Photographing Your Artwork at Home - Our Tips

Before you have your work scanned for print reproduction, you're bound to want to post the product first. In order to make sure your customers get the best idea of your artwork, excellent, accurate photography is key.

Although these tips are to help you capture your artwork better via photograph, these photographic files should not be used for reproduction.  No matter how visually accurate the colors may appear, a photograph will always capture slight hues and glares that may still influence the print after editing. Therefore, we always recommend you do scans of your artwork, as these scans are edited and tested to ensure that the printers produce color that is as accurate as possible to the original.

1. Center your artwork.

This may be a no brainer, but having your artwork square and centre helps anchor the viewer and the image. Try making sure your camera is aligned so that it is parallel to the artwork - not tilting forward or back, to get the clearest shot.

2. Take clear shots. 

Best way to guarantee this: use a tripod. Better yet, take photos with a proper camera with adjustable lenses, as point-and-shoot functions on cameras can focus incorrectly, and you have less control to manipulate them.

3. Don't use camera flash.

Although this seems counter-productive, camera-flashes often over-expose the artwork in front of it. Instead, take a photo with natural light in the room - with the artwork by a window, or outside on a cloudy day, for best color clarity.

4. Resin or coat after photography.

If you're planning on coating or resinging your painting, do it after you have taken a photo of the matte version. Otherwise, the your reflection may be captured in the resin, or the coating will bounce back any natural light into your camera.

5. Use proper lighting and exposure.

If access to overcast skies or natural sunlight is not possible, try making your own lightboxes at home. Also, make sure the settings on your phone camera are adjusted for the light you have - this way you won't overexpose your artwork, and you'll be able to better tweak it in your app's editing software.

We hope this helped! Have any other tips to share for your at-home shooting that we've missed? Let us know in the comments below!

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VancouverOnCanvas is an online fine art printing and framing company, specializing in canvas, archival and photographic prints and reproductions. We service artists-at-heart for any project, from canvas prints for sale or personalized art for home or office decor. Call us today for all your art decor and framing needs!

KeenArt Media Ltd. Toll Free: 1-888-533-6278 (KeenART)
www.VancouverOnCanvas.com 
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