Strive for accuracy
A photo can make or break your artwork
Shoot many photos at a time,
it’s easy to delete later!
Shoot photos on
a regular basis
Stock up!
Images online
Art school portfolio
Print catalogs
Gallery exhibitions
Most smart
phones have
sufficient quality & editing options
iPhone X +
is best
Most photos
can be edited
on a smart phone
Don’t use filters on your phone
Don’t use filters on your phone; color adjustments
are usually too exaggerated
Don’t use filters on your phone
The 1 filter that is good is “mono”
(To make an image black and white)
Photoshop is more versatile,
but not 100% required
Photoshop & your phone can’t fix a bad photo
Good photo = some editing
Poor photo = reshoot
2D
artwork
Lighting Options
$$$, more control
FREE, less control
Shoot outdoors
In the shade on sunny day
(not under a tree)
Cloudy day with diffused light
in the shade
possible without the
board falling over
Put the board on something
to raise the height of the
artwork
Artwork edges are not parallel
to edge of the photo
Artwork edges are parallel to
edge of the photo
Artwork edges are not parallel
to edge of the photo;
Image is distorted
Adjust by tilting
phone forward
and backward
Shot at eye level:
Distortion is less likely
Indoor Lighting
Incandescent lights
WARM
~60-100 watts
yellow tint
Fluorescent lights
COOL
~15 watts
Photos are too dark
Incandescent lights
WARM
~60-100 watts
yellow tint
Fluorescent lights
COOL
~15 watts
Photos are too dark
Photo flood lights
COOL
500 watts
Set white balance on
DSLR camera to “Auto”
Natural light is cool & strong
easier to get accurate colors
Soft, diffused light from
a window
bulbs
(500 watts)
Framing the artwork your camera
are missing
from photo
artwork
photo is much
lower
close to edge
of artwork without
cropping it
photo is as high
as possible
Too zoomed in
Too far
Just right
Original photo
Cropped photo
Focus
Smart phone:
Tap where you want to focus
Look for yellow
square
DSLR camera:
use auto focus
“P” setting
Smart phone:
Tap where you want to focus
Look for yellow
square
Blurry
In focus
Out of focus images
are not always
obvious
Check focus by
zooming in
Blurry
Zoomed in
Blurry
In focus
Out of focus
photos cannot
be fixed, you
have to reshoot
Filters like “sharpen”
in Photoshop won’t fix it
Cropping
Crop!
Don’t show the
drawing board,
easel, etc.
Empty space in a
drawing that is not
necessary
Crop!
Original photo
Cropped
Smart phone:
Use crop tool
Song Kang
@songhkang
Wearable Art
Art school portfolio
Julie Sharpe
@juliesharpeart
Social media
Tamara Miller
@tamarowart
Blown out whites
Whites are blown out
You can’t bring the
greys back, you have
to reshoot
Easier to fix a photo
that is shot too dark
Whites are blown out
Whites are subtle
Pen Drawings:
Blow out whites
on purpose
Cat Huang
@cathuang
Original image
Blow out whites
Digital color
Levels
Smart phone:
Use contrast to blow
out the whites on
purpose
Brightness
Too dark
Accurate
Levels
Smart phone:
Use brightness
Julie Benbassat
@tea_for_jbass
Borders
Unnecessary
borders
Without borders, image
appears larger
Details are easier
to see
Smart phone:
Use crop tool
Don’t crop!
Warmth
Too Yellow
Too Blue
Smart phone:
Use “warmth”
Saturation
Too muted
Saturation is increased
Smart phone:
Use “saturation”
Song Kang
@songhkang
Even Lighting
Uneven
lighting
Too Dark
Too bright
Same brightness
everywhere
Uneven lighting
cannot be fixed,
You have to
reshoot
Too Dark
Too bright
Glare
Glare, common
in paintings &
graphite drawings
Photograph
paintings BEFORE
varnishing
Glare
No glare
Glare cannot
be fixed, you
have to reshoot
To avoid glare:
shade
painting until you don’t
see glare
Keep tweaking angle of painting until you don’t see glare
Keep tweaking angle of painting until you don’t see glare
Tilt the painting by moving the bottom edge of the painting forward
Camera view
Painting is
standing very straight up
Camera view
Camera view
Painting
is more
tilted
Camera view
Desaturating
Desaturate artwork in
black & white media
(charcoal, india ink, etc.)
