Photographing Works of Art

You should be able to place two lights on either side of the image at 45 degrees.Even illumination throughout. Now I hope the camera will already white balance the tungston light and presto your image. You can also go out to the lee side of the house and shoot them there. Sometimes while photographing B&W prints with color film I would mix the two.Daylight from the window on one side and partial Tungston illumination from the other.

In the old days you shot this with Tungston film to iliminate the Tunston light.Today you can always almost instantly post adjust the image.

What is surprising is that almost all the Master works of art that you know all look vastly different than what your used to.The printing os these masterpiece has been recontrasted over the years. When we see them in Glossy books we generally think they are superbly luminous. When we get to Europe and visit the major art Galleries we are quite shocked at how most of the images are much blander in color than we think.

Alot contain alot of surface oil and dust.If they were to clean certain paintings we would have a frightfull exeperience with their true colors.

Remember the Acropolis was to be painted fantastically.This new Pharoes casket also has the colors of the time perfectly intact from 2500 years ago.

Thank you Algis for the advice, I will try to remember that.

I know exactly what you mean. the colors in pictures in books, and on the net sometimes look different from the original paintings.

AE

Digital cameras
Now I did not find exactly what I needed, but I did find something that might be helpful.

How to Do Everything with Your Digital Camera, Third Edition
By Dave Johnson

It does not have a section on photographing works of art. I will continue looking.

AE

This books looks like what I might need.

The Quick and Easy Guide to Photographing Your Artwork
By Roger Saddington

He has a section for digital cameras.

I hope this thread is helpful to someone else.

AE

I am sure it's the same formula as mentioned above . 2 lights at 45 degrees equal distance away and even illumination.Today if the image is small enough I would just scan it with a scanner. The new ones in conjunction with a fast computer work quite quickly.And that is at full resolution. If you scan at 300 dpi then you are set for all manner of enlargements with that image.

Then when you have scanned all your maller than 8x10 photographs you can then start using the scanner as a contact printer or a funky view camera as I have been doing for years.

The scanner as camera offfers another whole and impersonal way to look at the world that eventually ends up very personal and in your face. The scanner because of it's depth of field give a very sharp up close image but falls off radiclly after the first 1/2 inch. This is good becaus theings further bacl remain out of focus and this is good.

One of my big complaints with digital cameras is that they are all wideangles and have way too much depth of field.Everything is always quite sharp from upclose to very far away. This is good for amiteurs but the regular focus on a 35mm camera never gave us this problem.

That is why film is so much easier to watch because alot of natural focus fall off occurs with all of the lens except the wide angles.Truely a 35mmcamera with a normal lense captures reality that is most kind and easy on the eye. A digital photois always cold and to bold for me.

I had one
Algis your going a little too fast for me. I'm happy you have so much info to share, and I will use your help. Later I want to know more about the scanner, and how to better use it.

I had a Pentax 35mm when I took two courses in photography. I had a heavy tripod (one that could be used in the snow) and all the accessories needed. After the courses I sold it because I did not want to carry the heavy equipment around. You make me want to buy another one, and I have been thinking about it too. Which one do you suggest?

Thank you,

AE

Tripods

I've used the Gitzo G1505 for the past 3 years. It's steady, (lightweight though, not very practical for snow shooting, if that's what you're main purpose will be) and is easilly adjustable for quick setups.

Also, I have photographed several of my paintings for portfolio usage. The info provided by Algis is very sound. In some instances I was required to take the digital image into photoshop for adjusting. I've found that you can tweak the images to be every bit as vivid as the painting itself utilizing PS. If you don't have a copy, it might be a good idea to find one.

Good luck!

I'm seriously thinking of buying a new set of everything! I will do it this coming summer.

Thanks Q

If you are planning on building websites I can recommend you take a look at the featured sites page here http://sitekreator.com - there are quite a few artist websites with really great galleries and nice pictures. I've seen them while exploring the opportunities to build a website using some free webhosting / site-creating tool. And this is my SiteKreating achievement
http://sitekreator.com/MySiteNew

Thank you Fibbie, I will check them out.

I have never used any sort of artificial lighting
for photographing my artwork with either a Canon
EOS 35mm camera or a digital camera.

I take my work outside,set it as upright as
possible on an easel, (to reduce any sort of
exaggerated angles) and shoot as close up as possible. I always use a tripod to keep the camera steady. Sometimes I place the artwork against a board covered with dark matte material.

Never shoot into the sun or have the work
in dappled sunlight. An overcast day is perfect.

Actually for me I use the dappled sunlight to add another demension of substance to certain kinds of art work. Mind you are changing the work of art and should only do it to your own or to others who permit it. What results is an interesting new demension to the original art. I like the small spring leaves on a silver maple giving the dappled light look oh so imperseptable.

That sounds really neat, Algis, never thought of that!! Can you post any of these images?

My methods are just for very practical photography,
the most inexpensive way to get photographs of work for shows, scans or images for websites....

Fibbie take that link off quick or you'll have your wrist slapped! we aren't allowed to put links to our sites on here.

I'm with site kreator as well, they are brilliant and free and very helpful. I'm on the featured sites :wink:


I do the same as shepaints - take it outside prop it up and take pic - if I have to take the picture inside with flash I simply fix it in photoshop by reducing the brightness and if necessary saturating the colour a little - it works

I read somewhere to simply place them outside on the north side of the building, on a sunny day. I have not tried it.