Capturing the essence of your artwork through a photograph is an essential skill for artists. Whether you’re showcasing your pieces online, submitting digital copies to galleries, or preserving them for personal records, knowing how to photograph artwork properly ensures that every detail, color, and texture is accurately represented. You worked hard to get every line, shadow, and highlight perfect, so you want to make sure it’s presented that way!
In this guide, I’ll share practical tips for photographing artwork, walk you through common challenges, and show you how to achieve professional results every time.
Does it matter how you photograph artwork?
Photographs are often the first way people encounter your artwork, especially online or in a portfolio. A poorly photographed piece can distort colors, lose fine details, or fail to capture the spirit of your work. When you take the time to photograph artwork properly, you ensure that your creations look their best and leave a lasting impression.
Proper photos also help protect your art. High-quality images serve as a digital backup of your work in case it’s ever lost, damaged, or sold. They’re a record of your artistic journey that you can return to and share. Digital copies can also be uploaded and turned into prints should you decide to sell mass copies of a piece.
Setting Up to Photograph Artwork
As with any aspect of creating art, showcasing, and photographing art well begins in the prep phase! You need to think about the spirit of your piece, how you want it presented, and how to create that vibe. For some pieces, you may want a stark white background to ensure the colors pop. For others, you may choose a more ethereal vibe. Here are a few tips for prepping your photoshoot.
Choose the Right Lighting
Lighting is the backbone of good photography, especially when you photograph artwork. The best lighting is soft, even, and neutral. Natural light works beautifully, particularly on overcast days when the sun’s brightness is diffused. Position your artwork near a window with indirect light to avoid harsh shadows and glares.
For indoor setups, use two daylight-balanced LED lights or softbox lamps. Place them at 45-degree angles on either side of your artwork to evenly illuminate it. If reflections or hotspots persist, use diffusers like white cloths or tracing paper over your lights.
Minimize Shadows and Hotspots
When you photograph artwork, shadows, and uneven lighting can distract from the piece. Make sure your light sources are angled to reduce any visible shadows. Test different setups by photographing small sections of your work first, and make adjustments as needed.
Stabilize Your Camera
Camera stability is crucial for capturing sharp, high-quality images. Use a tripod to eliminate any shakiness. A stable camera ensures that every fine detail of your artwork is preserved, especially for larger pieces or close-ups.
If you don’t own a tripod, get creative. Use a stack of books, a sturdy box, or anything that keeps your camera secure and level.
Use a Remote Shutter Release or Timer
One of the easiest ways to avoid unintentional blur is by using a remote shutter release or your camera’s timer function. When you press the shutter button manually, even the slightest movement can create a shaky image. A remote or timer eliminates this issue, ensuring a sharper photograph.
Most cameras and smartphones support these features, and they’re especially helpful when photographing in low light or using slower shutter speeds. It’s a small adjustment that makes a big difference in the quality of your photos.
Position Your Artwork Properly
To photograph artwork correctly, ensure it’s positioned flat and level. Mount it on a clean wall or place it on an easel against a neutral background. A white, gray, or black background works well to emphasize the colors and details of your piece.
Check for tilt or misalignment. Even a slight angle can distort the perspective, making square or rectangular pieces appear uneven. Art connoisseurs are typically visual folks. They will notice if the painting is crooked, hung too high, or is too small for the display space.
Critically evaluate size, placement, and straightness before shooting your photos. Use a bubble level to confirm that your artwork and camera are straight.
Note on Hanging Art: Remember… a piece of art should hang at eye level for the typical person. This means that the center ⅓ of the painting should be somewhere between 57 and 62 inches from the floor. This is just a starting point, and if you have very high ceilings, you may need to adjust. The painting should also take up at least ⅔ of the space you’re hanging it in. If hanging above a couch, the painting should be at least ⅔ the length of the couch. When a painting is too small for the space, it creates a cheap look.
Getting the Best Camera Settings
For those using DSLRs or mirrorless cameras, manual mode is your best friend. This allows you to set the right ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.
ISO
ISO is your exposure setting. The higher the number, the more light. Set your ISO to 100 or 200 to minimize grain or noise. Your photo may be a bit underexposed at this low ISO, but we will adjust the shutter speed and brighten it in post-edit. Using a slight underexposure will give you more wiggle room in the editing room.
Aperture
Aperture is your focus setting. Use a narrow aperture (f/8 to f/11) to achieve a sharp focus for closeups. The lower the aperture, the blurrier the background and the sharper the focus image. As you move back to encapsulate the entire piece, you may need to up your aperture slightly so that the full frame is in focus.
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is how long the shutter stays open during a photograph. It dictates how much light hits the lens. It is expressed in a fraction of a second. For instance, 1/600 is a fast shutter speed at 1/600th of a second. 1/40 is a much slower speed, meaning the shutter stays open for 1/40th of a second.
Adjust your shutter speed to properly expose the photo. At a low ISO, you will need a fairly slow shutter speed in order to get enough light. At slow shutter speeds, you must make sure the camera is still! Try a shutter speed of 1/200 for starters and move down until your photo looks nice and bright.
If you’re using a smartphone, many apps like Lightroom Mobile or ProCamera allow you to adjust these settings manually. High-end smartphones have a manual option within the camera app. This level of control helps you photograph artwork more effectively, even without a professional camera.
Tip: If you’re uncomfortable with manual settings, I recommend shooting a few photos in auto mode as well, just for safety’s sake.
Pay Attention to White Balance
Accurate white balance is critical when you photograph artwork because it ensures that the colors in your photo match the original. If your camera allows custom white balance settings, use a white or gray card to calibrate under your specific lighting conditions. This step helps avoid unwanted color tints like yellow or blue.
