Photographing Your Artwork: Some Tips
Images courtesy of Larry Berman

Proper equipment is essential:

• If photographing your own work, use a 3-megapixel camera or better.
• Most photography studios offer services to digitally scan slides.

If you use models to display your work:

• Be aware that models can easily take away from your work if not photographed correctly.
• Remember that your work is the focus, not the model.

Lighting:

• Lighting is an important factor when photographing your work.
• Be sure that your camera is set and white-balanced for your lighting conditions.
• Small shifts of light can dramatically bring out the details in your work.
• Play with different angles.
• Avoid hot spots if at all possible.

Lighting examples:
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Exposure:

• Bracket your photographs and take multiple exposures.
• Depending on your lighting, various exposures can give different effects to your work.
• Make sure that your blacks and whites still retain detail.

Exposure examples:
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Focus/Clarity:

• Your images should be clear and in focus. This is especially critical with artwork that has fine detail.
• The more textures and nuances the jurors can see, the more your craftsmanship will be appreciated and noticed.
• Macro photography can significantly enhance jewelry images.

Perspective: especially applies to jewelry, craft, glass, 3D, fiber

• Different angles can give off different moods and feelings for the artwork.
• Experiment with various angles.
• Take many photos so you have a variety to chose from.

Perspective examples:
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Size:

• Use up the maximum amount of image space available in the 1920 x 1920 pixel limit.
• Crop the image so there is not any unnecessary negative space in the image.

Size examples:

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Consistency: applies to all media categories

• Make sure that all of your images have a consistent feel and look.
• A consistent theme, lighting, background, subject, etc., will make your submission appear professional.

Consistency examples:

Backgrounds:

• Steer away from distracting backgrounds.
• If using a background, gradients and neutral colors work best.
• People, pets, banners, etc., can take away from your work.
• Each image is your chance to glorify your work. Remove any distracting elements.

Backgrounds examples:

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