Hints and Help on taking Photographs of Paintings

Taking a good photograph of a painting requires more care than one might imagine. If you intend to display your paintings on the Members Gallery of this website then you must recognise that they cannot look better on the website than the original photographic print because the resolution (sharpness) will be a little degraded compared with the photograph.  So, it is worth taking a good photograph to start with.

On the other hand, removing minor distortions to make the picture have parallel edges and trimming to remove extraneous items from the background is easy for me to do and will give your picture a neater appearance.  In theory, I can also make minor adjustments to the brightness, contrast and colour balance but I don't know what your pictures should look like (unless you tell me) so I am loath to make these changes. 

HINTS

Taking the picture
You do not need to have a very expensive camera to take reasonably good pictures of your paintings since you have a stationary subject and you can afford to wait for good photographic conditions.  Most modern compact cameras are adequate except perhaps for the very cheapest.

Prop up your painting against a wall or chair back sloping it at an angle so that the camera is square on to its surface when you are 2 to 3 metres (6 to 10 ft) away from it. 

Fill about three-quarters of the viewfinder with your painting if you can by moving a little closer or further away (or using the zoom if you have one).  Don’t move closer than the minimum distance for your camera even if the painting is a bit small in the viewfinder – I can enlarge it. Hold the camera very still when you press the button! (Better still use a tripod if you have one.)

 Lighting conditions and reflections
REFLECTIONS 
Don't try to take photographs of your pictures after they have been framed behind glass! It is almost impossible to avoid reflections not only from the main light source but from other objects reflected in the glass. Get into the habit of photographing  your paintings before you frame them (or frame them temporarily without glass). If a painting is already framed behind glass, you have no choice but to take it out of its frame for the photograph (unless you happen to be an expert photographer). 

Another source of reflections is the surface of the painting itself. This is not very important for watercolours and pastels which have a matt surface but it is very important for oil paintings or any other medium that has a slightly shiny surface. In this case you are only troubled by reflections of light sources and this can be avoided by lighting the picture obliquely, say at 45 degrees to its surface. Obviously this means that a built-in flash must be turned off except for paintings with a matt surface.

OUTDOORS

The best light source is the sun because normal film is designed to give true colours in sunlight. Therefore it is best to take your pictures outdoors and remember to turn off the flash. Position your painting with the sunlight falling on it from the side so that the sun is not reflected from the surface of your painting directly into the camera.   Take care that no shadows from foliage are falling on your painting.

INDOORS

Photographing paintings outdoors is not always practicable so indoor photographs have to be taken sometimes.

A photographic flash gives correct colours but there can be a serious reflection problem from the surface of the picture itself if the camera flash is built-in close to the camera lens. This really limits you to using a built-in flash for watercolour and pastel paintings only (without glass).

Avoid photographing by normal tungsten room lighting since this gives the painting a strong yellow caste. Daylight bulbs and photoflood bulbs can be bought at photographic shops and these give a satisfactory colour balance. Some fluorescent tubes are also reasonable but others are not.

HELP FOR LBAS MEMBERS

If the hints given above still leave you feeling you cannot take photographs of your paintings then perhaps you know someone who can do it for you.  
For other queries ...

Contact me by email (typing 'WebPics' on subject line)

or return to Application Form.