While it may be taboo to photograph someone else’s art, there are plenty of reasons why you may want to capture your own. Whether you want to promote your art on social media or order prints, you’ll need to start with a high-quality image of your piece. Here are some tips to help you take photos of your traditional art pieces.
Get a Different Angle
Many beginner artists try to photograph their art by placing it on a flat surface and hovering the camera over it. However, achieving a parallel shot from this angle can be difficult. Angling your camera up or down distorts your canvas, which can be difficult to edit. Instead of laying it flat, try hanging it or situating it against a wall. This angle makes capturing a parallel shot much easier, and you avoid shadows you may otherwise see from hovering a camera over it.
Be Strategic With Your Lighting
Natural lighting is the ideal choice for photographing your art. Choose a spot in your home or studio that receives indirect light to avoid capturing a glare or washing out your piece. You can also photograph your work outside on a cloudy day, as the cloud cover will also provide indirect light. However, if the sun’s already set and natural light isn’t an option, you can still take professional pictures indoors. The key to indoor lighting is to diffuse it. Use a lightbox or drape a sheet over your indoor light source to mimic the effect of indirect lighting. It’s best to use several light sources indoors to avoid casting shadows across your canvas.
The Magic of Editing
Once you have a shot with an even angle and perfect lighting, it becomes much easier to edit. Some artists can get overwhelmed by the editing process at first, but editing helps create a clearer and crisper image that is more accurate to the canvas in front of you. Based on certain lighting, your colors may look dull or washed out. If this is the case, you can adjust the saturation or brightness to make them bolder and brighter. Features such as cropping will also help you clip out any background beyond the edges of your canvas.
With these tips to help you photograph your traditional art, you can capture and promote your pieces in new ways. Digitizing your art opens the door to new ways to share and sell your work to larger audiences than ever before.
