How to take great photos of your art

Whether you're submitting your work to our artist competition, or printing your first giftware range, you'll need to take quality photos of your work. Don't worry!  We've come up with some tips for getting a sharp, hi-res shot of your artwork (with no fancy equipment needed.)

Prepare

Don't forget to give your masterpiece a last-minute clean before taking the photos. You want it to look the best it can be...so make sure the surface is clear of dust, pencil marks, pet hair, biscuit crumbs - or any other debris that might affect your image. 

Find a suitable place to take your picture

Keep it simple! Ideally, you're looking for a room with natural light. The best spot is to take your photo against a wall, opposite a window on a cloudy day. Stand far enough away so that there are no shadows on your artwork, and make sure your image is straight, and square on to the camera - it seems obvious, but it's worth getting right as it'll save you time post-shoot!

TIP: if you've got a textured artwork, you might find it useful to set your image at 45 degrees to the light rather than 90, to make the texture pop. 

Keep everything still

If you've got a tripod, time to set it up! If you haven't, use a stack of books or something else steady to keep your camera in place. Avoid super-cheap tripods if you can - they can look the part but usually end up being a lot more hassle than they're worth.

Set up your camera

First of all, you're going to need a fairly decent camera, 13 megapixels and over is preferable, or a good iphone. Make sure you set it to the maximum resolution.

Next choose a low ISO to keep the image sharp (100 or 200 should work, depending on your camera) but make sure your aperture is high, so the whole image stays in focus. This means you'll have a slow shutter speed. This is why it's important to have to camera on a completely still support to prevent your imaging from getting blurred.

Make sure you disable the flash, as this will prevent washed-out colours. 

Set the timer

Using the timer on your camera reduces the risk of any accidental wobbles as you take the photo, giving you a much cleaner shot.

Photo editing

Once you're happy with your photo, you might want to adjust the image using photo editing software. Some helpful programs are Photoshop, Lightroom, Canva or Pixlr

If you're looking for more information on using cameras, we highly recommend photographylife.com which has some great tips for beginners. And don't forget to check out our website for the date of our next artist competition!