[Leica] Photographing artwork

[lrzeitlin at aol.com]

Adam Bridge writes:

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I?ve been asked by a local artist to help her photograph and make prints of her paintings.

I was wondering if any of you who might have done this before can give some suggestions about best focal-length lens to use for this? I was thinking that, longer is better? I?ll be shooting work that?s lit with camera and art on tripod and easel, using remote shutter release etc.

Any thoughts on technique would be greatly appreciated.

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Adam,
Not to disparage other photographers who have photographed art but it is not as hard as most make it out to be. Your friend actually has two requirements. First is that the vast majority of art exhibitions and shows today judge submissions on the basis of JPEG files of art rather than the actual art works. Yes, eventually they ask to see the final work to make sure that it is the same as the submitted file but that is just a safeguard. The JPEG specifications are usually rigidly defined and in most cases the submission is sized to fit on a computer screen. Pictures submitted to the LUG would do fine. There are over 120 such submission sites. Google “art submission sites” for a list. Any decent picture suitable for submission, 5MB or more, would make a respectable print.

The second problem is preparation of photos for letterpress printed publication, not Blurb or Shutterfly. Here the problem is meeting the publishers requirements for size and resolution. Small color corrections can be made in the photo reproduction and printing process. It is a matter of the skill of the printer. The last time I did this the printer required 4x5 inch photos of the artwork.

I have taken numerous pictures of artwork for various venues. My wife is a noted artist, probably the best in the Hudson Valley, and relies on me to photograph her works for shows and books. In addition I serve as an art reviewer for several newspapers in the Tristate area and submit my own photographic work to regional shows. I have found that almost any decent digital camera with 12MB resolution and a normal lens will suffice for the JPEGs. The basic problem is assuring that the painting and the sensor are exactly parallel ad that the lighting on the work is uniform. No keystoning allowed. In a small studio, fix a painting easel to one wall and the camera tripod to the other. If your camera has it, use the grid lines on the display to make sure that the edges are parallel. Minor color corrections can be made by image processing software (i.e. Photoshop). If submitted for a printed publication, check with the printer for photo reproduction requirements.

As I said, photographing artwork is not hard. Just be careful about linearity and lighting. Removal of the painting from the frame is good advice. Remember that the jurors send only a few seconds examining each submitted painting. It has to look good on a computer screen.

If anyone wants to see examples of my artwork photography, just let me know and I will send you a PDF file.

Larry Z