Casey Roonan
@caseyroonan
Too yellow
Desaturated
Too yellow
Desaturated
To make
images black
and white
Smart phone:
Use “mono” filter
Clone Tool
Clone tool
(cannot do
on a phone)
Clone Tool
Clone tool (S) + Alt
Selects color from the artwork
Shadows
Cast shadow
on the artwork
Shadows over artwork
cannot be fixed, you have to reshoot
Showing Tools
Social media
Art School
Portfolio
Admissions
Website
Social Media
Original Photo
Crop
Desaturate
Original Photo
Final
Original photo
Crop
Brighten
Adjust Warmth
Original photo
Final
Sketchbooks
Show edges of sketchbook
Crop sketchbook
Layout
Images
blend
together
Create
clean
borders
Use
rectangle
tool to create
white borders
Cannot do
with a smart
phone
White shows off drawings
Luna Yuan
@lunaaayuan
Pink borders are distracting
Character design
sheet
Jordan McCracken-Foster
@jo.mc.fo
Character
design
sheet
Jordan
McCracken-Foster
@jo.mc.fo
Too many images
on 1 slide
Backgrounds are
too busy
Luna Yuan
@lunaaayuan
Images are
not related
Luna Yuan
@lunaaayuan
Images are related
Luna Yuan
@lunaaayuan
Printmaking: Variations
No need to show the block
Don’t add text with artwork info
to the photo
Details
Song Kang
@songhkang
Detail views: must reveal new visual information
3D
artwork
Student photo
Professional photo
Common Problems
Background
is 2 different
colors
Horizon line shows
Background
is very busy
Backdrops
Backdrop colors:
Don’t use fabric;
Wrinkles are
inevitable
Monika Hedman
@monikahedmanart
Paper backdrops
are smooth
and clean
Choose backdrop
color based
on the color of
the artwork
Black backdrop
Grey backdrop
White backdrop
Choose the backdrop color
to create contrast
Black backdrop
Grey backdrop
White backdrop
Black backdrop
Grey backdrop
White backdrop
Too stark, no greys
Good range of tones
Not enough contrast
Set up & materials
Wall
Table
Neutral
color
backdrop
Cropping
3D Artwork
Show the
entire 3D
artwork
Don’t crop!
Artwork is
cropped
Artwork is cropped
Entire artwork is seen
Too much background
Enough background
Your Point of View
This point of view is
everyone’s first impulse
Point of view creates an
awkward view of the
artwork
Stand at eye
level with the
artwork
Point of view shows off the
form of the artwork
Angle
Base of bowl is not
parallel to edge of
camera frame
Bowl looks lop-sided
Free
Transform
Straighten in
Smart phone
Base of bowl is now
parallel to edge of
camera frame
Lighting
Few shadows,
looks flat
Many shadows,
looks 3D
Use Natural light
from a window
incandescent light
Window with soft, diffused
light
Lighting kit
with umbrellas
Can control
direction of light
Cast shadow
is too harsh
Soft, diffused
shadow
Set up
Your view through the camera
Your view through the camera
Crop
Reflected Light
Shadow is
too dark
Pro
Reflector
Shiny
Matte
Shiny:
stronger
Matte:
subtle
Place folded paper
On aluminum fold
Fold aluminum foil
over paper
Make a Reflector
Fold aluminum foil
over all sides of paper
Fold in half
Done!
Matte
reflector
No reflector
Matte reflector
Shiny
reflector
No reflector
Shiny reflector
Set up
Crop
Brighten
Videos
Thank you for supporting Art Prof!
Shoot video if the
artwork has
physical movement
Thank you for supporting Art Prof!
Shooting a video
that is not awful
is hard!
Layout
Views must be noticeably different
3 views is usually enough
Too many
Images
Images are
too similar
Don’t get
“creative” with
layout
Details
Detail shots should
be visibly different
than full view
Aleida Gomes
This detail photo is too
similar
Detail shots:
Reveal new
visual information
Texture of clay is visible
Full view
Texture of copper is visible
Full view
Shoot a separate photo for a detail,
don’t just crop a full view photo
Show scale
Penny is bigger
than artwork & distracting
Wood grain is
distracting
Glare on
surface
Front
Back
Lauryn Welch
@laurynredwelch
Lauryn Welch
@laurynredwelch
Lauryn Welch
@laurynredwelch
Good for
Social media...
...not an art
school portfolio