Artist Share Their Tips On Recording and photographing Art

Taking pictures of your art can be quite tricky, especially when first starting out. Its also really important to take good quality photos to help sell your art, create a stunning feed, a professional looking website, and accurately portray your colors! So what better way to learn then from hearing tips from some successful artist who have been doing it for a while!

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Ashley is known for her stunning alcohol ink art. Heres what she shared:

• I photograph all my work in natural daylight – setup a spot close to a window that’s emanating a lot of daylight. If the light is too harsh I’ll diffuse it by hanging a semi sheer white sheet over the window to soften it up a little.

• All my photos are taken with my iPhone or iPad. If the lighting is less than ideal I’ll bring the pictures into photoshop and adjust the curves and balance until I’m happy with the result.

• Playing with different backgrounds is an easy way to add interest to photos. I recently purchased marble contact paper that made a pretty convincing backdrop – just adhere it to a scrap board, super easy.

• Photo editing apps that I use: VSCO, afterlight, and instagram filters.

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Kai Des Etages is well known for her fluid art and is always sharing mesmerizing videos of her process. Heres what she shared:

•You don’t need a special camera to start recording your art! Use your phone camera. Lighting is important. I try to use a space that has a lot of natural light when I can. If I am recording at night I use lamps that have yellow light and diffuse the light with a white grocery bag if it is too harsh.

•Buy a tripod for your iphone – https://www.amazon.com/Acuvar-Aluminum-Universal-Smartphone-Smartphones/dp/B00SHJPMEU/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1539010952&sr=8-8&keywords=iphone+tripoThere are other tripod brands, but this is a good example because it is sturdy, you can record in portrait or landscape mode, and there are many adjustable parts.

•Recording process videos: You can simply record a time-lapse using that setting in your phone camera. I prefer to record a regular real time video of my process and then speed it up using iMovie. This allows me to have more control over what portions can be cut, sped up faster, slowed down, etc.  Make sure to mute your video if you speed it up. If not you’ll have some wacky chipmunk sounding audio!

•Purpose of recording videos: Recording my process allows my audience to get connected to my art and my growth as an artist. Some enjoy my videos because they can ‘zone out’ and enjoy the ‘satisfaction’ of seeing the paint flow on the canvas. Some like that they can see the process from beginning to end. Some use my videos for inspiration for their own creative endeavors. 

•Advice: Pick a style of recording and stick to it. Your audience will appreciate your consistency and begin to recognize your videos on their feed. Pay attention to the camera while recording. It is easy to start working on the painting and forget the camera is there. Make sure you keep the painting in the frame as much as possible and try not to jostle the tripod. Use the recordings as self reflection. What could you have done better? What did you see in the recording that you didn’t see while creating? Pay attention to the length of your videos. Videos under 30 seconds have been successful for me because my audience is younger and seems to have a short attention span.

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Sammy Gorin is well known for her  bright and vibrant alcohol ink art here’s what she shared:

• In terms of recording video, it’s a lot less complicated than people think. But, with that being said, there’s a big difference between filming videos and filming high-quality videos. I strongly encourage artists to invest in a tripod. If you don’t have a DSLR, your iPhone or Android camera is perfectly fine, but you’ll need to buy an adapter to be able to connect your phone to the tripod. If you paint at an easel, a simple tripod will do, but if you like painting on a flat surface and would therefore need to film overhead shots, I recommend buying a horizontal arm attachment and some sandbags. There are also tripods that have this built in, but they’re a bit more money. However you choose to film, lightning is key. For an overhead shot, make sure you’re lightning from both sides and overhead. If you can’t move the lights in your shooting space around, you can get fairly cheap umbrella lamps with continuous lights on Amazon.

• Once you’re done filming, use and editing software like I movie or one of the Adobe products. If you want to edit videos on your phone, I recommend inshot and VSCO- I usually a combination of the two! 

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Ali Saren is known for her gorgeous unique pieces. Heres what she shared:

•Many of my pieces have a resin top coat, which can make them a difficult photographic subject, because of glare and reflection.
All my photos are taken with my iphone, so I need to make sure I employ some consistent practices.

•photos- Pick a background.  I like to use a white background as much as possible to ensure that nothing distracts from the piece. Try different angles.  Don’t just photograph head on, trying different angles can really highlight something like a resin finish, or cool textures in a piece.  Closeups:  Don’t be afraid to get close to your piece, show the detail, the depth and the complexity with detail shots!

