'A Midwest Bouquet' 8x10 oil on panel ©Karen Margulis available for purchase by check or paypal $150 click here |
Photo taken with my old faithful Olympus C-5060 RIP |
I am often asked how I take photos for my work. It is so much easier than you might think. I don't have an elaborate photo set up and I don't use a tripod. Keep in mind the photos are for use online so they are not high resolution.
- For pastel paintings I photograph the painting while it is still on my easel. I use a point and shoot digital camera set on high quality. I do use the flash. I have had good luck with accurate colors (until the camera began to go south) The lighting near my easel is two fluorescent ceiling fixtures with both warm and cool bulbs. I don't use a tripod but my camera had a very short shutter lag so I don't have to be that steady. I don't zoom all the way into the painting. I get close to the edges but crop it in photoshop. I load the picture onto my PC and open it up in photoshop where I will crop it to the painting's size. Sometimes I will need to adjust the color or contrast but more often it is quite true to my painting. If I need to take a higher resolution photo for a show entry I change the camera's setting to the highest quality and largest file size. I might even use a tripod.
- Photographing oil paintings is a little trickier. The flash helps illuminate my pastels but it can't be used on wet oil paints without producing glare. I have experimented with a variety of set-ups and I have found a simple set-up that is working. I have a window in my studio with north light and this area also had a warm overhead fluorescent light. I set the painting upright on a table next to the window and the combination of light works well. I take the photo without flash being careful to hold the camera steady. If you tend to shake then I would recommend a tripod. I then load the photos onto my PC and crop it in photoshop. For the painting in today's post I used this set up. The paint was still wet.
How do you photograph your work? I'd love for you to share your tips in the comments!
10 comments:
I am quite new to pastel. Thanks to your blog, I was able to find some valuable information which helped me progress.
For oil, Photograph outside in the shade works well for me. But pastel is a different story. After experimenting, so far shooting indoor with flash produces the best results. I have florecent light in the studio. Sometimes I need to adjust the color in Photoshop but mostly the camera's AUTO setting works just fine.
I just got a new computer yesterday (the old one is dying). Unfortunately the Photoshop I had won't work on the new computer. Does anybody recommend any software that does editing similar to Photoshop but has a lower price tag? I actually only use a small fraction of the functionalities in Photoshop, such as cropping, color/brightness tuning.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy my blog. You can get a pared down version of Photoshop called Photoshop Elements. I had that on my old computer and it did everything i needed!
I LOVE this painting! Absolutely beautiful! You are an amazing artist -- I have been following you for a while now, and I am continually in awe of your work!
I lay my work flat on the floor (or concrete, stand above it and zoom in to eliminate those wobbly side lines. I find the shade of the afternoon in my carport works pretty well. I have had terrible luck indoors but may try again after your instructions. thx
I have a Canon Sure Shot as my regular camera.I photograph my daily paintings straight on my easel. I don't use a tripod. I have north light coming in a window and only photograph in the morning. I use Windows Office Picture Manager for editing. It works pretty great. I carry a Sony Cybershot in my car, so I always have two cameras available.
For something needed for juried shows, I use a professional photographer.
Thank you so much Kathye! Your kind words made my day!!
Thanks for sharing Cindy. I don't have a flat place outside so I have had to make it work inside. I've had good luck with my set up so far.
Hi Dee. Thanks for sharing! My favorite take everywhere camera is a Canon elph. It is older and the screen had big spots but it still takes good pictures. I am shopping around for my next travel camera though.
Gorgeous painting Karen! It's awesome to see the texture of the oil paint! I photograph indoors (sunroom) and if the light's not bright enough I use an aluminum foil covered piece of cardboard to bounce a little more light on my paintings. I use the dull side of the foil and place it at a distance from the painting so it doesn't reflect too much light. Cheap - but it works!
Thanks Donna! I am really enjoying the texture of the paint! Great tip about the tin foil to bounce light! I'll have to try that!!
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