Photographing Your Art

Tips for taking great digital photos of your artwork

Use high quality photos of your artwork. The image must be in focus, be accurate in colour and at least 722px x 580px

1. Make sure that your lens is clean.
2. Delete all photos & select format in menu (formatting clears memory card completely, ensuring no shadowing).
3. Use a tripod & make sure it’s level.
4. Set up your artwork on a solid, level surface.
5. If your camera has a Stabilizer, turn it off.
6. Use the lowest ISO setting possible.
7. Use the highest quality RAW or jpg setting possible.
8. If possible, change sRGB setting to RGB.
9. Set zoom to the middle position & move your tripod back from the artwork, until it fits into the camera viewfinder. (This avoids a bowing effect along the edges of the artwork.)
10. Use an aperture with a shallow depth of field for 2D artwork.
11. Turn off flash.
12. Turn your camera horizontally or vertically to match the format of   the artwork.
13. When shooting in daylight, make sure that your lighting is diffused. A room with North light is perfect.
14. Avoid artificial lighting which has a strong colour cast (too warm or too cool).
15. Adjust white balance to most suitable setting.
16. Match exposure setting to the brightness of the artwork.
17. Set your self-timer to avoid camera shake.
18. Now you’re ready to take the perfect photograph!
19. Download your photos onto your computer
20. Preserve the original photo by using ‘save as’ tiff to create a copy.
21. Colour correct your copy.
22. ‘Save as’ & select jpg or png to create a low resolution copy of your photo.
23. Upload your jpg or png to ArtClick!