Every bit artists, we spend a ton of fourth dimension perfecting our arts and crafts.

Then, after hours of working on a painting, exhausted and up against a deadline, we often neglect the well-nigh important part of the process: photographing the work. As well many of the states are a little lost when information technology comes to the specifics and settle for a few sloppy shots earlier shipping the artwork out.

Since artists are required to submit work digitally for exhibitions, grants, talks and your public profile folio, skillful photography offers the first impression of your art and your professionalism.

We frequently see artists with incredible artwork, just have images that are shot in dimly lit, sloppy environments that distort the original artwork.

Knowing how to properly photo your work can hateful the difference between beingness accustomed to a show, or winning the favors of an of import client or gallery director.

We put together a few guidelines to photographing your artwork so y'all tin can brainstorm to photograph your artwork like a pro.

Howard Sherman shows how he documents his work on his Instagram account. On the right "Edgy Community of Anarchistic Types."

1. Hang your artwork on the wall

We regularly see artwork photographed leaned upwardly against a wall and shot from a downwards angle. Detect a neutral colored wall (white, blackness, greyness) and hang your work at a height where the middle of your slice will be parallel to where your camera will exist —either on a tripod or resting sturdily on a table or other surface.

ii. Calorie-free your work properly

If you are shooting your work indoors, practise then in a room with enough of windows and natural light. Some artists also relish photographing their work outdoors when it is cloudy or clouded, every bit indirect sunlight provides the best lighting. Natural light tin exist a beautiful way to photograph your work as long as information technology is indirect.

If the weather isn't cooperating, or if you are upward against a belatedly-night deadline, you will need to fix up a lighting kit. The good news is, y'all don't have to spend a ton for a professional setting if y'all aren't prepare to invest in i.

All you lot will demand is two lights at a minimum for 2-dimensional work. Nosotros have used lighting stands that you oft see in dorm rooms (the ones with three adjustable bulbs) or clamp lights. Place the lights halfway between the camera and the canvas at a 45-degree angle pointing toward the wall (this will help eliminate shadows and "hot spots" on the painting). If y'all have umbrellas for your lights, attach them now.

Arthur Brouthers shows how he uses white panels to reflect light and a finished piece "Slipping Two" on his Instagram.

LIGHT HACK: If you don't accept professional grade lighting kit, you tin can easily hack diffusing the light with a white sheet or white plastic between the lights and your work. This helps to evenly distribute the lite. Alternatively, a few sheets of white foam cadre tin can be fix to simulate a "raking light" consequence where the lights are pointed at the foam cadre and the whiteboard reflects the light back at the slice.

three. Arrange your photographic camera and settings

Once your artwork is secured to the wall, double bank check that the camera is set to the lens lines upwards with the middle of the painting. You want to position your camera then that the frame is filled with most of the painting, with a bit of background that you tin crop out later. It is of import for many juries to see the edges of the paintings to get a sense of scale.

The ISO and aperture of your camera are very important to get clear, well-baked and vivid images of your artwork. ISO references what moving-picture show speed used to measure. The higher the number, the more sensitive the movie was to light and the coarser the image. In this case, since we want very crisp images, nosotros want a depression ISO. Studio shots will by and large exist shot at ISO 100.

The f-stop of the aperture of your camera adjusts how much light is permit through the lens by making the opening bigger or smaller. The higher the number, the less light is existence passed through. With a DSLR the ideal range for shooting artworks is betwixt f-8 and f-11.

TIP: Set up your photographic camera'southward timer to four or 5 seconds so that pressing the shutter button doesn't create a milkshake in your image.

4. Edit your photos to perfection

There are enough of gratis or inexpensive photograph editing software alternatives out there that will assist minimize whatsoever inconsistencies. While Photoshop nonetheless reigns king, Photoshop Elements or Gimp allow basic functions such as colour correction, cropping, and other pocket-sized adjustments. Lightroom likewise offers a subscription-based editing programme that professional person photographers swear by.

There are, of course, many additional nuances and tricks that could exist added to this initial guide. All the same, if you are looking to amend your photographs and represent yourself professionally on your public profile folio, this is a great starting place.