Photographing Artwork. Choosing a Camera:
Point and shoot:
• Point and shoots either have no viewfinder or just a simple optical glass
viewfinder which is usually above the lens. Composing is often done using the
LCD monitor on the back of the camera. When using the LCD monitor is can be
hard to accurately see how the light is hitting the artwork. Most have a
permanent zoom lens. When choosing a P&S look for one that offers manual
controls and the option to shoot in RAW format.
DSLR:
• DSLR, or Digital Single Lens Reflex, uses a mirror and prism system to allow
the photographer to view directly through the lens, as opposed to looking
through a separate viewfinder that is offset from the lens. Can accommodate a
range of interchangeable lenses. Typically has a larger sensor than a P&S
which allows for more accurate representation of the work.
Camera Settings
Aperture:
• Aperture controls the depth of field in an image. The lower the number the less
depth of field and the higher the number the more depth of field.
• Aperture can be set in Manual mode “M” or on Aperture priority “Av”. In
aperture priority mode the camera with choose what it thinks should be the
proper shutter speed based on the aperture that is chosen. Manual mode
allows for full control of both aperture and shutter speed.
• The aperture is less important when photographing a 2D object like a painting
because there is no (or very little) depth to the painting. But for 3D objects the
amount of depth of field is very important in order to get the whole piece in
focus. For flat objects, f/8 - f/11 is typically the sharpest aperture. For objects of
varying distances a smaller aperture (higher number) may be better for more
depth of field.
• Depth of field becomes shallower the closer you get.
Photographing Artwork. Shutter speed:
• Shutter speed controls how long the shutter is open. A slower shutter speed
equals a longer exposure time. A slower shutter speed captures more light, but
is prone to motion blur so a tripod is recommended.
ISO:
• Lower the number equals less grain/noise which will give you crisper images
than a larger ISO.
RAW vs. JPG:
• JPG files are processed within the camera which will add blacks, contrast,
brightness, noise reduction, sharpening, etc. The files are compressed within
the camera and information and detail is discarded and cannot be recovered.
RAW files are uncompressed and unprocessed snapshots of all the detail
available to the camera sensor. Shooting RAW allows for additional post
production flexibility.
Photographing Artwork. Customize White Balance:
• The color of an object is affected by the lighting conditions under which it is
viewed. Our eyes and our brain compensate for different types of light—that's
why a wh ite object appears white to us whether it's viewed in sunlight, under
overcast skies or indoors under incandescent or fluorescent light. But digital
cameras need help to emulate this process, to compensate for different types
of lighting and render a white object white. Place a white balance card facing
towards the camera in the same lighting as your subject. Move or zoom in to fill
the frame with the card without casting a shadow onto it, and take a shot. Every
time a modification is made to the light (i.e. adding a layer of diffusion) the WB
will need to be reset because it will likely change the color temperature.
Histogram:
• The histogram is a graph showing the brightness distribution of an image with
pure black on one end, pure white on the other and grey in the middle. The
histogram is a great way to tell if the photo is under or over exposed. The trick
from exposure standpoint is making sure the bulk of the histogram falls in
between the two end points. If the graph is climbing the walls on either side
than the lights and darks are being clipped.
Lighting
• Continuous lights include tungston, flourescent, LED and HMI.
• Strobes lights produce very short, powerful bursts of daylight colored light.
Allows for fast shutter speed with less chance of blur from camera shake.
Strobe lights tend to be more expensive than continuous lights.
• It is important to not mix light sources ( i.e. Daylight and Tungston) because
they are different color temperatures. Turn off other lights and close curtains to
minimize reflections from other light sources
Photographing Artwork. • A small light source produces hard-edge shadows, and a large one produces
soft-edge shadows.
• Diffusion screens, umbrellas, and bounce cards all increase the effective size of
any light. Diffusing the light will help eliminate hot spots, shadows and
reflections.
• Softboxes create less light loss than umbrellas.
• White reflects light while black absorbs it.
2D Artwork
• To determine the placement of the camera, measure up from the floor to the
middle of the art. After attaching the camera, bring the lens to the exact height
of the middle of the art. Make sure that your camera is level and perpendicular
the artwork to avoid distortions.
• Start by placing the lights at 45 degree angles from the art, half way between
the art and the camera. The lights may need to be angled more or less
depending on the surface of the piece, width of the lens and the distance the
camera is placed from the piece.The angle at which a light beam hits an object
will reflect light out at that same angle. Ignoring exceptions involving certain
textures and refraction, we can depend on light to travel in a straight and
predictable line. The wider the focal length, the larger the family of angles. Any
light within the family of angles with produce a direct reflection.
• The height of your lights should be on center with your artwork.
• If the artwork has a lot of texture and therefore creates a significant amount of
glare, polarizing filters on the lights and lens can help.
• If possible, photograph the work before it is matted or framed.
3D Artwork
• The form and surface of the piece will determine the lighting set up and the
amount of diffusion needed for the lights. Objects that have a very shiny and
reflective surface will require more softening.
Photographing Artwork. • The closer the camera is to the subject, the greater the distortion will be. The
farther the camera is from the subject the less it will be distorted.
• Using a curved paper background called a sweep, the camera will not see a
horizon line. The gentle curve of the paper will not be visible as long as the
shadow of the subject does not fall on part of the background.
• Allow enough distance between the artwork and the background so it does not
cast a shadow on background.
Resource List
Photo/Video Stores
http://www.westphoto.com/ local
http://www.natcam.com/ local
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ NY
http://www.adorama.com/ NY
Rental Equipment
http://westphoto.com/rental.html
http://www.mplsphotocenter.com/
http://www.flashlightphotorental.com/
Adobe Creative Cloud - Photography Package
http://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html
Cameras that are compatible to shoot tethered with Adobe Lightroom
https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/kb/tethered-camera-support.html
IPhone app
https://www.procamera-app.com/en/
Light Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
By Fil Hunter, Steven Biver & Paul Fuqua
Photographing Arts, Crafts & Collectables
By Steve Meltzer