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Shooting Art
If you can afford it, hire a professional. If you can't, here are some
tips on how to shoot your artwork.
Choose a good 35mm SLR or a high quality digital camera (at least a 1.2
mega pixel quality). Avoid the point & shoot film camera and the inexpensive (cheap)
digital cameras, they usually do not have the optics to produce a high quality
image.
Choose the right film if you're using an SLR, a 100 or 200 ASA will
give you the best quality. Regular Kodakcolor Gold will do, but if you can
afford higher priced professional film, go for it. Fujifilm in general
has bright vivid colors and good-color saturation. Kodak Gold does a
good job with skin tones and warm colors.
Use a tripod and a shutter release cable to prevent camera movement.
If you don't have a tripod, a table, stool or block of wood will do.
Leaning on something can also help steady the shot. If
you're as steady as a surgeon, don't worry about the tripod or cable
release.
Shoot outdoors or set up lighting (halogen, if you have it) and reflectors to simulate
a bright clear late morning, a bright overcast day, or a late afternoon
when the sun is getting ready to set. These lighting conditions are not
as harsh as midday light and won't wash out your colors.
Set up a backdrop ... neutral colors, black, or something solid so as
a not to distract from the art. Shoot with different color backgrounds to see
which combination looks best. Make sure your backdrop is smooth,
check for folds, lint, discolored patches,
etc.
Set your item just in front of your backdrop. If you have to prop your
artwork, cover the "propping item." This will save you time later when you
edit your image --you won't have to "dodge and burn" the stool, rock or
soda can away later when you edit your image. If it's a 2D piece, hang the
item, double stick tape works well if it's not framed. Otherwise, remove
the glass (even if its non glare) and hang it. Don't lean your art work
too far back or too far forward --doing so distorts the shape of the item.
Shoot as close as possible, directly in front of the item so you don't
distort the proportion of the items in the foreground or background. Shooting
slightly up is preferable to shooting down. "Same level" is best.
Pay close attention to the shadows, particularly the one created by your
backdrop as it transitions from vertical to horizontal. Make sure it doesn't interfere with
the lines in your artwork (i.e., don't align the shadow with the top of your ceramic bowl).
Eliminate as much of it as possible by smoothing out the transition in your fabric.
It can't be avoided, so just remember to keep that slight shadow three fourths of the
way down the frame so the picture is balanced.
Pay close attention to the glare created by the artificial or
natural light --
avoid those.
Frame your shot, eliminating as much of the background as possible, center
your item, keep vertical and horizontal lines perpendicular, make sure you
want to include everything that's visible in the frame.
Don't lop off parts of the picture. Non-SLR cameras (that means a lot of the digitals,
unless you spent over a thousand on yours) don't frame exactly what you see. That
means, make sure you're not lopping off the top or bottom inch of the art
work you're shooting.
Shoot at different times, different locations, with different backgrounds,
as many times as possible.
Find a reliable lab processing center, even if it's the quick
developing center at the local drug store. Most of the quick photos do a
good job, particularly the busy ones that change their chemicals and
service their machines often. If the local quick developing centers are
not good enough, locate a professional lab. Costs will run 2 to 3 times
more.
Make full use of your digital capabilities. If you used a
digital camera, hook it up, check out your pictures, crop, resize, edit,
straighten it out, highlight or darken your shots. Make full use of your
digital software.
Reshoot, if necessary.
