Photo Friday
Sunlight vs Indoor Lighting
How do you improve the look of your artwork in a few easy steps? Easy, walk out your front door.
When photographing your artwork to share on line, walk outdoors and take the picture in natural lighting. The colors will pop!
Indoor lighting dulls colors and sometimes causes photos to appear grainy. I shoot all photos of my artwork outdoors, even in the winter. This low tech approach is an easy fix, everyone can do it.
I usually place my artwork on the sidewalk, stand over it then shoot straight down. For larger pieces of artwork I stand on a step ladder and shoot downward.
Please don't take pictures in harsh afternoon sunlight. The bright light tends to washout colors or cause glare. When shooting in the afternoon find a shaded area. I like to take pictures in the morning or early evening when the lighting is soft.
Okay, so you are not thrilled with the idea of seeing side walk behind your masterpiece. Maybe it's not the best choice so here are some options.
I often use large sheets of colored paper that I buy by the single sheet at Michael's Craft Stores. I place one on the ground and lay my artwork on top. Then I stand over the artwork and shoot straight down. Some other ideas for backgrounds are, cardboard, fabric, wrapping paper and books.
During the winter months I use a small light colored wooden table to place my artwork on when I need to photograph a piece. Tree branches and clotheslines also keep my artwork out of the snow!
No matter what camera or cell phone you use for picture taking, outdoor lighting will always be a good choice.
P.S. Cropping also improves photos greatly!
How do you improve the look of your artwork in a few easy steps? Easy, walk out your front door.
When photographing your artwork to share on line, walk outdoors and take the picture in natural lighting. The colors will pop!
Indoor lighting dulls colors and sometimes causes photos to appear grainy. I shoot all photos of my artwork outdoors, even in the winter. This low tech approach is an easy fix, everyone can do it.
I usually place my artwork on the sidewalk, stand over it then shoot straight down. For larger pieces of artwork I stand on a step ladder and shoot downward.
Please don't take pictures in harsh afternoon sunlight. The bright light tends to washout colors or cause glare. When shooting in the afternoon find a shaded area. I like to take pictures in the morning or early evening when the lighting is soft.
Okay, so you are not thrilled with the idea of seeing side walk behind your masterpiece. Maybe it's not the best choice so here are some options.
I often use large sheets of colored paper that I buy by the single sheet at Michael's Craft Stores. I place one on the ground and lay my artwork on top. Then I stand over the artwork and shoot straight down. Some other ideas for backgrounds are, cardboard, fabric, wrapping paper and books.
During the winter months I use a small light colored wooden table to place my artwork on when I need to photograph a piece. Tree branches and clotheslines also keep my artwork out of the snow!
No matter what camera or cell phone you use for picture taking, outdoor lighting will always be a good choice.
P.S. Cropping also improves photos greatly!
I crop a big percentage of any photo I put on my blog. There are a couple of reasons. The most obvious is to cut out all unwanted things in the photo the other is to save digital space.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I do!!! Another informative post! Pixie dress still looks good hung in my dining room! :)
ReplyDeleteI often wonder what my neighbors think of me popping out the front door to photograph the ground in all temperatures. My front steps are handy even in the winter since I need to keep them free of snow.
ReplyDelete