Photographing Artwork for Reproductions, Portfolios, or Publication*

*This article was written for those using a non professional point and shoot camera. If you have access to a professional SLR camera and professional photo equipment, visit our entry on "Photographing Artwork For Professional Photographers".

Necessary Equipment:
1) Digital camera (preferably higher than 8 megapixels)
2) Tripod
3) Drafting tape (not masking tape) for taping art to flat surface

Recommended Equipment:
1) Digital Camera capable of Manual (m) settings higher than 8 megapixels
2) Cable Release
3) Gray Card (for metering)

There are many different sources of light that the average person has access to, but in the absence of a professional studio, we recommend photographing outside in the natural light for the most accurate colors. You have one of two options for photographing in the daylight:

1. Bright Sunlight
- Produces accurate color
- Enables texture of medium to be visible

2. Open Shade
- Color shifts towards blue, but the image can be adjusted in Photoshop or
sometimes by using the cloudy or shade white balance on your camera
- Produces soft flat illumination
- Reduces texture of medium

Before you decide which light source is best for you, let's go over some basic rules:

1) Do not photograph in direct sunlight, this will wash out the image. The best time to photograph your artwork is in the early afternoon when the sun is overhead.
2) Make sure your camera is set to the highest resolution or largest photo size possible. Check your camera manual for more information on how to do this. (All cameras are different)
3) Do not zoom. Move your camera closer by moving the tripod closer. The zoom feature on a point and shoot camera is just a crop of the full size photo and can cause a loss in quality. Although zooming can reduce distortion with the edges of the artwork swelling up, this can be easily fixed in photoshop, whereas loss of quality can not.
4) If possible, remove artwork from any framing behind glass to eliminate glare and reflections.
5) Artwork must be as flat as possible to ensure the reproduction will not be distorted.
6) Never use a direct flash! You will not need to use your flash when photographing outdoors, so be sure to turn it off.

Now that you've decided which light source is best for your artwork, let's get started:

Take your painting outside on a sunny day. The natural outdoor light is MUCH better than anything indoors.

Find a place where you can hang your artwork directly onto the wall. If your artwork is on a paper medium, tape or thumbtack all four corners to the wall to ensure the artwork is completely flat. If your artwork is on stretched canvas, put thumbtacks or nails in the wall for the top stretcher bar to rest on. If you were unable to find a wall to hang on, lean the painting against a wall so that it stands almost perfectly upright.

Make sure the light is even on all parts of the painting. If there is shade or shadow along with direct sunlight on any part of the painting, find a different spot.

We would suggest using a tripod with your digital camera to make sure you're taking perfectly steady shots. No tripod? Find something tall and sturdy to let your camera rest on.

Make sure your camera is straight and level with the painting. If the painting is not hung up and is leaning against a wall, tilt your camera slightly downward to match the angle that the artwork is leaning. This will help minimize distortion of the image.

Be sure to fill the viewfinder of the camera as much as possible and then check to see that all the edges of your work are parallel with the edges of the viewfinder. Distortion will occur if the camera is not dead center to the artwork.

Take several pictures because it won’t always be as easy to tell on the viewfinder whether or not there’s any distortion or anything is out of focus. Once your images are up on your computer, you’ll be able to see for sure which photo is best.

If you're using the manual (m) setting on your camera, here are some tips:
1. Use an 18% gray card to meter, if possible
2. Set the white balance for "Daylight"
3. Use a small aperture for greatest depth of field to ensure art will be in focus, ex f22
4. Use a small iso, preferably 100iso, to eliminate or reduce grain
5. Use a cable release or self timer to make the exposure

Once you have the digital file of your artwork, you can send it to us at FavillePhoto@gmail.com for correction (free with the purchase of prints) or refer to the second half of the article "Photographing Artwork for Professional Photographers."

If you'd rather have it shot in a professional studio setting, visit our artwork reproduction page.