After planning for the year, the first practical step for any modern artist is to document their work professionally. This is the foundation for everything that comes next – online presence, applications, and sales.

So, you’ve set your intentions for 2026 and you’re ready to create. But before your paintings are tucked away in portfolios or off to new homes, there’s one crucial, non-negotiable skill every contemporary artist needs: how to photograph your work well.

A poor photo can make a masterpiece look amateurish, while a great photo can do justice to your hours of work and open doors to opportunities. You don’t need a fancy studio; you just need to know a few key principles.

Gear Up (Without Breaking the Bank)

• Camera: A modern smartphone with a high-quality camera is perfectly sufficient for most 2D work. The key is stability.

  

• Tripod: This is your secret weapon. A small, inexpensive tripod eliminates camera shake and ensures consistency.

  

• Lighting: Natural, indirect light is your best friend. Avoid direct sun, which can create glare and hot spots. A cloudy day is ideal or shoot in a shaded spot outdoors. For indoor lighting, two identical lamps positioned at 45-degree angles to your artwork can work at a pinch. A ring light with smartphone holder works a treat.

The Setup: Hanging and Framing Your Shot

• Hang Your Work: If possible, hang your artwork on a neutral, blank wall (a light grey is often better than pure white). Ensure it’s perfectly level.
• Position Your Camera: Place your camera on the tripod directly in front of the artwork, so the lens is parallel to it. Fill the entire frame with your painting, leaving just a tiny bit of background around the edges.
• Square It Up: This is critical. The edges of your artwork in the viewfinder should be perfectly parallel to the edges of your camera frame. This avoids frustrating distortion that you’ll have to fix later.

Camera Settings and The Click

• Clean Your Lens! A surprising number of blurry photos are due to a smudgy phone lens.
• Use a Timer or Remote: Using your camera’s self-timer (it’s a standard feature on most smartphones) or a Bluetooth remote prevents the tiny shake that results from pressing the shutter button.
• Settings: Turn off your flash. If you can manually adjust settings, use a low ISO (100-200) to reduce grain and a mid-range aperture (around f/8) for sharpness. If you’re just using your phone, tap on the screen to set the focus and exposure on your artwork.

The Essential (and Simple) Digital Edit

Once you have a sharp, well-lit, and square photo, a few small edits can make it perfect.

• Crop: Crop the image to remove any excess background, leaving just the artwork.
• Straighten: Use the straighten tool to fine-tune the alignment.
• Colour Correct: Adjust the “White Balance” until the whites in your painting look neutral, not too blue or yellow. Boosting “Contrast” and “Vibrancy” slightly can often help the image look more like the real piece.

Taking the time to document your work properly is a sign of a professional. It shows respect for your own effort and makes your art ready for whatever opportunity comes next.

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