Tips
Now more than ever it is really important to spend time creating good pictures to show your work in social media or your website. How do you present your artwork or your product is as important as the work itself.
I am not an expert in photography, but I wanted to share with you what I have learnt and my tips. I'm still learning about it, so it would be great if you share your thoughts and your ideas as well in the comments section below :)
This are the steps I follow each time I need to shoot:
1. The background
The first step is to know in what surface we are going to put our artwork. It will depend on the size of your piece, the colours, if it is framed or not...
I usually take photos of my artwork without frame, so I like to put it on the wooden floor. My artwork is very bright and clean so with a natural colour surface I can create contrast.
If on the contrary the artwork has colour or is dark, I prefer to take the picture on a white wall.
2. The light
This is very important because the light and the shadows can change how your work looks in the picture.
When I first started with Instagram I could make beautiful pictures of places or landscapes using the filters. But with the artwork that worked different. If you don't have a good picture of your work with a good light, the filters will not fix it.
In my case, I do not have professional spotlights, so I make the pictures by day and near a window to have a natural source of light.
Having into account that I live in London, some days I don't have enough light to take pictures and I have to post-process the image in Photoshop to remove shadows and add light. I will make a tutorial of this in the future if you are interested.
3. Set a stage
The composition of your picture is one of the most important steps. First you have to decide what look do you want in your pictures. This means if you want something minimal, dark, natural, etc.
Maybe you just want to take the picture of your work without any type of decoration. I often take pictures like this to show better the details of my artwork. But in other cases I like to create a stage to highlight the piece itself.
In my case I like to bring light and natural elements to my pics. My work is very related to nature, so I like to add elements like wood, plants or leaves. Sometimes I like to put some of the tools I have used, like brushes, watercolours or pencils. It depends on the day and what fits most with the artwork.
4. Shoot
If you have a good camera it's worth using it. I have to admit that I often take the photos with my iPhone. But when I need more resolution I use my camera.
So now is time to shoot! Make different photos and later you can choose which one is the best.
As I set my stage on the floor, I usually take the photos from above. But is good to try and explore!
5. Edit the image
It's time to look closely at the image and see how can we improve it.
Sometimes it is just the light. Giving more contrast and a little bit of brightness we have it done.
If you are a pro in Photoshop I'm sure you can do amazing things!
And that's all! Those are my steps when I have to take photos of my artwork.
I hope this is useful for you and I would love to hear your opinion and thoughts about it. And of course if you have some tips to share, they will be very welcome!!
How to take pictures of your artwork
I am always looking for inspiration! And not only for my paintings and illustrations but also for the pictures to show my artwork.
Now more than ever it is really important to spend time creating good pictures to show your work in social media or your website. How do you present your artwork or your product is as important as the work itself.
I am not an expert in photography, but I wanted to share with you what I have learnt and my tips. I'm still learning about it, so it would be great if you share your thoughts and your ideas as well in the comments section below :)
This are the steps I follow each time I need to shoot:
1. The background
The first step is to know in what surface we are going to put our artwork. It will depend on the size of your piece, the colours, if it is framed or not...
I usually take photos of my artwork without frame, so I like to put it on the wooden floor. My artwork is very bright and clean so with a natural colour surface I can create contrast.
If on the contrary the artwork has colour or is dark, I prefer to take the picture on a white wall.
2. The light
This is very important because the light and the shadows can change how your work looks in the picture.
When I first started with Instagram I could make beautiful pictures of places or landscapes using the filters. But with the artwork that worked different. If you don't have a good picture of your work with a good light, the filters will not fix it.
In my case, I do not have professional spotlights, so I make the pictures by day and near a window to have a natural source of light.
Having into account that I live in London, some days I don't have enough light to take pictures and I have to post-process the image in Photoshop to remove shadows and add light. I will make a tutorial of this in the future if you are interested.
3. Set a stage
The composition of your picture is one of the most important steps. First you have to decide what look do you want in your pictures. This means if you want something minimal, dark, natural, etc.
Maybe you just want to take the picture of your work without any type of decoration. I often take pictures like this to show better the details of my artwork. But in other cases I like to create a stage to highlight the piece itself.
In my case I like to bring light and natural elements to my pics. My work is very related to nature, so I like to add elements like wood, plants or leaves. Sometimes I like to put some of the tools I have used, like brushes, watercolours or pencils. It depends on the day and what fits most with the artwork.
4. Shoot
If you have a good camera it's worth using it. I have to admit that I often take the photos with my iPhone. But when I need more resolution I use my camera.
So now is time to shoot! Make different photos and later you can choose which one is the best.
As I set my stage on the floor, I usually take the photos from above. But is good to try and explore!
5. Edit the image
It's time to look closely at the image and see how can we improve it.
Sometimes it is just the light. Giving more contrast and a little bit of brightness we have it done.
If you are a pro in Photoshop I'm sure you can do amazing things!
And that's all! Those are my steps when I have to take photos of my artwork.
I hope this is useful for you and I would love to hear your opinion and thoughts about it. And of course if you have some tips to share, they will be very welcome!!
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