How to Photograph & Document Your Artwork

The following resources were created and/or curated as part of Marshall University's Art 390 Profesional Practices Course.

DOCUMENTING YOUR ARTWORK - HOW TO

“The best photograph of art falls away as a photograph,” he says. “People won’t even know that it’s a photograph because they’ll just see the art. That’s key. You have to have no ego. You’re not present in the photo at all. It’s only the art.” – Elon Schoenholz in “How to Photograph Art Like an Expert” (Digital Photo Magazine)

Documenting Two-Dimensional Works of Art

https://www.artbusinessinfo.com/how-to-photograph-art-for-artists.html

https://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-photograph-paintings-and-prints-with-copy-lighting--cms-22925

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKgWIzvm3Hs.  (low tech demo)

Documenting Three-Dimensional Works of Art

https://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-photograph-ceramics-and-3-dimensional-products-with-one-light--cms-22924

https://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-photograph-artifacts-and-antique-objects--cms-22015

https://pixc.com/blog/5-product-photography-tips-to-increase-your-ecommerce-sales/

https://www.instructables.com/Foldable-Homemade-Light-Box/

Pre-Production and Post-Production

Pre-production refers to the steps taken to prepare to take a photo documenting your work. This includes things like setting up two equidistant lights at 45 degree angles for the work to produce even lighting, setting up sweeps for 3D work, and carefully positioning the camera relative to the work of art. 

Post-production refers to edits made to the digital file so that it accurately represents your work, such as levels, focus, and parallax.

Note: Being able to take outstanding documentation photos of artwork and objects is a portable job skill that is in demand across many industries.