Posts Tagged ‘Professional Photographer’

Basic rules of Art Photography- Photographing your art or products

It is pretty exciting, your work can now be seen instantly by millions of people, all around the world with a few simple mouse clicks.  Not only do they see it, they know that you are the artist and they have a means to contact you.  However, you have to be able to get your artwork from your studio and into the computer.  That means that your artwork needs to be photographed.

Now, if talk of stops, meter readings and film stocks make your palms sweat and your throat tighten, then I recommend that you have a professional photographer photograph your work.  Ask other artists for suggestions on whom to hire and make sure that the photographer has experience in photographing artwork. Some photographers specialize in this area and do a very good job and are well worth it.

Why are show promoters still requesting slides?  Well, color transparency film records a much greater amount of information than print film with greater color accuracy when used in a controlled lighting environment.  Juries will see a much better representation of your work when they look at the slides-verses photos.

Digital or Film?  Film is still superior in the amount of information it captures compared to most consumer level digital cameras.  From film you can make large prints, make duplicate slides and create digital files suitable for publishing.  A digital camera is ideal for photographing your work for the web where file size and resolution are not critical issues and it saves you the cost of film and processing.  You do not need to scan a slide to get it into a digital form.  (Use at least an 8 mp, and preferably a 10 or 12 mp if you are using a digital.)

The Basics

What you need:

• ART – flat art, sculpture, pottery, jewelry etc.
• Preferably a 35mm Single Lens Reflex Camera that can be manually adjusted, with a built in light meter or a hand held meter.  (If using a digital camera a 10 or 12 mp that can also be manually adjusted)
• A 50mm or greater length focal length lens.  Avoid wide angle lenses due to distoration.
• A tripod or monopod are essential.  A cable release is recommended.
• Film (Tungsten balanced slide flim is recommended)
• Two lights with light stands, 10 to 12 inch reflectors and 3200 degree K bulbs
• An 18% Reflectance Gray Card.  (This is an amazing tool that you can purchase for less than $20 at any photo store)
• Space to set up where you can control the lighting

The Procedure

1.       Choose a background:  Choose a neutral, white gray or black.  (Stay away from any patterned background.)  White sometimes causes too much light to be reflected back into the lens and causes flair and colors to be washed out.  Black or gray work very well and causes little reflection.  Experiment with what works best for you.  Black felt from a fabric store works well.  Attach the background to the wall, or over boxes.  If no background is going to show, you do not need one.  (www.cowboystudio.com is a great place to purchase backdrops and lights)

2.       Flat art would hang on the background.  Make sure that the artwork is plum (vertical & level).  If your artwork is small, you can place your background and artwork on the floor and place the camera overhead

3.       Place the camera perpendicular to the artwork.  The back of the camera should be vertical and parallel to the art and the camera must be level.  The artwork should be centered and squared in the viewfinder.  Leave a little extra room in the edges of the frame because some slide mounts crop into this area.

4.       The easiest way to get correct color and/or reduce glare is to shoot indoors under lights.  To shoot indoors with film you must get special light bulbs at the camera store.  They are called “3200K Tungsten Bulbs”.  Make sure to get film to match  These lights work well also with digital cameras.  With digital cameras however, fairly good results can be obtained using portably work lights that are sold in the hardware or care department section of Wal-Mart or other discount stores.  Place the lights at an equal distance, 45 degrees from the wall.  The placement of lights is important.  The lighting should be even over the entire surface of the artwork.  The distance the lights are placed from the wall is dependent on the size of the artwork.  If the lights are to close, then there will be a hot spot in the middle of the artwork.  Move the lights back while maintaining a 45 degree angle until the artwork is evenly illuminated from the center, to the corners of both slides.  If your artwork is reflective or varnished, you might notice some glare when you look through the viewfinder.  You can try to modify the angles of the lights or pull lights farther back until the glare disappears. Sometimes the use of polarizing filters helps eliminate glare.

Wall

_____________

(Artwork)

\                               /

Light                         Light

_____

Camera

5.       Metering:  Place the Gray card in the center of your artwork.  (You may need to take your artwork down so you can attach the Gray Card to the wall, or place on display boxes).  Move your camera towards the Gray Card so that the entire frame is filled with the Gray Card.  Be careful not to cast any shadow with your body or camera on the card.  With your lens focused on infinity, take a meter reading (Shutter Speed and –Stop based on the film speed) and set your camera to that exposure.  Remove the Gray card, place the artwork back into position and move your camera back to its original position.

6.       Make an Exposure.  With the artwork carefully centered in the viewfinder, expose the film as to the exposure set when the Gray Card was metered.  Make sure that your camera is NOT on an automatic exposure mode.

7.       Shoot more pieces:  Remove the artwork you just photographed and place the next one to be photographed.  If you do not need to change the position of the lights, then your base exposure from the previous shoot remains the same.  If you need to move the lights because of uneven illumination or glare, then a new meter reading needs to be made.

8.       Process the film:  Choose a good local custom color lab for this.  The quality of the lab can make a difference.  You’ve just done all this work!  You want the best possible results!

9.       Review your slides!  Look at your slides closely on a good light box with a loupe (magnifier). The custom lab where you just picked up your film probably has one.  If you are going to be working with slides, a good light box and a loupe are worthwhile investments.  If you can, you should always project your slides.  See what the jury will see.  You’ll be surprised at how different slides look when they are enlarged.

Misc. Information:  Almost all galleries look at digital images or 35 mm slides, they do not look at actual artwork.  The images are the only thing that you have to represent your work.  Make sure the quality of the digital image or slide represent your work well.

There are many types of digital cameras, but if you want a good image that will made decent size prints, use at least an 8 mp camera.  Sony, Nikon, Canon Fuji & Olympus all make good cameras in this category.  (Some older model digital cameras, especially Sony and Fuji models, have over saturated colors.  This is not good for artwork.  If buying an older digital, avoid these brands.)  Most recently made digital cameras have good color retention however.  A good lens is important for artwork.  The mini cameras with tiny lenses are NOT as good.  Most galleries or juries today prefer to view work on a website, at digital prints or images on a CD.  You can NOT take good slides with an instant type camera, even if it takes 35mm film.  You do not have to buy an expensive, brand new 35mm camera with auto settings.  An older manual version is OK as long as it has a built in light meter.  If it doesn’t have one, then you will also have to buy a hand held light meter.  Some older digital

Whether using digital images or slides, include the image information on an accompanying card,or on the slide itself.  Type or print the information carefully so it is easy to read.  When putting your dimensions on, always put the height first, then width.

The big advantage of using a digital camera vs. a 35mm, is that you can get instant results from your photo session.  The next step is to properly size and crop the photo for publication.  Crop all excess parts of the photo, so that your final image is mainly the artwork.  Next, resize it.  Your final resolution should be 200-300 PPI.  (Most professional printers want 300 PPI, but 200 is OK for websites etc.)