionally, you can invest in lighting equipment. They come in handy especially on bad days when the weather is acting up. Some umbrellas come with lighting equipment and they would improve things a lot for you.
3. Adjust Your Camera Settings
Check the settings of your camera to make sure that it gives you clear, and crisp pictures. Consider and adjust the amount of light that goes through your lens. You can do this by adjusting and fine-tuning your lens for the best shots.
Remember to point your lens at the center of your art. Set the timer, to give the camera the chance to stay still and to avoid unnecessary shakes. Just take your time with shots and don’t rush through anything.
4. Avoid Blurriness
You want your artwork to be as sharp as possible and this can be achieved by avoiding any blurriness. A tripod can do the trick and they come fairly cheap these days. Get one to put your camera on to avoid unnecessary shaking when snapping the pictures.
If that is not possible, try to lean on something sturdy. You can use a wall or a countertop to avoid shaking before a snap. Once that is done, make use of sharpening filters to remove any blurs and to sharpen the crispiness of your photo.
5. Plan for Distortion
Straight edges aren’t as straight as they are through a lens of a camera. Most pictures will come out with slightly bent edges. Even when they are straight as a frame! This is because most cameras have a certain degree of distortion.
There is a way you can work around this. Ensure that your camera is directly parallel to your work. However, if you take the pictures from the wrong angle the whole proportion of your picture is completely changed.
6. Handle Canvas That Isn’t Flat
Some canvases just roll up in a circular manner. You need to manage that especially when you are taking pictures of your art pieces. Find a way to keep the canvas well-laid and straight to avoid half images.
You can work around this problem by clipping the canvas on cardboard. You can also use pins or elastic bands to hold them flat on a surface. However, when you are shopping for your art papers and canvases, always remember the photography side and the need to have them flat on a surface.
7. Edit and Retouch Your Photos
No matter how perfect your pictures came out, you will still need some retouching here and there. Use photo editing software to retouch your photos and to give them that crispiness. There are several free editing software available online and all you need is to download them.
These photo editing digital tools will allow you to perform different tasks. You can use them to crop, color corrections among other things. Just don’t over-edit the picture because they will look so cloned. Try to make the necessary minor adjustments.
8. Think About Composition
This is the most interesting part of making your art piece more professional. Instead of the traditional straight-up pictures, try using the 3D method. This is the best way for you to tell the story of your art piece. Try to change angles and use props. If you are charismatic enough, you can include yourself in the picture but with an element of creativity.
Including your art materials and showing some parts of yourself working gives you photos a touch of life to it. This is visually stimulating and a breath of fresh air compared to the plain outright pictures.
Conclusion
These are just a few ideas we could come up with. However, there are so many more ways you can make your photos more professional. Ensure that your art is neat and refined. Be intentional in choosing the layout of your pictures. Above all else, don’t be afraid to import your creativity into a photograph as long as you stick to being clean and professional.