Many cameras have preset white balance filters that you can flip through and find the setting that delivers the vibe you’re looking for.
Common Problems and How to Avoid Them
Here are a few common problems that pop up when photographing artwork. Most are easily counteracted with proper preparation.
Reflections and Glare
Glossy or varnished artwork often reflects light, creating distracting glare. To combat this, adjust your light sources so they don’t directly face your artwork. A polarizing filter on your camera lens can also help reduce reflections.
For pieces behind glass, consider removing the glass temporarily. If that’s not an option, tilt your artwork slightly or move your camera to avoid capturing direct reflections.
Blurry or Unfocused Images
Blurry photos can ruin the details of your work. To prevent this, always use a tripod or secure your camera. Focus manually, if possible, to ensure clarity across the entire piece.
If your camera or smartphone has an autofocus feature, double-check that it’s focusing on the center of your artwork and not the background or edges. For smaller pieces, zoom in slightly to capture details without distortion.
Distorted Perspective
Shooting from an angle can make your artwork look skewed or misshapen. Always position your camera so it’s parallel to the surface of your piece. Double-check that your framing is straight and all edges of your artwork are visible and aligned.
If you have aligned everything and it still appears distorted, consider upping your aperture. A very low aperture can cause a “fishbowl” distortion. While perspective can be altered in post-edits, it’s best to ensure that the edges of your artwork look linear at the start, not bowed or curved.
Enhancing Your Photographs After the Shoot
These days, even a nominal photographer can take great photos with proper editing! To properly photograph artwork, you need to start with a great photo and master subtle editing. Both are intensely valuable for creating that master shot!
Editing for Perfection
Even with careful setup, editing can improve your photographs. Programs like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, or free tools like GIMP allow you to fine-tune brightness, contrast, and color accuracy.
Crop your photos tightly to remove unnecessary background. When you photograph artwork, it’s essential to let the piece fill the frame while keeping its edges sharp and straight. Avoid over-editing, which can make your artwork look unnatural.
Common Editing Mistakes:
The two most common mistakes for new editors are oversaturation and overexposure. You want photos to appear bright and vibrant, but be careful not to oversaturate your photos. You want a realistic representation of your art piece.
With high-vibrancy LED screens, your customer may be seeing a much more saturated and fake-looking version on their phone or computer, so take that into account and don’t overdo it! I personally recommend not exceeding a saturation of +10.
Brightening the ISO in edits may make your photo look bright, but it can also ensure that you lose detail and shadow in your piece. Adjust exposure settings in small increments, and don’t go too bright.
Save in the Right Format
High-resolution images ensure that your artwork looks great in prints or on screens. Save your photos as TIFF, RAW, or high-quality JPEG files for professional use. If you’re uploading online, compress the files carefully to avoid losing clarity while meeting size requirements.
RAW and TIFF images do consume more storage space. You may consider an external hard drive to save the originals of your artwork. You can keep smaller digital copies on your Google Drive or preferred cloud-based account.
Special Considerations for Different Art Forms
Flat or Matte Artwork
When photographing flat artwork like watercolors, drawings, or prints, ensure even lighting across the entire surface. You can utilize a brighter space without worrying about glare. A well-lit space and proper framing make flat artwork easier to photograph.
Textured Paintings
Texture can add depth and interest to your art, but to photograph artwork with a lot of texture is difficult. It requires careful lighting. Use angled lighting on both sides of your painting to highlight raised areas without creating distracting shadows.
I also recommend taking a few shots at a slight angle when you have a very textured piece. While this doesn’t work well for all art, it does help to highlight a textured piece.
Adjust your setup until the texture is visible but not overpowering. It takes some maneuvering, but with a little patience, you’ll get the right angle!
Sculptures and 3D Pieces
Like the textured piece, photographing three-dimensional artwork requires different angles and perspectives. Use soft, diffused light to reduce harsh shadows. Capture the piece from multiple angles and include close-up shots of intricate details.
Tips for Sharing Your Photographs Online
Once you’ve taken the time to properly photograph artwork, make sure you share your images effectively. When uploading to websites or social media, resize your files to meet platform guidelines while maintaining high resolution. With a service like Canva Pro, you can edit and download photos in any size and manually control the resolution. Edit to the size and export at the highest resolution.
Watermark your photos to protect your work from unauthorized use.
Write captions that provide context for your artwork, such as the medium, size, and inspiration behind the piece. This extra detail engages viewers and adds a personal touch to your posts.
Practice Makes Perfect
Photographing artwork is a skill you’ll improve with time. Experiment with different lighting setups, camera settings, and angles to see what works best for your style and medium.
You don’t need to go buy a bunch of equipment. Use what you have and experiment with natural light throughout the day to get the best effect. Sign up for a free trial of Canva Pro to get editing and exporting services for free, and learn to use the manual camera settings on your smartphone. Once you understand the basic concepts and have mastered lighting, then you may consider buying some equipment if you find you need it.
Each session is an opportunity to learn and refine your technique. Keep in mind that even small adjustments can make a big difference. Don’t get discouraged if your first attempts aren’t perfect—each photo you take brings you closer to mastering the process.
Final Thoughts on How to Properly Photograph Artwork
Knowing how to properly photograph artwork is an invaluable skill for artists. With careful lighting, thoughtful positioning, and a few technical adjustments, you can capture the true essence of your work and share it with the world.
Take your time, practice, and remember: the effort you put into photographing your artwork reflects the care you put into creating it. Now, grab your camera and let your art shine!
If you’re taking the time to professionally photograph art, it probably means you’re interested in making a sale. Check out “Make Money with Art: How to Monetize Your Hobby” to learn more about making money from your art!
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