Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center

TIPS FOR TAKING PHOTOS OF YOUR WORK:

You don’t have to have an expensive camera, or be an expert photographer, to take good photos of your products. Basically, you need a camera that will take sharp photos that show off the detail of your work. A smartphone with a good, 8 megapixel camera will do.

1. Shoot your photos in good light. 

 Taking photos outside and shoot on an overcast day, or not in direct sunlight works best. If you can’t do this, pull a table up next to a window, preferably on a nice sunny day, and simply lay the art on the table or foor. 

2. Use simple backgrounds.

Plain white walls and hard surfaces make wonderful backgrounds for photos of your products. You can also use simple backdrops like flat stones, brick walls and grassy fields. Avoid busy and complicated backgrounds like colorful flower gardens or patterned. Backdrops or backgrounds do not have to be big, fancy or expensive, a piece of poster board or plain piece of unwrinkled fabric works fine.

3. Hold the camera above the art.

Hold the camera/smartphone directly above the piece coming downwards. Do not use any angles because this will distort the image. You want it to be displayed head-on so that the viewers get as good a view as possible.

4. Create a simple backdrop set-up.

If you need to photograph the piece standing up and not flat, you can create a a simple backdrop set-up by draping a piece of fabric over a box lid or piece of wood and lean it up against a wall. Leave enough of the fabric flat on the ground or table to set the piece on.

6. Add props.

You can add a simple element to ad dinterest, like a fower, plant or natural element, but keep it very simple. Your product is the star of the show!

Below are a few examples of very simple set-ups.