•Light:  Make sure you have good, bright, and indirect lighting that showcases the art piece’s true colors.  Don’t rely on editing to get it right. Don’t be afraid to walk outside for that natural light! When photographing resin, or things that shine, it can be really wonderful to get some natural sunlight on a piece to bring out the glory!

• Videos- There are a lot of process videos out there, but remember, there’s nothing wrong with a little time-lapse.  Personally, I find it distracting to record my process. I hit the camera, I talk to myself, I swear when something doesn’t go well, and inevitably there is music playing in the background to which I don’t have the rights to share or associate with my post.  So, I tend to do time lapse more often. I use a GoPro that is set up on a tripod and edit using all sorts of different free apps! LOOK FOR FREE APPS!
You can also use an inexpensive iphone mount that clips to a table to record your process!

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Sarah Caudle is well known for her beautiful resin beaches. Heres what she shared:

•The key to getting good photographs of your work is natural lighting. All you need is a decent camera (I take most of my photos on my phone) but as long as I open up the windows and doors or step outside, the paintings come to life with sunlight.

•It’s also important to make sure your colors are right. I usually have to make adjustments on my blues using Lightroom to make sure my photos accurately match my art.

•For prints, I have them professionally scanned and color-matched by a local print company.

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Jennifer Nicholas is known for her awesome fluid art. Heres what she shared:

•How frustrating can it be to have a wonderful piece of artwork that you want to show off or sell but the photo you just took doesn’t look anything like it? When trying to photograph artwork, there are things that you are trying to achieve: distortion-free alignment, high-resolution, clear, focused, reflection & glare-free, clarity,  proper white balance and true color. I keep these things in mind when photographing artwork:

• Align your camera straight on the middle of the artwork, avoiding distortion and shape. Fill the frame with the piece to get the best resolution. Use a tripod if possible (or even rest your camera or phone on something stable) to avoid shaking which can result in the photo being blurred or unfocused.

• Play with the autofocus and the manual focus on your camera with your various artworks. Don’t stick with just one preference because it can behave differently for different pieces. To focus your phone’s camera, simply tap different areas of the screen while the piece is in the frame. 

• Photograph your artwork before adding a glossy coat of varnish or resin. Do not use the flash. This will aid in avoiding those aggravating glares, reflections and blown-out spots. If it does have a shiny coat, angle it so you don’t see it in the photo. Auto White Balance can be a great help, if using a camera, to help the colors be truer.

• Avoid using soft light bulbs that can put out a yellow glow. Daylight is best and has a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 100 or find a cool light bulb that puts out about 85 CRI or higher. I like to shoot outside in the middle of a sunny day, using indirect light, with no overcast – which can put out a slight blueish tint.

•There are amazing apps to help retouch after shooting that can help your photos reach their potential if you’re not satisfied with your outcome. You can brighten them, take out a color hue, rotate and crop. You can invest in something like Adobe Photoshop or even try using a free app on your device. I suggest trying to start off with a great photo from the start and only making minor adjustments if need be.

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Eva Macneil is known for her beautiful beach inspired pieces. Heres what she shared:

•Using a DSLR camera or a high quality cell phone camera (I use an iPhone 7) yields consistent and professional results.

 • I try to photograph my artwork before applying any kind of glossy or semi-gloss varnish, as a matte surface is non-reflective and works best.

• For creating website “sales” photos of my paintings, I get best results when I take my canvas outside and photograph it on a cloudy overcast day. The cloudy cover creates a soft box effect and casts an even lighting over the artwork. I usually hang the art on a nail that I found lodged into the back brick wall of my backyard. Using a tripod helps to keep the camera steady, but regardless I do my best to keep my DSLR or phone lens perfectly parallel to the surface of the artwork.

