How to photograph your artwork at home: 5 simple steps

If you want to sell your work online, you need to be able to take photos that do your art justice. As important as it is to take good photos, the process can sometimes be daunting or frustrating if (like most of us) you’ve realised that being a naturally talented artist doesn’t always mean you’re the next Picasso.

Luckily, when it comes to learning how to take photos of your artwork, a few tweaks to your setup can instantly improve the quality of your photos. Plus, you don’t need to invest in fancy or expensive equipment. Smartphones, free apps and lighting hacks can keep prices down without compromising your shot.

Below you’ll find five simple steps to get you taking better photos of your artwork.

1. Get your artwork ready

The most important thing to remember at this first stage is you want to shoot your piece as straight on as possible. Hanging your artwork gives you the best chance of achieving this but if wall space isn’t readily available, you can try propping your piece up against a blank surface or using an easel. 

Make sure your background wall is a neutral colour (e.g. white, beige or grey) and avoid loud or patterned wallpaper. You want all the focus to be on your art, not its surroundings. Clean, simple walls will avoid colour clashes or distractions. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Never photograph art that is already framed. The idea is to capture the complete size of your artwork, unframed. Glass will also create unwanted reflections that prevents buyers from getting a true sense of the piece. You can always take a few lifestyle shots afterwards or, as we’ll discuss later, use mock-ups sites to show your art in situ.

2. Choose your lighting carefully

We always recommend using natural light when photographing your artwork at home. Windows are an ideal light source, providing bright but soft lighting without the need for any additional equipment. Make sure when shooting inside and using natural light, you switch indoor lights off. You can also shoot outdoors but make sure conditions are overcast and cloudy as direct sunlight can impact the colours in your work or create shadows.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to shoot your artwork indoors but don’t have access to natural light (e.g. you’re taking a photo at night), set your lights up to light up your room - rather than shining a spotlight on your design. Again, this will avoid altering colours and the creation of shadows and reflections. If possible, try to use full-spectrum lightbulbs (also known as sunlight bulbs) rather than traditional bulbs so colours are reflected more naturally and you steer clear of harsher, yellowy tones.

HANDY TIP: Counter the yellow hues of traditional bulbs by placing some white cardboard or foam between the lights and your work. Angle the lights to the white surface to absorb some of the tones and get more consistent lighting distribution. 

3. Set your camera up

With your camera setup (whether you’re using a DSR or a smartphone), you want the camera lens to be aligned with the middle of your artwork and your camera angle to match the angle of your canvas. Fill almost the entire viewfinder with your work, leaving just a small amount of space around the border. This will help you get the best resolution possible. 

Keeping your camera steady is key to getting a photo that doesn’t distort the subject, so a tripod is really handy for this step. There are lots of great, reliable models for under £20 for both cameras and smartphones. Alternatively, you can use a steady, flat surface. Just remember to keep your camera aligned with the middle of your work. A self or remote timer will also help keep your camera as steady as possible when you’re ready to take your photo. 

If you feel confident playing around with camera settings, you can try and adjust the white balance of your camera so the white in your painting matches the white you can see in real life. That said, a lot of cameras and phones have auto settings that are effective and much easier to use. The same goes for your camera focus.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure your flash is turned off! 

4. Take lots of photos

To give yourself more choice – and to give buyers the best possible idea of your artwork – take lots of photos. Use this opportunity to play around with the lighting or adjust your camera settings so you become more familiar and comfortable taking photos of your art. Just remember to keep the camera and your artwork still at all times. 

If your photo isn’t looking just right in your viewfinder, don’t worry too much, you can add some final tweaks with your editing software. 

5. Add your finishing touches

When you’re confident you have a good selection of photos, import them into your chosen editing program. If you don’t have an editing program or don’t feel comfortable enough or have the time available to use one, don’t worry. If you’ve used your phone to photograph your artwork, there are enough filters and editing options for you to produce decent finished images. Just be sure not to distort colours when using filters.

If you’re keen to try out an editing program, there are lots of free or affordable easy-to-use options. For example, if you’re editing on Windows, you should have free access to Picasa and if you’re working on a Mac, you’ll have iPhoto. 

For additional desktop/laptop editing software, Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom are our go-tos. If you’re completely new to editing programmes, Lightroom is a more accessible option but its toolkit is still advanced, giving you everything you may need to enhance your photo. If you’re editing on your phone, aside from built-in editing features, some apps we recommend include VSCO, InShot, Afterlight 2, PicsArt and Photoshop Express. 

When it comes to editing, the aim is to get your photo looking as reflective of your work as possible, so try not to make too many changes. Some small editing tweaks you may want to make will include straightening your image, boosting the contrast, adjusting brightness filters and cropping the image.  Save your image as a JPEG or PNG at maximum quality. 

With your artwork now in digital format, you might also want to play around with some mock-up options that place your art in lifestyle or studio settings. Again, you can opt for some free options such as those included in your editing programme or from third party sites including Mockups-Designs,  MCKUPS and PSD Repo. Adobe Stock and Shutterstock have a really good range to choose from and you can download a range of mockups with their free trials. 

And that’s it. You’re now you’re ready to upload your images to your Juxsee account.