• For photographing Instagram posts, I usually shoot indoors but I place my art close to a window, avoiding any direct streaming sunlight. I often place my art on a white background or a drop cloth and I will also use a white reflector to help bounce light back onto my art (a piece of cardboard or foam core works well)

• Because it’s very difficult to shoot a canvas with perfectly square edges and no lens distortion, I will take my website shots into Photoshop and adjust them there. Using the Perspective Warp helps to square up the edges of the canvas: Edit > Perspective Warp. When using Perspective Warp, begin by clicking on one edge of the artwork to place the grid on the image. Next, drag the corner handles to align with each corner of the photographed canvas. Click on the “Warp” button in the Control Panel and click on the “Grid” button in the Control Panel. As a final step, hit the Enter/Return key on your keyboard–this will automatically square up the canvas. Additionally, adjust the contrast and saturation of the image and add a touch of sharpening using the Sharpen filter. Crop the image down to its final size using the Crop tool.

• For Instagram posts, I will use the Insta App tools, instead of using Photoshop. The “Adjust” edit tool helps enormously to square up the artwork, and the Brightness, Contrast and Saturation tools help to add a bit of sparkle or pop to the image.

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Kari Hertzog is known for creating beautiful pieces in multiple mediums. Heres what she shared:

As for posting on Instagram, when I first started my Instagram art page, I pretty much posted any picture or video of my art that I could. However, as I started to follow different artists and their ways of displaying their work, I realized it wasn’t so much about posting your work, but the intentional way in which you do it. So I am going to provide you with a few tips I have started practicing since I started my page just over a year ago.

• Be intentional. One way in which I do this is by using an instagram planning app. There are multiple choices out there but the one I use is PLANN. It is free (although you can purchase the upgraded version.) This allows me to select pictures and videos ahead of time. It also allows you to save #’s so you don’t have to write each hashtag out every time you post something.
• Consider what it is you want your followers to see and be continuous about it. Think of your posts as a story. Each color…each video needs to compliment the ones surrounding the picture being posted. IE: I want my followers to see creative vision but versality with the use of multiple mediums and different styles/avenues of art. I want to speak to them through my artwork and every once and awhile, show my face just to personalize my page even more. I also include my travels and experiences through adventure to tell others what inspires me and it gives them a better understanding behind each piece of art I create.
• Be contientious about your description. Followers like to see vulnerability but sometimes simple seems to be best. Provide descriptive information about your artwork and be open to sharing art tips and help. Think of it as a compliment that your followers are coming to you for advice.
• Take multiple photos. Angles…lighting…surroundings…colors all play apart in each photo you take. I will take multiple photos of each painting or drawing I do and then edit by adding a thin white border around the outside, just to add continuity to my page. I use the Adobe Photoshop Express app for adding that additional border. However, I believe that an artist should portray the actual work. Enhancing seems cheap and dishonest somehow. Keep it orignial and true to the work you’ve created.
• Find an app that allows you to display your work in a room or wall. It’s always easier for followers to get a true sense of what your artwork would look like hanging in their house. I use the app WallPicture (FYI: it’s quite pricey.) However, google phone users…it really is your only choice:/
• Finally, when videoing, only show the videos that are of great quality and enhance your work, not cheapen it. I used to post whatever artvideo I made thinking it was going to help me but in reality, there are to many posts to choose from. People on instagram are only going to stop and watch if the video is well done otherwise your old news.

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Taylor Pendleton that’s me, the creator of this blog and abstract artist!

•Lighting is so important- I always like to take photos of my art in natural lighting. Always make sure there are no shadows on your art. If it’s really bright out I like to diffuse the brightness and glare a bit by bouncing the light off with a white posterboard.

•Background also very important, you don’t want to distract from your art. I like to always photograph my art against a solid background. another easy and inexpensive way to create a white background you can take anywhere (i like to try different spots to find the best lighting) is just a white poster board. A white sheet would also work for larger art.

•Videos are great for engagement. A tripod is a necessity.  If you’re just starting out and you want an inexpensive tripod I recommend Acuvar 50″ Inch from Walmart. It can adjust to multiple heights, take an above shot video, change all angles, and it is only $13. 

•If you want a full tutorial for photographing your art on a budget I highly recommend checking out Kelly’s post. she has a full tutorial and lots of helpful tips and examples. https://messyeverafter.com/self-employed-journey/photograph-art-budget/

Thanks to all the incredibly talented artist who shared their tips!

Thanks for stopping by my blog, I hope you enjoyed all these tips!  I absolutely love doing these kind of posts because I always get to learn new helpful tips! What did you think of this post? Do you have any tips for recording/photographing art? Do you have a particular topic you’d like to see me collaborate with other artist on? I’d love to hear from you!

XOXO, Taylor